If you are going to be remodeling your home, you have many choices to make one of them being choosing your flooring materials. While you have many different options for flooring; eco-friendly flooring should be at the top of your list. Not only will using eco-friendly flooring materials help make the earth a better place for future generations; you will also enjoy some personal benefits such as the reduction of indoor air pollutants. Not only will your investment in eco-friendly flooring help you reduce your carbon footprint, these earth friendly materials are also some of the most beautiful around that will make your home a beautiful place for you to relax and unwind in comfort.
What is Eco-Friendly Flooring?
Determining if flooring materials are eco-friendly is easy. If the type of flooring that you are considering comes from a sustainable resource, then it is eco-friendly. Some of the many examples of eco-friendly flooring that you may want to consider are; natural carpeting, recycled glass, recycled tile, recycled wood and hardwood flooring made from sustainable hardwood sources which have the ability to regrow. By choosing flooring that is made from one or more of these materials, you can feel good about your choice.
Sustainable Wood Flooring
Canadians love wood, and purchase wood flooring and other wood products at a growing rate which can be dangerous to the earth. If we are not careful this could lead to deforestation. However, if you love wood like most other people, then you will be glad to know that there are some locally harvested sustainably to prevent this from occurring. When choosing your sustainable wood flooring make sure that you look for products that have earned FSC certifications for proving that their products have been harvested from a sustainable forest. Some examples of sustainable wood flooring types are:
- White Ash – White Ash is beautiful creamy colored flooring with a course texture that is comparable in strength to oak with far less density making it easier to work with than oak. When steamed White Ash bends well making it a great choice for custom flooring.
- Black Cherry – Black cherry wood is a popular choice in eco-friendly flooring because it has similar qualities of Mahogany. Black cherry wood has reddish hues and a straight grain with variable wavy growth rings which provide you with a unique look that is not only beautiful but also eco-friendly too.
- Bamboo – Bamboo is one of the best choices you can make for sustainable eco-friendly wood flooring thanks to the quick growth rate that this beautiful flooring type offers. Bamboo has characteristics of wood but is in fact a type of grass with the durability and strength more powerful than that of oak.
Recycled Wood Flooring
If you want natural wood flooring in your home, a great way to achieve this in an eco-friendly way is to choose recycled wood flooring from previous centuries. Some popular types of recycled woods used for eco-friendly flooring are; Oak, Pine and Maple as well as many others. While recycled wood flooring may have some marks from their previous life; this adds character to your reclaimed flooring and is something that should be appreciated; however, if you would like you can choose to refinish recycled wood flooring to remove any existing defects.
- Reclaimed Amish Oak – Oak is the king of the forest and a popular choice for furniture and flooring in homes around the world. Reclaimed Amish oak flooring is a mix of white and red oak wood which has been reclaimed to provide a beautiful and sustainable flooring type that is just as beautiful as it is good for the earth.
- Reclaimed Maple Beech – Reclaimed maple beach flooring is eco-friendly and provides you with the beauty of Maple without the impact on our Forests. This type of eco-friendly flooring is a combination of blonde maple, American beech and sycamore which blend together perfectly to create beautiful earth friendly flooring you are sure to love.
Recycled Metal & Glass Flooring
The best way to enjoy beautiful eco-friendly flooring is to choose flooring that is made of recycled materials. You can choose between a variety of colors and styles of glass and metal tiles which have been constructed of recycled materials and repurposed into a beautiful new flooring type for you to enjoy. Make a statement and do your part to save the earth when you choose these beautiful recycled flooring tiles.
- Recycled Glass Tile Flooring – From old glass bottles to broken windows, this discarded broken glass can be reclaimed and reproduced into a beautiful eco-friendly flooring option. Not only will recycled glass tile add style to your home, it will also help to prevent these non-biodegradable materials from filling up landfills around the country.
- Recycled Metal Tile Flooring – Recycled metal tiles are constructed of a variety of different types of discarded metals such as brass, copper and aluminum. These materials are not biodegradable; however, when repurposed into beautiful flooring it reduces the amount of metals in landfills. Not only this, you can preserve the existing supply of metals too.
Carpeting Made of Natural Materials
While carpeting isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when you think of eco-friendly flooring types; however, you can enjoy the comfort of carpet without the harsh chemicals using recycled products to create a beautiful new plush carpet for you and your family to enjoy. Traditional carpet is full of chemicals used to treat it and prevent stains; however, these chemicals are not only bad for the earth, they are bad for your family too.
- SmartStrand Eco-Friendly Carpet – This popular type of Eco-friendly carpet does not use any chemicals yet provides you with the stain resistance you want and need. Not only this, SmartStrand carpet is easy to clean and made from plant based renewable polymer which ensures that you can feel good about your purchase of this eco-friendly flooring type.
- Everstrand Eco-Friendly Carpet – Everstrand has a variety of different types of eco-friendly carpeting to choose from. From the more affordable value of their BCM line to the soft and luxurious finish of their BCF XtraSoft carpet you can enjoy all of the versatility of traditional carpet using recycled materials that do not contain any harsh chemicals.
If you have any additional questions about our full line of eco-friendly flooring options; we would love to hear from you! We are here to help you in any way that we can! Please contact us today for a free consultation to find out about all of your eco-friendly flooring choices at 416-433-2323!