Environmentally Friendly Flooring

 

What makes a floor “green”? There are many factors to consider when choosing the best flooring for your home.

Sustainably Sourced Flooring

For many, the most obvious answer is that the material used to make the flooring was sustainably sourced. That would include hardwood flooring sourced from FSC certified forests, or wool carpet from ethically raised sheep, or cork which can be recycled or harvested from trees without harming them, or tile made using recycled materials.

Non Toxic Flooring

For the health of your family, you will want to choose a flooring which was not manufactured using harmful chemicals such as volatile organic chemicals (VOCs). You can find information on low chemical choices in trustworthy green databases.  Be sure that you also look at how it is installed with underlayment and adhesives.

Durable Flooring

To be sustainable, flooring needs to be durable. You don’t want to have a long useful life. High quality sustainable flooring will ensure that you enjoy your selection for many years to come. Be sure to look for products which can be easily and safely cleaned and refinished.

Embodied Carbon

Because there is so much volume in the flooring in your house, you will want flooring which is manufactured in a way which makes conscientious use of energy and water. Think about transportation costs to get it to your site as well.  Your floors are also a good opportunity to look at opportunities to sequester carbon in your home. For instance, cork which is harvested and minimally processed holds carbon and then the tree pulls more carbon out of the air to make the next generation.

End of Life

You need to consider the entire lifecycle of your flooring. In a ideal case, your flooring would be cradle to cradle certified and be up-cycled into another product? If not, is it recyclable? biodegradable?

Ask a Pro

When choosing your flooring, be sure to purchase from a reputable dealer who understands the health benefits of green flooring. If you don’t feel that you are getting a straight answer, look elsewhere. A room full of toxicity will cost you more that short term savings.

For beautiful and sustainable flooring options, check out our

 Eco-Friendly Flooring Product Showcase

Fireclay Tile Proves Good Design Can Also Do Some Good

Fireclay Tile Proves Good Design Can Also Do Some Good

Fireclay is unique from anyone else in that they hand-make every tile to order using recycled materials and sustainable manufacturing practices. They come in tons of shapes and colors using a natural VOC-free pigmenting process.

Elemental Green Founder Sheridan Foster Dishes on #EcoRenovate

Elemental Green Founder Sheridan Foster Dishes on #EcoRenovate

Are you planning to renovate your home? The product choices you make can have a huge impact on your health and the planet. Elemental Green’s Founder and CEO Sheridan Foster gives us some such examples as she walks us through our first branded renovation in Chicago’s Hyde Park.

Trend USA Recycled Mosaic And Tiling

Trend USA Recycled Mosaic And Tiling

Long before it became fashionable, the Trend Group declared a commitment to implementing real-world processes that protect and preserve the planet’s resources.

7 Green Building Trends Home Buyers Are Helping To Set

7 Green Building Trends Home Buyers Are Helping To Set

“Eco-friendly” is getting a chic makeover. From innovation in materials to major curb appeal to biophilia and bringing the outdoors in, these sustainable trends are leading the charge when home buyers are hunting for their next home.

Sustainable Home Gyms: How to Set Up Your Own

Sustainable Home Gyms: How to Set Up Your Own

Setting up your own sustainable home gym lets you keep fit while staying environmentally friendly. Focus on where your equipment and furnishings came from; what’s in them; and flexibility and efficiency in how they’re used. You’ll be surprised at how great you can feel about feeling great.

Eco Friendly Flooring Product Showcase

Eco Friendly Flooring Product Showcase

As a discerning green homeowner, every choice you make involves a variety of factors. And floors are no exception. You have to love how it looks, like how it feels on your feet, trust that it cleans up without too much effort and lasts a long time – and since you care about the planet that we live on….it needs to be healthy and eco-friendly, too.

Nature’s Carpet Environmentally Friendly Wool Carpet

Nature’s Carpet Environmentally Friendly Wool Carpet

Nature’s Carpet’s line of carpets has been tailored to the consumer who wishes to make a flooring purchase decision with consideration to its environmental impact, but does not wish to sacrifice quality and style in doing so.

Tesoro Woods Sustainable Flooring

Tesoro Woods Sustainable Flooring

Tesoro Woods is a certified advocate of sourcing sustainable materials and using eco-friendly, low- VOC finishes and glues to minimize the impact on indoor air quality and health.

Daltile Tile & Stone Walls and Floors

Daltile Tile & Stone Walls and Floors

Daltile specializes in wall & floor tiling for any style and any room. Ninety-eight percent of the products contain post-consumer recycled materials, and many of their products can help you earn LEED credits.

The Habitus Collection Sustainable Floor and Wall Materials

The Habitus Collection Sustainable Floor and Wall Materials

Fine and sustainable architectural finish materials Habitus Finishes LLC is proud to offer this curated collection of fine architectural finish materials. Their products and services are offered to both the trade and private customers. Habitus' team of experienced...

APC Cork Sustainable Flooring

APC Cork Sustainable Flooring

APC Cork is one of the top North American distributors of cork flooring, offering a variety of floating floors, residential and commercial glue down tiles, cork underlayments and flooring accessories.

Kirei USA Sustainable Bamboo and Wood Substitutes

Kirei USA Sustainable Bamboo and Wood Substitutes

Since 2003 Kirei has been dedicated to providing beautiful, sustainable, functional design materials to help innovative interior designers and architects design elegant, creative interiors. Kirei’s goal is continual introduction of new materials for you to design with, while improving business practices to be as sustainable as possible.

Copyright © 2022 ElementalGreen® and Contributors

ElementalGreen and the logo are registered trademarks of ElementalGreen

Need some inspiration?

Subscribe to our newsletter and receive our free ebook “Why Go Green"

You have Successfully Subscribed!

Pin It on Pinterest