Flooring adds ambience to your overall interior space’s look and feel. Using eco-friendly flooring at your living space not only looks exquisite but it also radiates a fresh and natural feel. There are several different types of eco-friendly flooring options varying from cork to reclaimed wood.
Check out our pick of the seven best eco-friendly flooring solutions you can set up at your home.
Bamboo
Actually a grass, Bamboo shares a lot of similarities with Hardwood. Other than being easy to install and maintain, it is quite durable too. Bamboo is a natural form of vegetation which reaches maturity in 3 to 5 years, hence making it a sustainable flooring option. Light in nature, bamboo has several different hues to combine with your home décor. Thanks to its varied grain size and color options, it allows for a greater deal of customization than other flooring options.
Cork
One of the latest flooring options, cork is continuously climbing the ladder of popularity. Unlike most wooden flooring options, cork is taken from bark of some special trees. These are mostly found in the Mediterranean region. The cork is extracted from the trees with the utmost care without damaging the trees. Amazingly, it grows back over the course of 36 months making it a totally cool renewable source. That sums up for the popularity of this flooring type combined with its eco-friendliness.
While it feels and looks to be soft and delicate, cork flooring can last as long as 30 years. It ensures several health benefits too. Thanks to its anti-microbial properties, it reduces allergens, serves as fire retardant, and repels insects.
Green Concrete
Even though concrete wouldn’t sound as an eco-friendly flooring solution, green concrete actually is. Made from industrial by-products, it is usually used as partial cement replacement. The waste by-products used in the creation of green concrete are obtained from manufacturing facilities, power plants, steel mills, etc. You can combine green concrete with crushed glass/plastic and metal shaving to have a unique appearance plus eco-friendliness.
Linoleum
With the emergence of vinyl in 1940’s, Linoleum went out of fashion. But, it has emerged again as one of the best eco-friendly flooring options for obvious reasons. Able to withstand a great deal of wear and tear, Linoleum flooring has a remarkably longer shelf life. The reappearance of Linoleum is celebrated with a huge variety of colors and even a new sealer that helps to protect it from stains.
Natural Stone
Nothing can beat natural stone in terms of durability. While cork can last up to 30 years and wooden flooring for 50 years, natural stone lasts no less than a lifetime. Also, the flooring type is available in a number of colors and textures, including granite and marble. No two natural stones can be alike, giving it the inimitable feel and look. Natural stone can even withstand fire and looks truly timeless. Other advantages offered by natural stone include sturdiness and resistance to airborne allergies.
Reclaimed Wood
It’s a good idea to make use of wood flooring salvaged from an old home or building. With some little polishing and mending, you can get yourself beautiful wooden flooring. There are several different industrial procedures for making the old wood flooring usable once again. Processes like grading, kiln-drying and milling are utilised in the refurbishing procedure. It is advised to contact only a reputable firm for getting reclaimed wood as flooring.
Wool Carpet
Carpets made from wool are eco-friendly. Along with its long-lasting durability, wool can be dyed into almost any shade to match your interiors’ color scheme. Unlike other materials used for making carpets, wool doesn’t include harmful VOCs or toxins as it is simply spun into a thread. And thereafter, it is woven into a carpet.
Summary
Which eco-friendly flooring would you like to use at your home? Is it the hyper-soft wool carpet flooring or the super-durable Natural Stone?
