When laying out your next flooring plan, consider the use of eco-friendly materials for your project. There is a wide range of eco-friendly flooring options on the market today that are made with materials that don’t compromise on form or function, all while still benefiting the environment. There are many factors that go into not just which recycled material to choose, but what makes certain forms of flooring environmentally friendly.
Among the options to consider are sustainability, recycled content, reclaimed materials, recyclability, carbon footprint, transportation and toxic content. Then there is the aesthetic, comfort, health, safety and durability components of making your flooring selection. Explore the content below to see the various options for recycled and eco-friendly flooring.
Rubber
Pros: Rubber flooring is a common flooring choice for gym and playgrounds, but has been becoming more popular in kitchens due to its durables and anti-fatigue properties. Made from ground up tires, rubber floors are durable, low maintenance and comfortable to stand and walk on. Rubber floors protect the existing floor beneath them as they are both impact and water resistant. Recycled rubber also serves as a thermal and sound insulator and is fire resistant. Rubber flooring is available in a wide range of colors and pattern options, allowing for the rubber flooring to be a creative accent in a modern home design.
Cons: Many rubbers can emit gasses and odors, making well-ventilated areas the typical location for rubber floors. Many rubber flooring products are designed with a non-slip top texture, untextured rubber flooring can become slippery, particularly when wet. It is also susceptible to seepage and staining issues if not cared for properly.
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| Green Flooring Materials |
Cork
Pros: Cork flooring offers a unique blend of being both a recycled product and a sustainable one. Recycled cork flooring is typically made from the excess cork that is created during the cork bottle stopper manufacturing process. Cork flooring is also made from a material that is naturally replenishable. Cork is carefully harvested from the bark of a cork oak tree, which can grow back its bark in approximately three years. This material is not only fire retardant, it also has natural insect repellent and antimicrobial properties, reducing allergens in your home. Cork flooring has a natural elasticity to it that allows the flooring to have some ‘give' when it’s stepped on, thus making cork flooring a comfortable flooring material. It also provides both thermal and acoustic insulation and recovers well from marks and indentations left by high heels or furniture.
Cons: Unfortunately, cork trees only grow in a limited geographical area in the Mediterranean so careful harvesting is a must. Cork flooring is soft and comfortable to stand on, but because of that it can also be damaged by sharp objects such as dropped knives and pet nails. Permanent indentation can occur if heavy furniture sits on it for a long period of time. Cork is water resistant, but spills need to be quickly cleaned up as liquid left on the cork surface for long will absorb into the flooring.
Cork flooring is not recommended for use in basements or over in-floor radiant heat systems.
Note: Some manufacturers have created rubber-cork blended flooring.
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| Fire Resistant Flooring Materials |
PVC plastic
Pros: While not typically viewed as environmentally friendly, PVC flooring can be a good option for green flooring as some manufactures have been able to use recycled plastic material to make a high quality, durable floor covering such as the black Staylock tiles sold at Greatmats.com, which consist of 100 percent recycled material. PVC flooring tiles can also be recycled again once they reach the end of their lifetime. Using plastic flooring tiles can also eliminate the need for adhesives, further helping prevent the need for new petroleum-based products to be created.
Cons: PVC is a synthetic material and is much harder to give an natural looking appearance.
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| Eco Friendly Flooring |
Bamboo
Pros: Bamboo is harder than any hardwood flooring option, and bamboo grows quickly in the wild, making it a sustainable and popular green flooring option. This durable grass grows to maturity in 3-6 years and is very lightweight. Bamboo floors are resilient, easy to maintain and easy to install and come in a wide array of colors. Quality bamboo flooring is also water, mildew, and insect repellent, thus making bamboo flooring a long-lasting flooring option. Bamboo’s hardness allows for it to be highly crack resistant.
Cons: Of the thousands of varieties of bamboo available, very few are appropriate for flooring. Low quality bamboo flooring is sometimes made with improper varieties of bamboo, and this flooring is of an inferior quality and will not stand up to the demands of flooring. Bamboo flooring made with improper varietes is known to shrink, cup, and delaminate after installation. Bamboo flooring cannot be used over in-floor radiant heat systems.
