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Global warming has brought everyone’s attention to the environment. Globally, governmental and non-governmental organizations are promoting eco-friendly products to avoid any further damage to the environment. Responsible homeowners and construction managers are prioritizing environment-friendly products. A green home is an alternative name given to eco-friendly buildings.
Eco-friendly products and services help to reduce the carbon footprint in the environment. These products also make the home lively for years to come. Moreover, it also provides a healthier life for the people who live in that home. If you want to build a healthier, environmentally friendly home, why not start with flooring?
When we choose eco-friendly flooring, sustainability is the main focus. For example, a woolen carpet is sustainable due to the renewable source. A sheep will reproduce the wool without an impact on the surroundings. Recycling and the product age are the other primary considerations while choosing.
Among all environmentally friendly flooring, experts consider wooden flooring as the most sustainable option. Wooden flooring also provides an extensive lifespan.
How can we keep woods in the sustainable or illegal category? For beginners, legally sourced wood comes under the category of sustainable. As per US law, timber import is illegal since 2008. Sustainable woods do not harm the forests. Illegal woods bring imbalance in the forest area.
How will you identify whether woods are illegally sourced or sustainable? U.S. Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) provides a seal on sustainable wood. A seal from FSC ensures that the current wood use doesn’t harm the environment’s biodiversity, water quality, and air quality.
Many choices give you clean and reliable eco-friendly wooden flooring options for your room. This eco-friendly flooring options guide will help you to choose the right product for your home.
Why is the Flooring Material Important from the Environment Point of View?
An average human being covers a distance of 110,000 miles in his lifetime.
Home walking contributes significantly to the above distance. Flooring also plays a crucial role in how an individual may feel within a space. Children spend most of their time in two places- at school or home. Toxic flooring may harm children’s health severely. It also provides an environment that has both short-term and long-term health effects.
Given below are the few significant reasons why flooring material is essential:
Air Quality
Flooring material directly contributes to the air quality of the environment. It can send out pollutants. Flooring material creates two types of pollutants. First, the material produces such pollutants. Second, it creates secondary pollutants with other objects through chemical reactions.
Thermal Quality
In high temperatures, flooring materials send out more Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC). It directly affects indoor air quality. A rising temperature inside our home affects our daily routines.
Lighting Quality
Flooring materials can affect the light quality of the room with their color. The flooring surface also plays a crucial role in lighting. Smooth-surfaced flooring materials provide more reflection in heavy lighting conditions. Rough surfaces do the opposite.
Flooring colors also contribute to the temperature of the room. Generally, the light blue color gives a relaxed feeling, whereas the red color makes things warmer.
Acoustical Effects
Suppose you are discussing an intense topic, suddenly a person enters the room. The walking sound of that person affects the concentration of all attendees. This is how flooring materials can affect their surroundings.
Cost-Effective
Investment in a promising flooring material gives a lifelong result. The initial cost of eco-friendly flooring may look more. It is a value for money as a long-term investment.
Top 5 Materials for Eco-friendly Flooring
Cork
Cork tree provides a durable flooring option. It does not require cutting the tree completely. Cork flooring is designed through the thin bark of cork. Harvesting of cork trees does not affect the tree. It grows back in three years after the harvesting. Unique and stylish designs make cork flooring more popular.
Engineered Hardwood
Hardwood flooring comes in two categories – engineered hardwood and solid hardwood. They look identical from the upper view. Engineered hardwood is a combination of solid wood material on top and artificial material in the lower layer. The use of limited wood makes engineered wood more eco-friendly. It also helps in recycling the waste material.
Laminate
Manufacturers print realistic images on a wood layer. Companies apply the concept of Medium Density Fiberboard (MDF) to produce laminate flooring. It is the most economical and popular flooring available in the market. Sustainability and eco-friendliness make it easy for consumers to pick. Laminate flooring is commonly used in commercial spaces due to the tough upper layer.
Bamboo
Bamboo offers the most eco-friendly floor surface. Technically, it comes under the category of grass. Bamboo provides the unique look that other flooring options can’t provide. Bamboo grows so rapidly that there is always additional bamboo material available.
Rubber
Commercial places like gyms, playgrounds use rubber flooring commonly. Customers avoid rubber flooring indoor due to extra heat emission in summer. Rubber floors also become slippery when they become wet.
Top 5 Eco-Friendly Flooring Products
#1 QEP 72003Q Cork Flooring
QEP 72003Q cork provides a noise-free flooring option for the room. A single roll of QEP 72003Q can cover 100 square feet area. You can install it with or without glue. It does not require an expert to install it. It reduces the sound transmission. For best results, customers install it with the 75-pound roller and cork adhesive.
Benefits of Cork Flooring
Softness: Cork flooring provides an extra softness under your feet. Due to the comforts, you can walk for long periods on such flooring.
