Flooring Options

[luminesce]

We're getting ready to replace some old carpet in a secondary bedroom but I am having a really, really hard time deciding on what type of flooring to use that is environmentally friendly and most importantly, not going to off-gas during installation or later. Our home is not very "green" currently - we have vinyl in the kitchen and carpet throughout most of the house, except for the dining room and foyer, which have hardwoods.

I've looked at cork, bamboo, wool, some of the more environmentally friendly hardwoods but... any suggestions/recommendations?

[cristeen]

So you say the rest of the house is mixed... do you have animals? With animals, I would not go for wool, I would go with wood. The constant vacuuming needed for carpeting with animals drives me nuts. Cork is really nice in the kitchen where you'll be standing on it, but is an unnecessary expense, IMO in a bedroom where you'll just be standing on it a few minutes a day.

Then you need to determine what kind of look you're going for in that room and what use it will be put to. I love hardwood, we have it throughout, but I also love wool and have a throw rug next to the bed to snuggle my toes into.

That would leave you with wool (if you don't have animals) or bamboo/hardwood with animals. At that point it's mostly a matter of aesthetics, and making sure you buy from sustainably harvesting manufacturers.

HTH

[jdejong]

We put Teragren bamboo in our living room, and it went in very easily. We love it. We over-ordered, though, so this summer we'll use the rest for our son's room - or what will be his room when he stops sleeping with us! I figured it would be nice to not have carpeting in a child's room, what with all the fluid-accidents that can occur Plus, it will collect less dust over time than carpet. I definetly recommend the Teragren bamboo, I looked into the company, and they seem like one of the better ones (that is, greener ones).

[marlyninla]

We are putting wide plank reclaimed walnut in our LR and foyer and I think cork in our bedroom. We are consider concrete with a wool rug for the office/den. I don't know how "green" it is but we have slate in our kitchen and OMG I beyond love it. It feels so "earthy" and grounding.

[askew]

I have bamboo throughout the house, and I only have one complaint. It is so incredibly soft. The dog has scratched the **** out of it and my toddler who often throws his wood toys as well.