What are some green flooring options?

Going green in your choice of kitchen flooring does more than just soothe your environmental conscience. Having an ec- friendly kitchen floor will also save you money in the long run. The kitchen floor gets the brunt of foot traffic in the house and must be extremely sturdy so as to require very minimal maintenance and repair.

Green flooring materials are very durable and investing in them can be a once-in-a-lifetime rather than a recurring expense. Here are some of the most eco friendly kitchen flooring materials you can choose from.

Wood is a classic among kitchen flooring options. Wood is pleasant to the eyes, warm to the feel and very durable. However, not all wood is good. Wood flooring can only be eco-friendly as long as it is sustainably harvested.
Choose wood that bears the stamp of approval of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), an independent body which certifies wood that has been harvested sustainably and responsibly. In addition, choose local wood species, if possible, as these require less fuel for transportation. Lastly, go for hard wood as it is so durable that it may not need to be replaced during your lifetime.

Today there are beautiful kitchen flooring materials that are made from repurposed shipping crates. Shipping crates from Asia, for example, are made of tropical hardwood and can thus be made into flooring materials that retain the natural look and feel of wood. They are also FSC-certified.

Layers of FSC-certified wood are topped with a sheer veneer of finished wood to give you engineered wood floors that are guaranteed to have the natural finish of wood. Moreover, they are more durable than wood and do not warp or dent with such changes in temperature and humidity like most wood flooring.

Bamboo grows as rapidly as any grass and thus can very easily be harvested sustainably. In addition, bamboo makes for a very comfortable underfoot material as well as a very durable one. True, there may be concerns about transport-related energy costs but this can be outweighed by the fact that bamboo is very abundant and thus relatively cheap. Just look for formaldehyde free and FSC-certified bamboo.

Cork makes for a warm, comfortable kitchen floor. From an environmental standpoint, cork is also an excellent choice as it is made from the bark of a tree and careful removal of it does not damage the tree at all. Modern cork flooring also offers convenience as they now come in either planks or tiles which make installation a breeze.
The latest cork flooring materials now come in pre-finished, low-VOC brands and have many interesting designs and textures. There are also more varied color options aside from the traditional brown. Cork flooring now sports pale and even dark hues as well as colored palettes.

The rustic charm of cork and the comfortable pliability and durability of rubber gives your kitchen floor a comfortable soft feel and stands up to heavy kitchen traffic. Sustainably harvested cork is blended with recycled rubber, imbued with different colors and then cut into rolls or tiles to give you a most green flooring material for your kitchen.

If you think linoleum is boring, think again. True linoleum is a natural and often manufactured from recycled materials. Linoleum is made up of an ingenious blend of linseed oil, wood flour, tree resin, ground limestone and natural pigments backed up with jute. Linoleum can last as long as 25 years and is comfortable to the feet. It also comes in many interesting colors and patterns. Best of all, it is easy to clean.

Of course none of these flooring options are limited to just the kitchen. Most make for an excellent option throughout your whole home. So whether you are looking for a green kitchen remodeling job or wanting to replace your existing floors with new eco friendly flooring, Innovation Construction Co is just a phone call or email away.