Eco-Friendly Hardwood Floors for a Green Home

In today’s society, being environmentally-friendly is becoming more and more popular. Most of the largest manufacturers are joining in the bandwagon by producing food and other products that are safe to the environment. Even manufacturers of building materials are joining in and are coming up with eco-friendly products such as their eco-friendly hardwood floors. Most products that are categorized as “eco-friendly” are valued at a premium price because they serve people’s needs as well as the needs of the earth. Although more expensive than most solid hardwood floors, these eco-friendly hardwood floors are gaining popularity. Here are a few eco-friendly hardwood floors out in the market today.

Hardwood floors

Because of the demand for wood materials and hardwood flooring, the rainforest is disappearing at a rate of 100 acres per minute. With this rate, the rainforest will disappear in the next two generations. Although hardwood flooring still needs to cut down trees, selective cutting has been implemented by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) that only allows certified wood to be cut down and to be processed into hardwood flooring materials.

Cork Floors

Although new to the hardwood flooring industry, cork is gaining popularity because of its being environmentally-friendly. Cork is harvested from the barks of cork oak trees without having to cut the tree down. This means that the barks of the trees will eventually grow back and cork can be harvested from them again every three years, making the trees a renewable source of hardwood flooring materials. Cork materials can also be recycled adding to their eco-friendly qualities. As a flooring material, cork is said to contain anti-microbial and anti-allergenic properties and is a natural insect repellent. Hardwood flooring made up of high quality cork that is stained and finished properly can last for many years.

Bamboo Floors

When you talk about eco-friendly hardwood floors the first thing that will come into mind are bamboo floors. In fact, bamboo has become the symbol of eco-friendly hardwood flooring. Bamboos are giant woody grasses that are capable of growing rapidly and only takes five years to grow from seedling to a mature harvestable plant. When cut and harvested, the stalk of the bamboo plant is capable of re-sprouting a new one. The advantage of using bamboo floors besides it being eco-friendly is that it is easy to install and maintain. The variation of bamboo grains and color also make it ideal for interior design projects.

Eco-friendly hardwood floors make designing a home worthwhile and responsibly.