Green Flooring

Green flooring choices can be as durable, economical, and beautiful as traditional flooring, while also being more sustainable and less-toxic.

Why  Green Flooring?

When compared to green flooring choices, unsustainable conventional flooring products can be a source of health problems. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are emitted as gases from a variety
 of flooring components including petroleum-based carpet fibers, vinyl, glues, and coatings such as flame retardants and stain resistants. VOCs are known to cause eye and throat irritations, kidney and liver damage, mental impairment, allergic reactions, and cancers.  But, luckily, there are other options.


Green Flooring Choices

Bamboo
                                                                                                                                                                              Bamboo with its natural beauty and strength, is one of the most elegant and versatile green flooring choices available. Technically a grass, bamboo is surprisingly durable, with some species obtaining hardness ratings nearly double that of oak. Unlike hardwoods, bamboo has a short growing cycle (3 to 5 years) and is harvested without killing the plant. When shopping for bamboo flooring, try to make sure that you are buying from a company that sells the more mature harvests, as the older bamboo is more durable.  Bamboo is the same or slightly less expensive than hardwood flooring.


Cork

Cork is another good green flooring choice. Used by Frank Lloyd Wright in kitchens because of its natural water resistance, cork is also antimicrobial and fire-resistant, and its resilience makes it one of the most comfortable flooring choices to stand and walk on. The bark of the sustainable cork trees is harvested in seven year cycles, allowing the same trees to be harvested for many decades.  Cork is, however, more susceptible to gouging and does require a protective sealer. Be sure to use a low or no-VOC sealer.

Click here to visit Eco Safety Products, Your Green Building Supplier!  has an excellent selection of low- or no-VOC sealers and coatings as well as soy-based paints and an array of helpful tools for applying them.
Wool and Natural Plant Fibers

  Synthetic carpets are made from petroleum based plastics, nylon, or polypropylene, and are coated with VOC-emitting chemicals. Almost 5 billion pounds of non-biodegradable carpets are sent to U.S. landfills each year. So, back to nature we go.

Wool has been used in carpets for centuries. It is  fire-resistant, durable, and biodegradable. And with the growth of the green home movement, it is now much easier to find manufacturers who back their carpets with durable natural hemp or jute fibers and builders who use non-toxic biodegradable glues. A delicious selection of wool rugs can be found at Rugman.com

Plant-based rugs can be found in several forms including sisal, sea grass, and coir. Sisal is a tropical fiber from the agave plant. It is woven into patterns, accepts dyes, and is very durable and naturally flame resistant. Sea Grass, grown in shallow saltwater, is spun into cords to be woven into a strong smooth easy-on-the-feet green floor covering. Sea grass only comes in its natural colors which range from green to beige. Coir is an extremely strong fiber extracted from coconut husks. It is pest and flame resistant and good for high traffic areas.  However, high humidity can affect the weave so it is not well-suited to areas such as bathrooms. For the best selection and prices for Sisal, Jute, Seagrass, Mountian Grass and Bamboo rugs on the internet, go to Natural Area Rugs.

Linoleum

Real linoleum (not to be confused with vinyl) is made of linseed, cork, tree rosin, limestone and jute - - all natural. Less expensive than hardwood flooring, linoleum is easy to maintain, non-toxic, anti-microbial, and biodegrabable. An excellent green flooring choice for those prone to allergies, linoleum also has a warmer, softer surface to walk on than ceramic tile. Modern linoleum comes in a wide array of colors and patterns and can last for more than forty years. When installing any kind of green flooring, make sure that zero or low-VOC sealants and glues are used.

 For in-depth information on flooring and installation try: Flooring Instant Answers