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Environmentally
Friendly Flooring
When we speak about environmentally friendly flooring we are
talking about flooring materials that come from readily renewable sources or are produced from recycled
materials. Whether you want carpet, hardwood, or
linoleum flooring, there are environmentally friendly
options available for you.
Carpeting: If you want to install carpeting in your home,
then carefully read the labels used by the carpet and
rug industry to identify carpet that contains materials
with fewer volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
You also want to ensure that both the carpet
fibers as well as the adhesives used in installation
contain low amounts of VOCs. By installing
environmentally friendly carpeting, you can help to
improve indoor air quality.
The Carpet and Rug Institute established and directs the
Green Label Plus program, which certifies
environmentally friendly carpeting products.
Linoleum: Believe it or not, but natural
linoleum is widely used in green building, as it is
primarily made from all natural materials such as
linseed oil, pine resin, sawdust, cork dust, limestone
and jute. Natural Linoleum also has the added benefit
of be easier to care for than other types of sheet
flooring. However,
natural linoleum does cost more than many types of
sheet vinyl products.
Because the word linoleum is used my many people to refer to
sheet vinyl and vinyl composition tile, that are
manufactured from polyvinyl chloride, purchasing
linoleum can be confusing. For this reason, you have to be aware of what you are
purchasing and make sure that it is Natural Linoleum.
Wood: When purchasing hardwood flooring,
consider purchasing reclaimed flooring.
This is wood that has been removed from old
homes, office buildings, and even barns.
If you do not want to install reclaimed
flooring, then make sure the flooring you buy is a
certified green material.
The Forest Stewardship Council certifies wood
flooring products as green when that product comes
from forests operated under sustainable forest
management practices. Sustainable forest management is
the harvesting of wood without causing any serious
impact on the environment.
Cork: Cork flooring comes from the bark of the
cork oak, which is a member of the beech family, and
grows in western Mediterranean countries.
The bark of the cork trees is stripped every
nine to fourteen years.
This does not harm the tree in anyway and the
tree is never cut, making cork flooring an
environmentally friendly form of flooring.
Cork is comprised of 30 and 40 million air
cells that are honeycomb in structure.
It is this unique structure that gives cork the
following properties:
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Insulation: In that cork is actually warm to
walk on barefooted—like walking on carpet.
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Resiliency: Cork will dent when heavy object are
placed on it, but cork has the ability to rapidly
regain its original shape once the heavy object is
moved.
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Impermeability: Cork is virtually water
resistant.
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Hypoallergenic: Because
cork does not absorb dust, or moisture it will not
promote the growth of mold or fungus, and
therefore will not cause or contribute to
allergies.
-
Fire resistant: Cork is a natural fire
retardant, and does not promote the spread of the
flames, nor does cork release any toxic gases.
Concrete: Concrete has begun to
gain in popularity as another option for green
flooring, especially when various types of decorative
concrete techniques are used to finish the flooring.
In addition to being durable, water and fire
resistance, concrete floor's also have the attribute
of contributing to a home's energy efficiency as part
of the passive solar system.
This is because during the daylight hours
concrete will absorb heat then releases it when the
temperatures drop at night.
If you are considering remodeling your home to
make it greener, you don’t have to use the same type
of green flooring through out your home, you can mix
and match several green flooring surfaces. For instance,
you may want to consider using the smooth surface of
concrete or cork in the active living areas with the
possible option of also using area rugs in these areas.
Then in the kitchen area you may want to install natural
linoleum, while having carpeting or hardwood flooring
installed in your bedrooms.
Going Green does not limit your options, but
allows you to consider types of flooring that you would
not have considered before.
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