Flooring shown from Atlas Concorde
When choosing the flooring for your brand new home (or updating an older home undergoing renovation) you will have many luxurious choices to pick from. Bamboo, hardwood, cork, vinyl, laminate, ceramic tile, stone tile, leather, rubber…it’s enough to make you dizzy, just thinking of all the available beautiful options.
Just 15 – 20 years ago, there were fewer options, and homeowners had to be content with having a floor that looked just like their neighbor’s floor. There were “expected” places to put certain types of flooring, and it was difficult for homeowners to personalize their floors. Floors were, for the most part, predictable.
Fast forward to today. Rather than just having access to carpet and vinyl options, you’ve got many more luxurious flooring options – including a few that are even eco-friendly. Recent discoveries have found that vinyl flooring can contain noxious chemicals that can continue to be emitted long after installation. Additionally, carpet and rugs have been found to harbor incredible amounts of allergens. These traditional flooring options are not environmentally friendly, and the trend in luxury flooring has been to lean towards greener flooring options. These include bamboo, cork, ceramic tiles, stone tiles, porcelain tiles, and palm woods – with bamboo and cork topping the list.
Bamboo is a great alternative to your typical hardwood flooring. Its beauty is just now catching on, and it is still very mysterious and alluring to those who see it. Many people will not believe that your beautiful, durable, and brilliant hardwood floor is actually made from bamboo, a natural resource. Bamboo flooring is made from the bamboo plant. When pressed, bamboo flooring’s durability is increased. You will also get that desirable smooth, glossy appearance, and you can stain a bamboo flooring as well.
Cork is made from the bark of the cork tree; the harvesting does not harm the tree in any way. Cork is a brilliant flooring option for areas where you want to muffle sound – like in a basement or on stair treads. It is hypo-allergenic and anti-microbial.
So, if you want a floor on the cutting edge of luxury, you needn’t look further than what Mother Nature has to offer.
To speak with one of our design consultants, please call us at 1-800-764-1633.