green flooring Archives - PRO! Flooring

Flooring
February 25, 2022

Why Green Flooring Can Help You With Sustainable Living

More than ever, sustainable living starts at home. Why not start at the bottom … installing green flooring sets the stage for every eco-friendly item you bring into your living space.

According to a report by the New Climate Economy, we could save as much as $26 trillion by 2030 if we move to more sustainable living.

As a population, we are only starting to realize the impact we can make even through small changes. A study by Southern Cross University found that 93 percent of all those surveyed indicated a general concern for the environment. With wildfires, plastic pollution, climate change, and more at the forefront of everyone’s minds, we all want to do what we can to make a difference.

Sometimes the best place to start is at home.

What is sustainable living?

According to Wikipedia, sustainable living is a lifestyle that attempts to reduce an individual’s or society’s use of the Earth’s natural resources, and one’s personal resources. It’s also known as net-zero living.

In practice, it’s about reducing their carbon footprint. It includes altering home design and transportation methods, energy consumption, and everyday living consumption.

How does this differ from green living?

Green living is a lifestyle choice. It’s about making conscious choices that preserve and conserve the Earth’s natural recourse and habitats. They are done so with an environmentally ethical, eco-friendly outcome in mind.

Green refers to environmental movements in general, while sustainability has clear-cut guidelines to put into practice. You strive for sustainability after you start bringing green living practices into your life.

How does green flooring play into all of this?

Choosing to increase green living means becoming more aware of the products and materials you bring into your home.

According to the US Green Building Council, as you’re building or remodeling a home, going green allow you to:

Increase energy savings
Increase water efficiency
Reduce CO2 emissions
Improve indoor environmental quality
Select resources based on their impact

When selecting green flooring, it means paying attention to:

How the flooring is manufactured
Where the resources come from
What production looks like
How the manufacturer approaches eco-friendly processes
The impact of the flooring once it’s brought into your home

Bamboo flooring is an excellent example of green flooring. It’s environmentally friendly because of how fast it grows. A bamboo grove can yield 20 times more timber than trees in the same location. It will also release 35 percent more oxygen in the process. And all of that can occur without the use of fertilizers and pesticides.

What to look for in green flooring choices

Before you start looking for the right flooring choice for your home, it’s important to define exactly what to look for in an eco-friendly option.

First, start with the manufacturing process used to create the flooring before it ever winds up on the retailers’ shelves. You’re looking for an option that offers natural and renewable resources.

This can be subjective, depending on your goals and desires. Bamboo is eco-friendly in that a single bamboo tree can be harvested in three to five years. Compare that to a standard tree used in hardwood flooring production, requiring 40 to 60 years before harvesting.

That doesn’t make one ultimately better than the other. It still requires research on your part to determine ethical practices all around. Trees used for hardwood flooring can be sustainable if the manufacturer cares about the process. The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is a certification program that ensures wood is harvested legally and sustainably. It certifies the wood comes from responsibly-managed forests. That gives you knowledge of knowing you’re selecting a manufacturer that cares about the process, and gives you a product that will stand the test of time.

Next, pay attention to the life cycle of the flooring you’re installing. Even if you install a floor made from natural materials, if it needs replacing every few years, or requires unhealthy practices for installation or removal, it can fall off the sustainable list.

In the case of hardwood flooring, for example, while it can take upwards of 60 years for the resource to be harvested, once it’s installed in your home, it can last for decades. With proper care, your hardwood can be a great flooring addition for many years. You can refinish it and give it new life when it starts wearing down. Even if you remove it, hardwood can often be recommissioned and used in other ways. It’s a product that keeps on giving.

Hardwood also has the advantage of being biodegradable. If it winds up in the landfill, hardwood breaks down naturally over time. Of course, this is dependent on chemicals used on the surface. But in its natural form, hardwood is a great green flooring option.

Finally, pay attention to the toxic chemicals in your flooring. This includes the entire life cycle. Consider toxins used in production, chemicals in adhesives or finishes, as well as harmful byproducts used in production or removal.

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are harmful both to the air quality and your health. The Department of Health lists VOCs as a large group of chemicals found in many products we use to build and maintain our homes. Common examples include benzene, ethylene glycol, formaldehyde, methylene chloride, tetrachloroethylene, toluene, xylene, and 1,3-butadiene.

While VOCs are found in things like carpet, vinyl flooring, composite wood products, paint, varnish, caulk, and adhesives, they are also found in everyday items like cleaning products, cosmetics, and gasoline. Once you learn more about VOCs, you can pay attention to everything you bring into your life, making better choices to protect both the air quality and the health of everyone in our communities.

Is green flooring the right choice for you?

Is green flooring in your future? Are you trying to make smarter choices with the products and materials you bring into your home?

A great place to start is by coming in and walking through our product lines. We can point you to some of the greenest, most sustainable flooring choices on the market.

How can we help you select your next flooring?

