Why is there a need for eco-friendly flooring?

As it is well-known, the world's natural resources are not endless. According to numerous estimations, the ability of our planet to provide all the necessary natural resources that we need in order to expand and survive has been dramatically restricted since the beginning of the industrial revolution. This has also affected the flooring industry over the years, in a way that floors of all kind stopped being produced in a sustainable eco-friendly way, and in some occasions became even dangerous for the health of their final users. So why not use eco-friendly flooring instead?

Image courtesy by blog.parantella.com Image courtesy by blog.parantella.com

With more and more people being aware about the advantages of living in eco-friendly environments nowadays, there has been an increase on demand for sustainable products, particularly within the last two decades. This lead to the reappearance of forgotten materials in the flooring market, as well as on the support of the existing ones, that were not being considered as top buyer's preferences. In addition, despite the fact that having an eco-friendly floor at your house is looking good in its aesthetic perspective, it is also a good start when considering going "green".

Image courtesy by ecofriend.com Image courtesy by ecofriend.com

What is eco-friendly flooring made of?

More detailed, eco-friendly flooring is made from renewable materials which comes from sustainable forests and has been manufactured with moral responsibility towards the environment. These, require lower use of energy regarding timber production, use and disposal, plus carbon dioxide emissions are kept at the lower levels. Imagine that a tree captures big amounts of carbon while it grows. When this tree will become a floor, all this carbon will stay away from the atmosphere and that's because wood has the ability to attract and store carbon inside it.

In other words, such materials are coming from forests where new trees are planted in order to replace immediately the ones that have been cut down.

Image courtesy by heacocklumber.com Image courtesy by heacocklumber.com

Benefits of eco-friendly flooring:

Additionally, keep in mind that when you choose an innovative sustainable floor for your house, you won't have to use any chemical ingredients for its staining and installation since they can be ordered pre-finished. As you understand, this is extremely important for people suffering from various illnesses like asthma or allergies because as it is also known, wood is a hypo allergic material itself. After all, you choose it because it's natural!

If you want to find out more about the benefits of installing pre-finished hardwood flooring click here

Another advantage which makes the choice of eco-friendly flooring popular is the fact that wood can be reused for different purposes, such as energy production or making furniture. It is obvious that because reclaimed wood has been harvested years before, it is more stable and durable than a new one, which comes from a far younger tree.

Note: if you are interested in DIY projects, and you have some extra wood planks click here to get some brilliant ideas.

Eco-friendly flooring options:

The trees that are being used for the construction of sustainable flooring are usually:

  • Pine
  • Oak
  • Cork

Bamboo flooring is also becoming a very popular option nowadays and that's because it is natural, extremely durable compare to other types of floors, resistant to water and lastly easy to maintain and install.

Image courtesy by findanyfloor.com Image courtesy by findanyfloor.com

What makes Bamboo an environmentally friendly material is the fact that is being cropped from managed vegetation and it doesn't take more than three to four years to grown in a mature level.

It is important to mention though, that not all Bamboo floors have the same level of sustainability. Some have been manufactured with the use of toxic ingredients, thus is important to look always for forest certification when purchasing them.

Concluding, whether you just bought your new house or you just want to remodel or renovate its design, the possibilities of eco-friendly floors are unlimited.

You can have a beautiful shinny floor with a natural look and at the same time help the environment to survive. And all this with a reasonable cost!

If you are struggling to find out which wood floor is best for your house click here to find out how to choose the right one.

So why not go green when it comes to flooring?