Green lifestyle is all the rage nowadays, as more and more people are looking to use the organic and environment friendly products, from food to clothing, and building materials to furniture. Regardless of their good or bad impact on the overall environment, natural products surely have an upper hand when it comes to their health advantages.Before we get on to the relatively green or Eco-friendly alternatives for flooring, first let us decide what really makes a material organic or Eco-friendly? Ideally a “green” product should be made of recycled or renewable materials. It needs to be sustainable, and it shouldn’t be injurious to the health of the inhabitants in any way, in particular kids, pets, or elder people. In order to be considered a good alternative for flooring products, it should look good enough, because you can use recycled plastic or glass for flooring but it might not look as good as marble, vinyl, or other more commonly used flooring types.
To be honest, it’s quite difficult to find a flooring type that will fulfill all of these conditions; however, there are some options which are more on the “greener side” as compared to others. Let’s have a look.
Cork Flooring:
Cork has recently started to become a popular choice amongst people looking for an environment-friendly and organic flooring material. Cork flooring can offer a number of benefits. To start with, it is made of a renewable source, it is quite sustainable, water resistant, and easy to maintain (except that you need to take care of the sealing). In addition to that, cork is a natural repellent of insects and easy to clean, which makes it a very healthy option for families with kids. The best part is that cork flooring is not highly expensive and looks as good as any other type of flooring out there.
Bamboo:
Another flooring type made of a renewable source is bamboo flooring. While you might think Bamboo to be slightly vulnerable as compared to the solid wood (after all bamboo is a type of grass), but bamboo floors can be quite resilient and sturdy, and often as long lasting as some of those solid wood floors. Bamboo comes with almost all advantages and disadvantages associated with hardwood flooring, except it will give you a more modern look as compared to hardwood, which has been there for years.
Hardwood – FSC Certified
FSC certified, hardwood flooring is not different from a standard hardwood floor as far as the material is concerned, except that it is certified by Forest Stewardship Council. This certification allows the consumers to know which business is really following the environment and forest-friendly practices and which one is not. So, if you want to go for hardwood flooring, all you need to do is to ask for FSC certified products. Or, you can go for engineered hardwood or reclaimed hardwood as well. Hardwood flooring might be a tad expensive, but it is extremely hardwearing, not to forget the splendor and value it will add to your property.
About the Author: Scott Ryan writes for ANS Coatings, a company having years of experience with floor coatings, polishing, and floor decorating.