From eco-friendly carpets to long-lasting wood floors, there are plenty of options that fit both your style and the environment.
Sustainability is one of the top things homeowners look for when choosing a new flooring option for their home. It’s a complex topic that takes into account the materials, manufacturing process, distribution, use and disposal.
1. Bamboo
Bamboo is a great option for your home if you’re looking to be environmentally friendly. It grows faster than trees and is more renewable, as bamboo stalks can grow for five years or more before they need to be harvested.
Another benefit of bamboo is its resilience and durability. It’s much more durable than hardwood flooring and is also resistant to stains, scratches, and warping.
Moreover, its natural appearance makes it a wonderful choice for any room in your home. It is available in a wide variety of styles, colors, and plank sizes.
In addition, it is relatively inexpensive to install. Bamboo is easy to install over a flat plywood or oriented-strand-board subfloor, and most homeowners can do it themselves.
Installation over concrete is a bit more difficult, but it’s still simple. Most installation methods involve gluing the planks directly to the subfloor or floating them over a foam underlayment.
2. Cork
Cork is one of the newer flooring options that has grown in popularity due to its sustainable characteristics. Its natural properties make it soft, durable, and eco-friendly.
Unlike hardwood, which can be easily scratched by sharp edges, cork floors are resistant to scratches and dents as long as they’re swept or mopped regularly. Small dents fill themselves in over time and shallow scratches visually blend into the floor’s overall texture.
It also resists stains and light marks, making it easy to keep clean without harsh cleaners or refinishing. It’s also very durable, which means it can handle the wear and tear of everyday life—and your pets!
If you’re interested in purchasing this type of flooring, look for a label that says it’s FSC-certified, meaning that the wood used in the manufacturing process is sourced from certified forests. This is an environmentally-friendly choice that helps preserve old-growth forests while protecting wildlife.
3. Reclaimed Wood
Reclaimed wood is an excellent sustainable flooring option that gives your home a classic look without harming the environment. It’s sourced from old homes, warehouses and other buildings, so it doesn’t require the felling of new trees. It also is a great way to reduce your carbon footprint and keep more trash out of landfills.
Whether you’re looking for traditional white oak or a rustic finish, there are a variety of reclaimed wood flooring options to choose from. Reclaimed wood has a unique look that adds personality and charm to your home. It’s also a more cost-effective option than new wood, so you can save money in the long run!
Another benefit of reclaimed wood is that it’s more dimensionally stable than fresh lumber. This is due to the fact that it’s been exposed to weathering and changing humidity levels over a long period of time.
Reclaimed lumber is usually sourced from antique barns but can also be found from old commercial and industrial buildings. It is important to purchase reclaimed wood from a trusted source so you can be sure that it will provide your home with the durability it needs. It also helps to find dry and tight wood that doesn’t have any cracks or splits.
4. Recycled Concrete
Recycled concrete is a great way to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfills. It can also save money and energy because it replaces gravel that needs to be mined and transported to construction sites.
Reused concrete can be used for a variety of projects, from landscaping to building foundations. It can be used to form retaining walls, raised flower beds and garden terraces. It can also be sized down into decorative gravel for walkways or driveways.
Using recycled concrete in construction is one of the best ways to conserve resources and help protect waterways. It can be used to create durable, permeable concrete that helps protect riverbanks and shorelines from erosion.
It can also be used as the aggregate for new concrete, which can greatly cut down on the amount of virgin materials needed to make construction projects. This also helps close the loop on construction waste, and can be a LEED (R) certified material in many building rating systems.
During the process of recycling concrete, the material is broken down with industrial crushing equipment and screened for contaminants. It may be further separated by size with screens or magnets, and cleaned through floatation. This process can be performed on site with a mobile crushing operation or in a plant.
5. Vinyl
If you want to make your home look and feel beautiful without spending a lot of money, vinyl is an excellent option. It comes in a variety of designs and colors, and can even mimic the look of wood grain or stone.
The beauty of vinyl is that it is incredibly durable. It is able to resist the effects of water, sunlight, physical trauma, and a variety of other elements.
It’s also one of the easiest flooring types to maintain. However, you will need to be vigilant in keeping your floor clean and free from grit and dirt.
Lastly, vinyl is highly durable and resistant to scratching. It is a good choice for rooms that are highly trafficked and have a high amount of moisture like kitchens and bathrooms.
It is made from a synthetic polymer called PVC. It’s a popular and useful material, but it has caused significant problems with the environment because it is not biodegradable. It’s also been shown to release phthalates, which can cause reproductive and respiratory problems.
6. Linoleum
Linoleum is an incredibly durable flooring material that was first patented in 1860 and can still be found in kitchens, bathrooms, mudrooms, and foyers more than a century later. It’s made from a mixture of linseed oil, cork dust, wood flour, ground limestone, pine rosin, and pigments that are affixed to a jute backing.
It is a natural and renewable product that is also biodegradable and non-toxic. It can be used in many applications and is easy to clean and maintain.
In addition to being environmentally friendly, linoleum is durable and resists abrasions. It can be installed over wood, concrete, and existing polymers like carpet or vinyl.
The only downside to linoleum is that it’s a bit more expensive than some other flooring options, but it can be worth the extra expense if you want a durable floor that requires less maintenance.
Another perk is that linoleum has low static and doesn’t attract dirt, which makes it more easy to clean with a soft broom. It’s also naturally anti-microbial, which means that it repels mites and other common household pests. A similar flooring that’s extremely easy to clean and maintain is the epoxy flooring from Ascent Epoxy; you can visit them at their location in Sarasota to see for yourself!
Linoleum is also a good choice for homes with sensitive people, like children or elderly residents. It doesn’t give off toxic fumes and is antistatic, which makes it a great choice for bedrooms and other areas where people spend a lot of time.
7. Carpet
Carpet is a versatile and durable flooring option that can be used in many areas of the home. It is soft underfoot and can offer a variety of colors, patterns, and styles.
While it has a few drawbacks, it also has many benefits. Among them are the fact that carpet is low-maintenance and can help reduce allergies.
Moreover, it is one of the lowest volatile organic compounds (VOC) emitting flooring options. In addition, it acts as a passive air filter by trapping dust and dander.
It also helps to reduce noise pollution, providing a quieter environment. This benefit can be especially useful if you have children or pets.
When shopping for sustainable carpet, look for products made with natural fibers or recycled materials. These are easy to clean and can be easily replaced if they become damaged.