Quick Installation: It does not require special training to install it in a room. You can simply connect the cork rolls, and you are ready to go.
Eye-Catching Designs: People think that cork flooring may not be stylish, but they are wrong. You will get a variety of designs while buying a cork roll. It is fun to combine different styles of cork roll to get a new design on your floor.
Disadvantages of Cork Flooring
Cork flooring does not provide water-resistant. It is not advisable to use it in water prone basement and bathroom.
#2 Bruce American Engineered Hardwood Flooring
Bruce company provides a variety of engineered hardwood flooring for your home. Each piece of flooring gives a rich and elegant touch to your room. The durability of Hardwood attracts more customers.
It will provide a long-lasting shine due to the aluminum oxide layer on the top of the wood. The upper layer of the design is scratch-resistant. People use hardwood flooring in bedrooms, living rooms, and kitchens.
Benefits of Engineered Hardwood Flooring
Authentic Wood Layer: Every piece of engineered hardwood flooring is different since it is made of real wood. You will not find the same pattern in any two planks.
Waterproof: It provides a moisture-free and waterproof experience depending on the quality of the wood used.
Affordable Price: Engineered hardwood flooring comes in a wide range of price offerings. It provides elegant hardwood flooring at a reasonable rate.
Disadvantages of Engineered Hardwood Flooring
The maintenance of hardwood depends on the thickness of the plank. If the plank thickness is less than 3 mm, it is difficult to refinish. It combines artificial material with hardwood. Some customers prefer real wood.
#3 BuildDirect Lampton Laminate Flooring
BuildDirect provides stylish and durable laminate flooring. It also provides click-lock installation technology. The company offers free sampling to the customers. Once you are satisfied with the design and quality, you can order the required flooring.
BuildDirect provides 25 years warranty for residential buildings, whereas it offers five years warranty for commercial offices.
Benefits of Laminate Flooring
Hardwood Like Surface: Laminate flooring upper layer offers real hardwood visuals.
Cost-effective: Laminate flooring is one of the most affordable solutions for homes. It has minimal maintenance cost due to a life extended warranty.
Easy Installation: Click lock technology gives an easy installation.
Disadvantages of Laminate Flooring
It is not waterproof. If not installed properly, Laminate flooring creates empty sounds.
#4 Ambient Bamboo Flooring
Ambient bamboo flooring is serving customers since 2005. You can first order a sample from the Ambient firm. Generally, it costs $4-$5 per square foot. The company uses Moso bamboo for better quality. It provides the best indoor air quality when compared with its rivals.
Benefits of Bamboo Flooring
Do It Yourself (DIY) Installation Facility: You can easily install bamboo planks due to the interlocking feature.
Long-Lasting Flooring: Bamboo flooring can survive severe conditions due to its strength.
Visuals: It provides a variety of designs to suit your home.
Disadvantages of Bamboo Flooring
It lacks water-resistant like other wood floorings.
#5 Thermodyn Rubber Diamond Flooring
Thermodyn provides the best non-slippery rubber flooring solution. It is flexible. It is used in challenging environments like garages and workshops. Newly installed rubber flooring gives a smell that many customers do not like.
Benefits of Rubber Flooring
Maintenance: You can easily maintain rubber floors with the help of disinfectant cleaners. Users can quickly sweep away the dust from the rubber flooring.
Quick Installation: Anyone can easily install rubber mats.
Moisture Resistant: The moisture resistance feature of rubber flooring makes it popular in gym areas.
Disadvantages of Rubber Flooring
Rubber flooring provides a unique odor that is allergic to some people. Regular mopping will keep the unpleasant smell away.
Before choosing any of the above floorings, make sure that it is VOC-free and FloorScore-Certified. FloorScore is the most recognized certification for maintaining indoor air quality (IAQ). It is developed by SCS with the help of manufacturers and suppliers involved in the flooring ecosystem.
Frequently Asked Questions on Wooden Flooring?
Q1: Is wooden flooring the right choice while having indoor pets?
Ans: manufacturing companies don’t provide a warranty on pet-damaged flooring. It is better to clean the floor area as soon as pets make it dirty.
Q2: Is it advisable to use wooden flooring in the kitchen?
Ans: the kitchen is prone to liquid falls. Most of the wooden flooring is not waterproof. It can resist water up to some level. Clean the water immediately to avoid any damage to the floor.
Q3: Which one is better, standard wood or engineered wood flooring?
Ans: thickness plays a key role while choosing the wood flooring. A thick engineered flooring stays for a long time. It is also more eco-friendly than regular wood flooring.
Q4: Can we install hardwood flooring on the marvel slab?
Ans: no, it is not advisable. Use engineered wood flooring for such circumstances.
Q5: Which flooring provides long durability?
Ans: laminate flooring offers a long durability option. For a residential place, manufacturers provide up to 25 years of warranty on laminate flooring.