Concrete
Pros: Often used as structural sub flooring, concrete can serve double duty when polished or tinted for a finished look. Concrete can also create a tiled effect using different colors. To create more design possibilities, other materials such as glass can be inlaid into the concrete. Polished concrete is durable, easy to clean and will not conceal allergens such as dust or mold. Concrete is also an amazing heat conductor and thus is a common flooring option for use with a radiant floor heating system.
Cons: Concrete offers little-to-no physical comfort value as a hard, unforgiving surface.
Linoleum
Pros: Often confused with chemical-based vinyl, Linoleum is created with natural materials including linseed oil, cork dust, tree resins, wood flour, pigments and limestone. Linoleum is water resistant and fire retardant, making it a safer and durable flooring option. Natural linoleum is allergy and asthma friendly as well as being biodegradable. Linoleum can also be used in spaces that are often too loud as it works as a sound absorbing flooring material.
Cons: Linoleum must be polished to resist stains. While the linseed oil is non-toxic it does emit aldehydes that may produce an odor.
Reclaimed or Salvaged Wood
Pros: Reclaimed Wood reuses existing wood from trees that died long ago. The wood can be reclaimed from trees that were previously chopped down, dead standing trees, or lumber taken from deconstructed buildings. Reclaimed wood gives a rustic look and gains character from imperfections such as streaking, nail holes and knot holes.
Cons: Some woods are not appropriate for radiant floor systems as it may cause them to warp or split. If the reclaimed wood needs to be transported a far distance to where it will be used, the environmental benefit may be outweighed by the emissions from its transport and the monetary cost of transporting the wood.
Note: Engineered wood floors can provide increased durability, but may also contain formaldehyde.
Natural Fiber Carpeting
Pros: There are several options for carpeting made of natural materials - such as wool, hemp, sisal, jute, seagrass, linen, coir and cotton. Wool is extremely long lasting and durable. It can also be dyed in any color, allowing for endless customization. Wool repels water and serves as a good insulator while also being fire resistant. A wool-hemp blend adds in mold, mildew, pest and UV resistance. Grass-based carpeting is versitilie, easy to install, and affordable. It's also made from sustainable materials.
Cons: Carpeting in general, collects dust, dander and chemicals and absorbs gases. Wool carpeting is only suitable for use in dry and well ventilated areas. It is not a good choice for areas such as bathrooms. Grass-based carpeting is not highly durable and can deteriorate if exposed to sunlight and water for extended or repeated periods. It also has limitations to color varieties as some can not be dyed.
Terrazzo
Pros: Terrazzo is made of small pieces marble, granite, glass, etc. set in concrete or an epoxy-based adhesive. This flooring material is extremely durable, nearly indestructible, and is expected to last for over 40 years of heavy use. Terrazzo typically won't chip, stain, burn or support bacterial growth and has endless design possibilities. Terrazzo can also be recycled after its useful lifet
Cons: Terrazzo is durable, but because of that it is very hard and isn’t suitable for standing on for long periods of time. Epoxies often contain forms of volatile organic compounds which can be harmful to air quality.
Recycled glass
Pros: Making use of used wine and beer bottles that could otherwise fill up a landfill, glass tiles are non-absorbent, meaning they won't mold or mildew in damp environments. Glass tiles come in a huge array of color options, allowing for infinite customization. Glass also won’t stain. Glass reflects, light providing extra illumination for otherwise dark rooms.
Cons: Glass can be fragile to dropped objects and isn’t impact resistant. It also can cause body fatigue as an unforgiving, hard surface.
Leather
Pros: Leather flooring provides a soft, warm feel underfoot. This makes it a perfect flooring material for bedrooms and other area of the home where there won’t be heavy foot traffic and is commonly stood on with bare feet. Like reclaimed or salvaged wood, leather also provides character as it ages.
Cons: Leather is not moisture resistant, making it a poor choice for areas such as kitchens, bathrooms or basements.
Flooring options made of recycled materials can go on and on. Recycled flooring comes in a wide range of forms. Carpeting can be made from recycled plastic bottles and used vinyl. Hard flooring can be made from reclaimed bricks or collelstones. Even standard vinyl or ceramic tile floors can be recycled and used again. With such a wide array of environmentally friendly flooring options on the market today, there is little reason to not save some money and help the environment by giving eco-friendly flooring a try.
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