More and more folks are thinking about the environment when they choose products to add beauty to their homes. Flooring is no exception. Fortunately the flooring industry has gone through some fundamental changes over the last several years. Choices of environmentally friendly flooring products have expanded greatly. One of our preferred Flooring companies,Interstate Flooring Company, specializes in sustainable flooring options and put together this comprehensive look at the newest options and details.
Cork Flooring:
Cork has been harvested for centuries in the western Mediterranean region under strict governmental regulation offering protection and placing restriction on ownership, production, and harvesting. No trees are cut down when the cork bark is taken, and a tree can live up to 200 years and can be harvested approximately every 10 years. Cork flooring is created from the post-industrial by-product of the bottle-stopper industry. This ‘waste’ material is ground up and then formed into sheets using minimal amounts of adhesive to bind the particles together under high pressure.
Many people think of cork as a relatively new and possibly unreliable option particularly as a surface flooring material. And yet, there are examples of cork floors in public buildings that were installed over 100-years ago and are still in use today. The Library of Congress in Washington, DC is one excellent case.
Most clients buy click together cork panels that install in a way much the same as laminate (Pergo type) flooring. As long as your floor is hard, level, and flat you can in most cases go over whatever is already in place. Because the panels have a cork under layer, the only time you have to put anything under it is when you are going over cement, like a basement floor. A simple vapor barrier is all that is needed, provided that there is not excessive moisture.
Cork is naturally resilient and temperature neutral, so it is very comfortable underfoot. Cork is also an acoustical insulator that will have a quieting affect in whatever area you install it. The life expectancy of cork flooring is approximately 100 years.
Marmoleum Flooring (Linoleum):
Linoleum (Marmoleum is the most well known brand of Linoleum) is made from natural renewable materials such as boiled linseed oil (from flax seeds) mixed with powdered cork, ground sawdust, and pine resin, as well as minerals such as ground limestone, zinc, and pigments. Is is very durable and can be expected to last 40 years. Marmoleum comes as a sheet product that should only be installed by a professional and almost always needs a new high-end subfloor. It also comes in 1’X3’ or 1’X1’ panels that are backed by cork. You can get very creative with design patterns using the panels.
Lyptus Flooring:
Lyptus is the trade name of a wood made from a hybrid of two species of Eucalyptus trees. Developed for quick harvesting, and grown on plantations in Brazil, Lyptus is an environmentally friendly alternative to oak, cherry, mahogany, and other wood products that may be harvested from old growth forests. Lyptus trees can be harvested for lumber in approximately 15 years, much sooner than woods from cooler climates.
As a plantation grown wood, use of Lyptus does not deplete old growth forests, which are regarded as valuable havens for biodiversity. Lyptus’s fast growth rate ensures that supply stays high, and keeps costs low. The plantation environment also allows for precise control of soil chemistry, tree spacing, and other factors affecting growth, resulting in the highest quantity of quality wood from the smallest space.
Lyptus plantations total 2.3 million acres, of which 1.2 million acres are native reserves dedicated to environmental protection, in six Brazilian States: Espírito Santo, Bahia, Minas Gerais, Rio Grande do Sul, São Paulo and Mato Grosso do Sul.
Lyptus has mechanical properties similar to many hardwoods, and is most often compared to maple. It is a closed-grain wood, and is harder than oak. The high hardness and closed grain structure make it popular for cabinetry, millwork and flooring. The coloration varies from a light salmon to a deeper red. With exposure to UV light, the pigments darken slightly.
Fiber Flooring:
A newer group of products on the market is fiber-flooring materials. At Interstate Flooring Co. they have completely taken the place of traditional sheet vinyl that you glue down. A fiber floor is simple to cut to size (a small expansion gap is needed) and rolled out, and no glue is needed. Because no glue is used in many cases, if the floor is accidentally flooded it can be dried off and re-installed. Another sustainable asset to this type of flooring is that it can be re-cut and installed in another area, extending the usefulness of the product.
Oiled Wood Flooring:
An example of something old that is becoming new again is oiled wood. This is a group of wood that has no wear layer, just an oil finish. The advantage of this is that you live on the wood. When you bang up your wood floor, which you will do, you simply buff and oil and you are back to good. The floors have been likened to an old bomber jacket, the more you use them the better they look.
Wool Carpeting:
Another product that’s been experiencing a resurrection is wool carpeting. Wool generally still costs more per yard than nylon, but people consider it a better buy because it will look better and last longer. Wool also improves indoor air quality, is renewable, biodegradable, and is a joy to live on.
Vinyl Tile Flooring:
One product that is not new, but has changed drastically in construction and appearance are luxury vinyl tiles. The look of the product is much improved and two lines feature recycled content. Earthwork Tile has 50% recycled content and Burke Tile has 67% recycled content. The Burke Tile gets its recycled content from Les Schwab Tire Co. in Wilsonville, OR.
A new innovation in luxury vinyl tiles is Konecto floor. These tiles have adhesive bands on two edges that you press to the adjoining tile, which simply floats over the existing floor. Most of these tiles are rated for light commercial traffic.
We hope this look at the newest flooring options has been helpful to you…if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to call us.
Right Arm Construction home remodeling blog 