Earlier, eco-friendly flooring was considered a mish-mash of sad-looking, dull images, and materials. That isn’t the case anymore, it is as important as home siding. Eco-friendly flooring has gotten a new look and feels thanks to an effort by designers and manufacturers to meet the rising trend of sustainable materials amongst customers. Now, there are plenty of beautiful designs, patterns, and customizations available to choose eco-friendly flooring.
When you consider a revamp of the floors, you should think of all the people and pets that live in your home. You should also think about the climate for the majority part of the year and which weather zones you fall under. If you live closer to tropical or temperate climates, having cool flooring that dissipates heat instead of trapping it could prove ideal. The same ideology applies to wet weather regions and cold regions.
Let us look at some eco-friendly flooring options to choose from.
Reclaimed Hardwood Flooring:
Traditional hardwood flooring is one of the most beautiful to look at. If you like the look and feel of traditional wooden flooring, you could consider reclaimed or recycled hardwood.
There are two types of hardwood you can choose from:
- Reclaimed or recycled hardwood is ideal as it is made from existing wood that is approved for recycling. Reclaimed hardwood looks beautiful when done up in vintage style homes and beach houses.
- The second type of hardwood is FSC certified. This wood is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council and is promoted by responsible management of forests with a focus on maintaining ecological balance.
Both types of wood can be used to make your flooring beautiful without worrying about deforestation and disruption of our environmental standards.
Recycled Rubber Flooring:
Recycled rubber is slowly making its way up the sustainable flooring ladder. Rubber recycled from old gyms, industrial and truck tires, playgrounds, and so on has been successfully treated to become a most sought after flooring material. Rubber flooring is ideal for sunrooms, kitchens, play areas, and bathrooms since it is a long-lasting, versatile flooring option. Available in gorgeous designs and colors, it is also great to walk on and is water-resistant. Another advantage of recycled rubber flooring is the easy maintenance and upkeep.
Bamboo Flooring:
Bamboo is actually a grass that has common traits with those of hardwood. Extremely versatile, bamboo flooring has gained tremendous popularity over the past decade. It is durable, easy to maintain, extremely lightweight, and easy to install. Bamboo is a tough, fast grown, sustainable grass that reaches maturity within 4 to 5 years and is planted for ease of bulk usage. The colors of bamboo are varied and entirely dependent upon soil type and choice. This gives it an advantage over all other customizations and can be adapted to suit your home layout and design.
Linoleum Flooring:
Linoleum is made by mixing cork dust, linseed oil, wood flour, ground limestone, tree resins, and pigments. It is fire and water resistant and is vastly different from its manmade cousin, vinyl. Linoleum has been around since the early 1940s and has now gained traction due to the demand for sustainable flooring and long shelf life. Available in a wide array of colors and patterns with a new floor sealer that protects the linoleum flooring from stains and wears and tears, Linoleum flooring should definitely be on your list of eco-friendly flooring ideas.
Glass Tiling and Flooring:
- Glass flooring is made from recycled glass bottles that are discarded daily. Old ketchup bottles, wine and beer bottles, old glass windows, and so on, are all recycled to create beautiful eco-friendly flooring.
- Glass tiles are a huge hit in kitchens and bathrooms since they are non-absorptive and don’t catch mildew or mold in damp environments.
- Glass flooring is easy to maintain and clean, and glass tiles are available in multiple colors, finishes, and patterns to suit your taste and choice.
- Glass tiles reflect light instead of absorbing it, thereby adding a mild, reflective sheen to rooms that are otherwise dark. This also makes a room seem larger and airier than it actually is.
Before you make a final decision, consider which rooms of your house will be most lived in, how old your children are and where they play the most, what health conditions are to be taken care of, and which flooring would be easiest to clean and maintain keeping in mind any pets, elders, or small children. All these factors should play an influential role in deciding the flooring of the entire house or any specific rooms that you choose.