What makes a floor “green”? There are many factors to consider when choosing the best flooring for your home.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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?
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.
As early as 1900, Milliken was reusing packaging and textile materials in their operations and documented their first recycling policy. By the late 1900’s Milliken developed a comprehensive plan to eliminate waste, increase product performance and preserve resources. This stewardship still guides Milliken’s daily choices and influences innovations in product design, manufacturing, and more.
Timeless, quality, and Sustainably-manufactured tiling Florim USA is committed to green and social initiatives, placing a particular attention to a environmentally friendly production process. The company is focused on pursuing sustainable development by ensuring that...
environmentally-responsible wood floors, paneling, and custom projects Pioneer's reclaimed wood products are fully manufactured — from sourcing to milling to you — in the USA from their NY and OR facilities. You won’t find anything like Pioneer reclaimed wood at big...
ECO-FRIENDLY HARDWOOD FLOORING As with master craftspeople, artists, architects and designers through ages, Lauzon has been passionate about revealing the beauty of wood. It is easy to understand why. Every species of tree has its own character. Within species, every...
Gorgeous and sustainably-sourced wood flooring Since its founding in 1985, Mullican Flooring has dedicated itself to creating the highest-quality hardwood flooring in the world. This emphasis on excellence, along with their commitment to environmentally sound...
Gorgeous, earth-friendly flooring and tile for homeowners and design professionals alike Inspired by palettes and décor from other eras as well as objects found in nature, Eco-Friendly's green flooring and tile collections emphasize single-ingredient materials...
Sustainably Produced Flooring Cork is made from the bark of the cork oak tree, a native tree of Spain, Portugal, and Tunisia. The bark -- and only the bark -- is harvested every nine years, in a process that does not harm the tree. The cork oak tree...
Allegheny Mountain Hardwood Flooring incorporates the full characteristics of the tree and is more efficient to produce. Do you know the difference between quarter sawn, rift sawn, plain sawn, & live sawn and what part of the log these boards are cut from?
From the control of emissions to the recycling of waste from the manufacturing process, Mbrico’s approach has always been based on strict ethical principles designed to effectively safeguard our habitat, in order to improve our own quality of life and in particular that of generations to come.
Combimix products are engineered to make a project run smoothly and last longer. The revolutionary Calcium Aluminate Technnology found in Combimix cement-based products offers extraordinary jobsite performance and long-term durability, outperforming traditional...
Why Bamboo From a forestry standpoint, bamboo can be grown with no added fertilizers, pesticides or irrigation and can sequester up to 70% more carbon per year than a hardwood forest. Moso bamboo has an optimal five-year growth cycle and is selectively harvested by...
Eco-green building materials Chicago-based US Gypsum (USG) provides eco-friendly building materials, such as wall, ceiling and floor materials. With over 200 GREENGUARD Certified products, USG boasts a huge variety of eco-friendly products for any project. Greenguard...
Oceanside Glasstile was founded in 1992 with a boundless spirit of innovation, a passion for hot glass and a new vision for the tile industry; creating luxury glass tile using recycled bottle glass. As pioneers of handcrafted glass tile they continue to pursue timeless design that preserves, honors and furthers their true artisan heritage.
As the first tile manufacturer in Tennessee (est. 1986), Crossville is one of the leading American manufacturers of beautiful, sustainable solutions that advance the frontiers of tile design. From introducing the nation’s first large-format porcelain tiles, to...
The CRI Green Label is a certification from the Carpet and Rug Institute to improve the health of indoor spaces. Today, indoor air quality (IAQ) is an important environmental consideration, especially since we spend approximately 90 percent of our time indoors.
The modern living room takes on an organic edge when you fill it with the right mix of furnishings, fixtures, and surfaces. A mix of stone and wood effect tile can set the tone for this chic, yet natural design, which combines artisan elegance with modern, streamlined...
Through research, design and technology collaborations, they discovered that the fishing nets – made of nylon – could be recycled to create beautiful new carpet.
Everything at Sustainable Northwest Wood is grown in forests managed to the standards of the Forest Stewardship Council™ (FSC) or as part of stewardship programs restoring native ecosystems. The company is 100% committed to sustainable wood.
The Evolution of Floor Underlayments - Maxxon Wrote the Book Since Gyp-Crete was first developed in 1972, Maxxon Corporation, has provided superior underlayment products for solving virtually any floor problem. Maxxon not only started the industry, but continues to...
IndoTeak is a custom-design based reclaimed teak company, proud to manufacture the highest quality FSC® Recycled 100% teak flooring, siding, paneling, decking, and more.
Cali Bamboo product offerings include bamboo flooring, fencing, plywood, poles, and recycled composite decking. Their GreenClaimed™ brand offers sustainably-sourced cork, eucalyptus, and recycled/reclaimed decking.
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