If you want to install new wood floors in your home but are concerned about sustainability and the environmental impact of your purchase, then here are five environmentally-friendly options to consider:
Option #1: Bamboo
Anyone who has ever tried to rid their yard of overgrown bamboo can attest to how well and how fast it grows. Not only is it highly invasive, but bamboo makes a fantastic sustainable flooring option.
Bamboo is harder than maple making it very durable. It is also naturally anti-bacterial and water-resistant. Bamboo can be safely used in every room of your home including the kitchen and bathrooms.
Option #2: Teak
Although teak is often thought of as an overharvested species, decades ago, Thailand planted teak plantations that are now being harvested and replanted.
If you love the look and resiliency of teak, it can be a sustainable option if you ensure the source of the wood is from the plantations in Thailand.
Option #3: Cork
While hardwood trees such as oak are cut down to create flooring, cork floors are made from a cork tree's bark. Removal of the bark doesn't kill the tree and the bark grows back within a few years. This makes it a renewable resource.
Cork floors have the benefit of being softer than other wood floors making them ideal in homes with small children. Cork flooring is also noise-dampening and water-resistant.
Option #4: Reclaimed Hardwood
While you've seen tables and other furniture made of reclaimed hardwoods, you may not be aware the same wood is also milled down to make beautiful flooring.
Although it is not sustainable to harvest oak or hickory trees that take decades to grow to maturity, reclaimed oak or hickory wood from old barns and buildings is an environmentally-friendly option. By reclaiming the wood for flooring it is kept out of the landfill and gets to live another life.
Option #5: Palm
One of the newest hardwood flooring options on the market is made of palm tree wood. The palm trees harvested are too mature to produce any more coconuts or date fruit, so they are cut down and milled into lumber.
Turning the end-of-lifespan palm trees into flooring and other wood products eliminates the need to burn or otherwise dispose of them. And, in their place, new palm trees are planted.
A Final Note
As you can see, there are many different sustainable options for residential flooring. However, to determine the best option for your home's design and the climate where you live, working with an experienced hardwood flooring contractor in your local area is advised.
For more information, contact a local company like Floors Plus.
