Natural flooring materials are more and more sought after by aware and involved consumers.
What do wood, stone, lime, earth, cork and linoleum have in common? Used as floor covering all these are natural, resistant, salubrious, and respectful of the environment. Here is a little guide to help you choose the natural flooring material that will best fit your needs.
Retified wood is a heat treated wood that can be used for natural flooring.
The new process of wood retification, which means to submit wood to high temperatures, is producing some very hard woods that are ecologic and provide an alternative to using tropical woods. Results are spectacular, local woods like pine, birch, or oak, can be used and given more stability, durability and resistance, that can be used inside or outside the house.
Retification changes wood molecules but since no other chemical products are used, the wood remains natural, non toxic for humans or the environment. Not having to transport woods from far away places also reduces pollution associated with purchase of exotic woods.
Bamboo is an ever abundant resource used to produce many things including natural floors.
Bamboo is a fast growing plant (faster than any tree), that makes it a renewable resource that can be replenished quickly. It produces an excellent quality material that is very ecological in spite of importation needs. A bamboo floor is made up of narrow slats thus requires a lot of glue, which could be less eco-friendly. If you use bamboo for your floors you should ensure to that the glue you select is free from formaldehyde which is a pollutant that causes allergies and inflammatory reactions in many people. Bamboo has a very dense structure which makes it a very hard material yet it is supple. The hardness of bamboo floors make them resistant to scuffing and scratches, it can be use in high traffic areas as successfully as anywhere else in the house.
Natural cork flooring is ecological and hypo-allergenic
Very resistant to bugs, damage, fire, and durable, as well as beautiful cork flooring is one of my favorite. Still under used for floors it is becoming more popular. Read my post on cork flooring
Cork is taken from some oak trees without harming trees. It also have acoustic and thermal properties, and it is available in different colors and finishes. A natural flooring material by excellence.
True linoleum should not be confused with its synthetic cousin. It distinguishes itself by it composition of linseed oil, wood pulp, cork pieces and a burlap backing, infused with natural pigments for beautiful designs and colors. It is naturally insect repellent and hypo-allergenic. Easy to maintain and very durable
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