Redecorating your indoors with eco-friendly floors Written on November 7, 2008, by admin.

Eco-friendly flooring options abound in the marketplace. There is something available for every taste and every budget. Reclaimed wood flooring is one option to consider. Options range from antique heart pine to reclaimed Australian Chestnut, which is absolutely gorgeous for any interior space.

This is the most eco-friendly option out there as long as chemical strippers and sealants are not used in the process. Another option is Bamboo, which is technically a woody grass, and grows very quickly. Bamboo grows so quickly that it is renewable about every five years, as opposed to the 30+ years for traditional hardwood or softwood.

Another really fascinating concept is Bamboo in caramelized colors. To do so, they actually heat up the bamboo so that the natural sugars in it caramelize.

A third Eco-option for you is linoleum. While linoleum is often confused with vinyl flooring, it is actually a very eco-friendly option made from flax seed oil. It was originally developed for use as flooring on battleships, but didn’t get very far in that field due to the high flammability, which is certainly not suitable for a battleship.

Nevertheless, in this day and age, it comes in a lot of gorgeous colors and is great for kitchens and bathrooms. A forth and lesser known flooring option includes recycled glass tile. Glass is already a fairly eco-friendly material when compared to a lot of other materials. But when it is recycled, it is especially green.

And a lastly debated option is stone tile. This one is a bit up in the air, since quarrying stone can be very non-environmentally friendly. But, if taken from a well-managed quarry, it can be an environmentally sound option. If you are unsure of the quarry source (which is going to likely be the case), look for reclaimed stone, as recycling and reusing are always eco-friendly!

These green choices are suitable for the living room, dining room, bedroom, kitchen and just about any room. If you prefer to lay down carpet, check out 100% un-dyed and untreated beautiful carpets. Your lungs will thank you for avoiding benzene and toluene, two VOCs (volatile organic compounds) commonly found in adhesives. Be sure the padding is made of wool or recycled materials that are also adhesive-free. Lastly, to push the envelope a little, area rugs may provide the best of both worlds — providing a cushy feeling underfoot and a surround of sustainable flooring.

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