Thinking of remodeling your home this year? You’re not alone.

According to one report, home renovation is at an all-time high. Nearly half of all homeowners are living in their first purchased home. And when they’ve lived there six years or more, 61 percent of them opt for remodeling a portion of their home in some way.

Why are homeowners thinking now is the perfect time for a remodel? The pandemic tops the list.

For the first time, many homeowners are seeing their homes in a different light. While they may have been running from activity to activity before, spending very little of their waking time at home, things have changed. Today people work from home, attend school from home, even take part in their favorite activities all from the comfort of their homes.

But what if that home isn’t as comfortable as you remember? What if you simply don’t have room for everything you do each day? You need better function. You need more flexible space.

What better time to do that than right now?

But there’s another consideration you should pay attention to: the health of your home.

You don’t want to bring in just any building material. After the past year, you now understand just how important your health is.

As you’re building the base for your new space, pay attention to every material you bring through your door. And start it out by choosing eco-friendly flooring that looks great, wears well, and improves your living conditions too.

Eco-friendly flooring is better for the environment

To truly understand how your flooring impacts the environment, you have to start at the point of origination. Where does your flooring material come from? How was it created?

Some flooring is created in a lab, made from all kinds of chemicals and products designed for specific reasons. Plastics can add strength and durability. Binders and adhesives can add to that strength and add longevity.

Yet just because they exist and we have them available to us, doesn’t make them good for the environment.

If you are specifically looking for environmentally friendly flooring products, pay attention to the specifics of how it was made.

Bamboo flooring, for example, is a hard, durable flooring material designed to give you the same appearance as hardwood floors. But bamboo is different from hardwood. Instead of taking decades for harvest, bamboo can be harvested in just a few years. Bamboo is a grass that grows extremely fast, and is woven together to add to its strength and durability. If you looked at bamboo years ago and were leery of its strength, look again. Today’s bamboo is a welcome addition to any home, and may be the perfect choice for your remodeled space.

Of course, bamboo isn’t the only option. How about linoleum? Yes, linoleum has been around for decades, and many homeowners don’t even think to look at this eco-friendly product. But combined with today’s technology has made it a wonderful choice for some rooms in your home. Linoleum is made from tree resin, linseed oil, cork dust, bits of wood, limestone, and pigments. It’s pressed together to make a natural flooring product perfect for some areas of your home. If you’ve wanted a flooring that’s easy to clean, and provides water-resistant benefits, linoleum might be your choice.

Want other options? Look no further than cork. This environmentally friendly material comes from thin layers of a cork tree. To harvest cork, workers sheer off a thin layer of cork, leaving the tree intact. The tree continues growing and can produce multiple layers of cork throughout its life. While most people are leery of cork in the beginning, with pictures of wine corks and bulletin boards floating in their minds, you’ll find cork flooring much different than other types of cork you have around your home. Manufacturers use a process to make cork hard enough to be installed in your home, and wear well under pressure. It has give that hardwood and tile won’t have, yet offers durability that can last for many years to come.

Of course, when you want to install eco-friendly flooring, look beyond the flooring itself to ensure you’re getting what you truly want. Cork floor may seem like a great choice, but if it’s harvested in less than stellar ways, you’re really not getting what you paid for. Look for certifications that ensure it’s an eco-friendly product. Things like Green Label Plus or Forest Stewardship Council have all set up organizations to follow the entire process of the product, and ensure it meets guidelines along the way.

Eco-friendly flooring is better for your home

People usually select eco-friendly flooring for two reasons.

1. They want a product better for the environment.

2. They want a product better for the health of their family.

If you suffer from allergies, if you have a family member prone to asthma or other respiratory illnesses, you may be looking for ways to create a cleaner living environment. Eco-friendly flooring can help with that.

One of the greatest benefits of selecting eco-friendly flooring is the fact that they use fewer chemicals in the production process. Volatile organic compounds – VOCs – are gases that are released from certain types of building products. As they release into the environment, they produce a host of health issues, including headaches, sinus problems, and other respiratory issues. While manufacturers as a whole are working to lower VOCs, they are still higher in some types of flooring than others. Eco-friendly products will focus on creating a product that is environmentally friendly throughout the process, from harvesting to disposal at the end of its useful life.

Eco-friendly flooring is better for you

When you shop for new flooring, or start a remodeling project, what’s the first thing you consider before starting your search? Chances are it relates to your budget.

That’s where eco-friendly flooring can help once again.

Just because you have a budget to stick to doesn’t mean you have to select a flooring product that isn’t a sound investment. Some of the most eco-friendly flooring choices on the market today are also easy on the pocketbook.

Eco-friendly flooring is in demand. And because of that, a lot of manufacturers are producing a wide variety of options.

No matter what your budget is, or what desires you have for your final project outcome, there’s an eco-friendly option for you.

Stop by today – we can help you find the perfect choice to suit your needs.