When it comes to eco-friendly flooring, wood is one of the most sustainable options. From FSC-certified hardwoods to bamboo and cork, there are a variety of green flooring options available. In this comprehensive guide, we'll explore the six most sustainable options for green hardwood floors. Soft woods such as Douglas fir and pine are the most sustainable options due to their rapid growth rates.
Hardwoods such as black cherry, maple, and oak are also sustainable due to their durability and abundance. Bamboo, cork, and palm are also great alternatives to wood. Reclaimed wood is another great option for eco-friendly flooring. This wood is sourced from old warehouses, freight cars, military structures, underground piers, dismantled houses, and even logs extracted from the bottom of rivers. Reclaimed wood is usually more expensive due to the additional labor required to recover it, clean it, re-mill it if necessary, and remove any nails that may still be embedded in the wood.
However, this is one of the greenest options available as it prevents wood from rotting or ending up in a landfill, reduces the need to plant and harvest more trees, and perpetuates the formula of reducing, reusing and recycling. Reclaimed wood also meets the “Materials and Resources” criteria for LEED certification. Companies such as Oldewood Reclaimed Wood Flooring showcase the beauty of recovered oak, maple, Douglas fir and heart pine. Bamboo floors are also becoming increasingly popular as they provide both the beauty and durability of wood without the potential environmental impacts that come with clearing forests. Bamboo is 13% harder than maple and 27% harder than northern red oak while expanding and contracting 50% less. Cork is another great option for eco-friendly flooring. This material comes from the bark of cork trees which can be safely harvested without harming the tree.
The bark regenerates in three years before being re-harvested making it a particularly renewable resource. Palm trees that no longer produce coconuts are also getting a second life as a building material. This variety of palm flooring includes Flat Grain, Edge Grain, Sugar Deco, and Red Palm. When choosing bamboo or palm floors make sure to find out what type of binders were used to make the soil. If the floor must be installed with glue make sure it is water-based. Additionally finish the floor with a low VOC or VOC free finish. Ash floors are one of the most durable hardwood flooring options out there with a Janka classification similar to that of oak trees.
However North American ash trees are currently facing an infestation of the emerald borer beetle so it's important to verify that your product comes from an FSC-certified forest. If you're looking for eco-friendly flooring options for your home look for these sustainable wood options made of soft woods such as Douglas fir and pine, hardwoods such as black cherry, maple, and oak, bamboo, cork or palm.
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