Sustainability Underfoot: Wood Flooring

Carpet covers most of my house, and I’m not very pleased with it. I live in Florida, so in my house we walk around barefoot most of the time. Although rugs may seem easier on the feet, they tend to hold a lot of dust and dirt that is very difficult to remove. One of my plans to improve my house is to replace most of the carpet with eco-friendly wood flooring. Most manufacturers use woods or wood byproducts that are harsh on the environment and don’t take nature into consideration. In my research of the best eco-conscious wood flooring, here’s what I found:

Recycled wood

Recycled (reclaimed) wood flooring is one of the best choices in wood flooring because it accomplishes two very sustainable practices. First, no new wood is required, which means no removal of trees from nature. Recycled wood reuses wood that would be otherwise thrown into landfills.

Most recycled wood flooring is taken from old structures such as buildings, bridges and warehouses and is broken apart and reformed to make beautiful wood flooring. This type of wood flooring is also surprisingly higher quality. Because it’s so old, the wood tends to be harder and denser, which allows it to last longer and handle a lot more foot traffic. Pine, oak, ash, chestnut and walnut species offer great variety to fit any home.

Bamboo

Bamboo flooring is another excellent flooring choice. Bamboo requires very little maintenance such as pesticides or irrigation, so it can easily grow and be harvested in its natural habitat without causing harm to the environment. Bamboo also regrows within three to five years, whereas a tree takes a minimum of 25 years to mature. Bamboo is also harder than other common wood used for flooring, so it will last longer. Bamboo gives you more for your money in the long run; besides, it’s beautiful and comfortable to walk barefoot on.

To find out more on these wood flooring options and more, check out these retailers: EcoTimber, Eco-Friendly Flooring and FloorsByNature.