If you choose hastily, your new floor may leave you with regrets on down the road. Flooring, if chosen incorrectly, will haunt you, your family, and your guest for years to come. Do you or your family members have allergies? Do you enjoy allowing noxious fumes to linger in your home like a business deal gone south?

Green floors are a flooring option that is both environmentally friendly and one that comes with few regrets. Let’s take a look at a few of the flooring options in order to evaluate which options are the greenest ones for your home.

Vinyl
While it is true that vinyl floors will not need harsh chemicals for cleaning this common flooring option, harsh chemicals are used in the construction and the installation. This can mean that you will be feeling (and perhaps even smelling) the effects for years to come as the chemicals break down over time.

Carpet
Another common option is carpet. Carpets and rugs, especially ones that come from Asia, can also contain chemicals that are emitted into the air. These chemicals can be especially irritating for those people who have allergies or who are sensitive to certain smells. Additionally, you will need to replace carpeting after the padding has worn down or when the fibers become too dirty to be cleaned. Shipping from overseas also gobbles up lots of fuel, which means carpet made overseas is less green than its domestic competitors.

Cork Flooring
This flooring option is at the top of the green flooring list. Cork flooring is created by harvesting the bark of the cork tree and processing into a flooring sheet or tiles. Don’t worry though, the bark of the cork tree will be replenished in another nine years, allowing for another harvesting. Cork trees themselves can live for around 200 years, giving farmers many years of cork bark. Cork floors are also made from used wine and champagne corks, which might otherwise be thrown into a landfill. This flooring option is completely renewable and a great choice for those who want to mind their eco-conscience.

Bamboo Flooring
Bamboo flooring is yet another brilliant green flooring that has been making a big splash on the luxury flooring scene. Bamboo is a type of tall grass that matures in only five years. The grass stands are woven together to create a strong and durable floor with a smooth, glossy finish.

To speak with one of our design consultants, please call us at 1-800-764-1633.

Vinyl flooring comes in many forms: in sheets, in glue down tiles, and in self-stick tiles. Because of its versatility, it is a popular do it yourself project for many weekend warriors. Vinyl flooring comes in a variety of different patterns and colors, including realistic-looking marble.

Vinyl is one of the more water-resistant floor materials on the market. It is especially good for areas of your home that are susceptible to water exposure, such as entryways, bathrooms, laundry rooms, basements, and kitchens. A properly installed vinyl floor can last you for as many as 15 years. For many homeowners, their tastes have changed after 15 years, and it’s time for a fresh look.

Another benefit of installing vinyl flooring in your home is the ease of maintenance that it offers. Busy home owners have no time waxing and resealing wood floors, so vinyl flooring offers an option that is beautiful and easy to take care of.

The first thing you can do to keeping your floor beautiful is to use a door mat to catch outside dirt before it gets in. Routine maintenance for vinyl flooring can be limited to sweeping, vacuuming, or using a dust mop on the surface to get up any dust bunnies that may be lurking about.

For more ground-in dirt, you can use a resilient floor cleaner or a damp mop to bring out your floor’s shine. If you install vinyl flooring in the bathroom and need to get up a hairspray stain, use shampoo in a gallon of warm water with a damp mop. Remember, stick to using a DAMP mop, not a wet mop. This cannot be stressed enough.

If you drench your vinyl, you run the risk of water seeping into the cracks, seams, and edges. Water underneath the floor can eat away the glue bond that holds the vinyl flooring to the subfloor, causing it to curl away at the seams, corners, and edges.

To learn more about High End Vinyl Flooring, please contact one of our design consultants at 1-800-764-1633.