Three Ways To Be Eco-Friendly When You're Planning A Flooring Project
Are you striving to be eco-friendly and hoping to put in new flooring? If so, you'll be happy to know that there are three ways to do it that won't hurt the planet, but will make your home look amazing. This guide will explain these three options and how you can implement them in your flooring project.
Sustainable
Sustainability is the idea of using something new, like parts of a tree, but quickly replacing it so the earth isn't harmed. Many sustainable plants exist that take very little time to grow, so they're a good option if you want to use a new material.
Bamboo is one material that's highly sustainable, because it grows extremely fast. Some species of bamboo can actually grow up to 35 inches within just 24 hours! By choosing flooring made out of bamboo, you'll know that for each bamboo plant that was used to create your floors, another new shoot was put in its place. By the time your floor is installed, that shoot may be fully grown.
Bamboo is also sturdy, yet flexible, so it may be less susceptible to warping than some other materials, especially when exposed to moisture.
Recycle
If you've heard the term reclaimed before but don't know what it means, it's basically another term for recycling. Reclaimed materials are taken from old homes, businesses, and construction projects and reused. Sometimes these materials require re-processing in order to create a new shape or size, but oftentimes they're ready to go as-is.
Reclaimed materials are especially cool because you can use materials that would otherwise not be eco-friendly. For example, redwood flooring isn't a great eco-friendly material because redwood trees take hundreds or even thousands of years to reach their towering heights. By using reclaimed redwood, however, you're preventing the material from ending up in a landfill, and you can have all the beauty of redwood without sacrificing a new tree.
Waste Not
The best way to be eco-friendly while putting in new flooring is to not use or waste a thing in the first place. While reclaimed and sustainable materials are cool, waste-free materials prevent the death of a plant completely, and use parts that otherwise would be thrown away.
Cork is a waste-free material that can be turned into beautiful flooring. Unlike bamboo and other types of plants, cork trees actually don't require the tree to be cut down to harvest the cork. The tree can keep growing after the cork is harvested, and eventually what was taken will grow back. No harm done!
Another material you might not expect to be waste-free is linoleum. Linoleum is often made of bits and pieces of other construction projects that would otherwise be wasted, like cork dust, tree resin, oils, and ground stone and wood.
There are lots of options available to the eco-minded homeowner who wants to put in a beautiful floor without hurting the planet. With these three ideas, you can have minimal to no negative impact on the ecosystem and feel good about your home. Check out a flooring service at a site like http://www.nationalcarpetmilloutlet.com to learn about their environmentally friendly options.
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