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Month: April 2012

Eco Flooring Can Be Just As Luxurious As Conventional Flooring

Eco Flooring Can Be Just As Luxurious As Conventional Flooring

With the slogan ‘Mobilize the Earth’, Earth Day (April 22nd)  was a special day for focusing on environmental issues and to pressure businesses and governments to do more to protect the planet. With 1 billion people in 21 countries taking part, it was a day when sustainability was at the forefront of many people’s minds.  One of the many ways you could show solidarity is by installing eco flooring in your eco home.

No longer is there a stark choice between aesthetics and being green, because eco flooring can be just as luxurious as conventional flooring.

The Telegraph newspaper, for example, recently covered how Sam Coster, the owner of a 15th century Norfolk Tudor hall, renovated his classically designed eco home with eco flooring materials. This included clay ‘pamment’ tiles on the ground floor, Georgian-era pine floorboards in the bedrooms and renovated oak boards in the loft.

In a home characterised by classical furnishings, Sam obviously had to be picky about the type of eco flooring material he used. However, whether you have a 15th century Georgian mansion or a modern eco home, there are plenty of eco flooring options to choose from:

Bamboo – This eco flooring material is harder and more stable than timber, with a tensile strength comparable to steel. After harvesting, bamboo trees can regenerate themselves in 3-5 years, making bamboo an exceptionally green material for eco flooring.

Cork – Combining the look of a hardwood floor with a softer, warmer feel, cork is great for eco flooring in kitchens, bathrooms and hallways. Cork is also exceptionally environmentally friendly because it can be peeled directly from the bark of the tree without having to chop the trees down.

Wool – Carpet is estimated to account for two percent of the waste in landfill sites. With this in mind, choosing eco flooring made from natural fibres (like wool, jute and coconut) that are 100 percent recyclable can make a significant impact in reducing landfill waste.

FTC certified wood – A more obvious and readily available option, there’s a wide variety of hardwoods harvested from sustainably managed forests that can be used for eco flooring.

Marmoleum – This is made from 100 percent biodegradable cork, linseed oil, rosin, jute and limestone. Whilst comparable to vinyl in feel, marmoleum doesn’t generate any toxic pollutants when created, making it a green conscious eco flooring choice.

Reclaimed and recycled tiles – There are plenty of places where you can find reclaimed tiles to use as eco flooring in your kitchen or conservatory. There are also all manner of reclaimed materials, such as TV screens, that can be ground down to create unique, environmentally friendly eco flooring in your eco home.

Return to Eco-Designer.co.uk