Environmentally Friendly Hardwood Floors

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Are you thinking about replacing the floors in your home but cringe at the thought of killing thousands of trees to do so?

If you are an environmentally smart homeowner who knows that our natural resources are our most precious commodity, you will be happy to hear there are quite a few Qenvironment friendly options available to you today.

From engineered wood to reclaimed wood to wood laminate to different varieties of wood, you can decorate your home and still feel good about yourself at the end of the day.

Let's carefully review each environmentally friendly solution below:

What is it? Will it get the job done? Where can I get it? How much is it?

Engineered Wood

Engineered wood, also called composite wood, is normally a layer of hardwood bonded onto two wooden sublayers. According to Wikipedia, it is manufacturered by binding together all kinds of wood strands and other fibers with adhesives to form the composite materials.

Engineered wood products are a good option for environmentally conscious homeowners and contractors who demand a high-performance, consistent and reliable materials for their home projects and construction. You can find out more details and information at the APA (American Plywood Association) - Engineered Wood Association website, a non-profit trade association for engineered wood.

If you are looking to start your project and need to find some interesting modern options for your floor, check out www.ecotimber.com. They are very diligent about where their wood comes from and have some very attractive sustainable options that get the job done. Cost is $5 - $12 per sq. ft.

Engineered Wood - Bamboo

Bamboo floors have become very popular recently because of the nature of the bamboo tree. In fact, bamboo is considered a grass not a tree. What makes them so eco-friendly is the fact that each plant can reach maturity in five to six years whereas other more common hardwoods used for flooring can take 50 years and more. In addition, bamboo is 10% harder and tougher to work with than traditional hardwood flooring materials and may give cause some contractors to get pretty whiney about workin with it.

Bamboo floors are manufactured from the bamboo plant. The bamboo is split and flattened, before being laminated together with glue under high pressure.

www.plyboo.com offers a variety of options flooring options imported from managed forests in China. Their harvesting is done by hand which minimizes the impact on the local environment. Cost is $11.33 per sq. ft.

Another company to check out is www.teragren.com. Since they manufacture the wood themselves, you are sure to get the most sustainable option out there.

Engineered Wood - Cork

Cork is the bark of the cork tree and it is considered a rapidly renewable material because it grows back in seven years. This makes cork a very eco-friendly sustainabe option for your new floors. The nature of the material is also very unique! It is soft and therefore easy on the back, good with toddlers around, excellent in the kitchen (you will never break a dish) and just all around fun. It is also known remain at 70 degrees no matter what the temperature or climate around!

If you are looking for a modern, funky, psychedelic option for your floor, you have to check out Cork Masaic Tiles by Habitus. They allow you to take a very traditional material and use it in the most unique modern way. Cost is $15 - $20 per sq. ft.

Reclaimed/Recycled Wood

This kind of wood is great because it gives you the ability to have centuries-old teak or rosewood that you couldn't get before. Because it is salvaged or recycled from buildings, plantations, mines, railroads and then milled into flooring, you will get the effect of really beautifully aged dark wood.

Buying reclaimed wood is currently one of the few options available for environmentally responsible homeowner who wish to use old-growth wood. Using reclaimed wood prevents the continued destruction of existing old-growth forests. This means it protects trees, watershed health, habitat for wildlife and understory plants.

Another benefit to using reclaimed wood is that unlike engineered wood, reclaimed wood can be refinished as many times as you like without worrying about sanding through the top layer.

Check out www.terramai.com for a variety of options for reclaimed and recycled wood. Cost is $12.50 - $13.50 per sq. ft.

Wood Laminate/Plywood

Wood laminate or plywood is basically a photograph of wood grain laminated on top of plywood using natural glues (non-toxic) . There are many options available in many different colors and grains.

Laminate flooring's main advantages is that it is easy to install, is very hardwearing and relatively inexpensive compared to real hardwood flooring.

Laminate flooring is a floating floor, which means it does not fasten directly to the sub-floor. Instead the planks are clicked together. This enables the floor to be fitted fast and with no real mess.

Check out www.plexwood.nl for some unique and modern options. However, watch out as they are a European company and the euro is not translating too well into dollars.

However, you decide to decorate your new hardwood floors, do not despair. There are hundreds of responsible, subtainable and eco-friendly options out there that will last a long time but still preserve our natural resources.

Good luck!

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Comments:
Hanna wrote 2006-12-21 22:48:48: I was thinking of using engineered wood but now that I saw your cork overview, i wanna check that out as well. Thanks for the great idea!! Cheers!
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