Popular Eco-Friendly Flooring Solutions: Which Should You Choose?

There was a time when the term “environmentally-friendly” or “eco-friendly” items conveyed the image of being bland and boring especially when used inside the home. Fortunately, that is not the case today as designers and manufacturers have created various eco-friendly yet stylish products to choose from and that includes environmentally friendly flooring that comes in different material, colors and style you can choose from. Let’s take a look at some of these options.

Cork. Cork is among the newest eco-friendly flooring today. It comes from the bark of the cork oak tree, which is commonly found within the Mediterranean forests. It’s an ideal renewable source since the trees aren’t cut down to harvest the bark and grows every three years. It also has anti-microbial properties that help in reducing allergens within the home, it’s easy to maintain and works naturally as an insect repellent.

Bamboo. Bamboo as an eco-friendly flooring option has been gaining popularity lately. Similar to cork, bamboo is easy to maintain and install. Plus, it’s easy to grow and requires only very little fertilizer. Compared to most hardwoods that require 50 to 150 years to reach its full height, a bamboo only needs 5 years. Lastly, it’s has a distinctive striped look, its durable and beautiful.

Linoleum. If you’re looking for a budget-friendly and at the same time eco-friendly flooring tile alternative, then the linoleum flooring is an excellent option. It’s formed through a concoction of linseed oil, cork dust, tree resins, wood flour, pigments along with ground limestone. Similar to cork, linoleums are also fire retardant and are water resistant.

Wool carpet. Carpet has been among the favorite go-to material by most homeowners since it’s soft to walk on, comfortable to sit or lie on, and comes in different styles, colors and patterns. Although carpets are packed with toxic chemicals, there now companies that are offering non-toxic and eco-friendly carpets like wool. Wool is a natural resource spun into a thread, which can be dyed into any color you want and then woven to make a wool carpet. In fact, wool carpets have been one of the first materials to be used as a floor covering. It’s also durable and long lasting.