Flooring, Hardwood Flooring
May 14, 2019

Looking For Green Flooring For Your Home?

Remember when the first wave of “green living” fans started making their way into headlines? The rest of us thought green living was … a little strange. Eco-friendly was anything but friendly. Who wanted natural materials that had no place in modern decor?

Well, times changed. And if eco-friendly living is one of your top demands in everything you buy for your home, you now have a lot of choices. Green living isn’t only “cool” but has a lot of advantages. What’s more, you can use green materials into almost everything you do.

Like green flooring.

Green flooring is no longer only for environmentally savvy homeowners. Now green flooring is on everyone’s wish list, it includes some of the most in-demand materials in the world, and is being used to create beautiful living arrangements. They’re durable. They’re long-wearing. They’re perfect for every room in your home.

Here are our favorites.

Cork

What do you think of when you think of cork? Maybe you picture an old bulletin board you used in school. Or perhaps as a bottle stopper for your favorite wine.

Cork has been used in a variety of ways throughout the years. Only lately as flooring.

Cork is harvested from the bark of fast-growing cork oak trees commonly found throughout the Mediterranean. This is a sustainable process. The cork tree isn’t chopped down. Instead, the bark is harvested, and will grow back every three years. That makes this a renewable resource you can be proud to put on display in your home.

Cork has antimicrobial properties that help reduce allergens inside your home. Cork is also naturally fire retardant, making it the perfect choice for homes throughout Colorado. It’s also easy to maintain, and has natural insect repellents built into it too.

Today’s cork flooring isn’t the same as cork flooring from even a few years ago. You’ll be surprised at the durability. You’ll also be impressed with the colors and patterns. Like wood, cork can be finished with paints and stains to compliment any decor or color scheme. If you maintain it properly, it can easily have 20 to 30 years of life.

Bamboo

Not sure about cork? Why not try a second look at another green flooring option – bamboo. Bamboo looks and feels like wood flooring, but it’s not made from wood at all. Bamboo is a fast-growing grass that shares similar characteristics to the hardwood flooring choices you’ve come to love.

Bamboo is a durable flooring that is easy to maintain. It comes in a wide variety of patterns, colors, styles, and choices. While bamboo itself is a light color, it varies in hue and grain, and takes quite well to customization.

Like cork, bamboo is a sustainable flooring choice. It’s made from natural vegetation, a fast-growing grass that typically matures in about three to five years. Compare that to popular hardwood choices that can take twenty years or more to grow to maturity.

Linoleum

What do you think of when you hear the term: linoleum. If you’re like many, your mind probably drifts to vinyl options that have graced our homes for the past few decades.

In truth, vinyl and linoleum have very little in common. Vinyl is made from synthetic petrochemicals that are anything but sustainable. Linoleum is created from linseed oil, cork dust, tree resin, wood flour, and ground limestone. All natural materials that produce a growing-in-popularity green flooring material.

It offers homeowners a great choice when looking for durable, easy to maintain flooring. It’s flame resistant. It’s also water resistant. If properly maintained, it will hold up to years of wear and tear.

While linoleum fell out of fashion in the 1940s when vinyl was introduced, it’s been making its comeback as homeowners continue to ask for green flooring choices. While linoleum does take a little more work to apply new sealers every so often, the work is worth it when you see the results. This is a great option for rooms where vinyl may have been your preferred choice once upon a time.

Wool Carpet

Carpet has been a popular choice for decades, especially in low traffic areas like bedrooms. It’s soft, comfortable underfoot, and comes in a wide array of colors, patterns, and styles.

It’s only recently that we’re starting to become aware of more traditional carpet materials and how they impact our health. Over the years, some carpet selections were made with volatile organic compounds (VOC) and toxins that are continually being proven to be harmful to the environment and to our health. That’s why many homeowners are returning to more natural options.

Like wool carpet.

Wool carpet is a natural resource made of wool. It’s spun into thread, woven into fibers, and tightly bound to create beautiful carpets to match any decor.

Wool carpet is one of the original flooring options, you’ll find it all throughout history. If taken care of properly, it can quite easily last for centuries. In some families, wool carpets were passed down through the generations as a family heirloom.

Hardwood

If you still have your heart set on good old fashion hardwood, never fear. There is a green option for you.

Deforestation is a problem. But if you’re aware of it before you shop for hardwood, you can consider your options. When you visit with one of our flooring consultants, ask to see hardwood labeled FSC certified. This designation is given by the Forest Stewardship Council for a manufacturer that promotes the use of responsible management of forests. They ensure that the manufacturer adheres to both high social and environmental standards throughout the process.

Another option is to use reclaimed wood. Reclaimed wood reuses existing hardwood resources that have been used in many ways before. They are often salvaged from other projects; it can be a great way to use and reuse materials from other places in your home.

Are you ready to find the perfect green flooring choice for your home? If going green is on your list of to-do’s this year, work with one of our flooring consultants to find the perfect look for your home.