Ethical Flooring

Ever since Al Gore’s documentary film An Inconvenient Truth came out people have been looking for alternatives for everyday products which produce carbons, either in their manufacture or consumption. In addition they have been thinking twice about shipping their entire rubbish pile to the landfill.

Flooring products have usually been half-and-half when it comes to recyclables. Cleaned carpet that has been ripped out of a home provides packing and runners for commercial enterprises and other uses. Linoleum is ground up and used as a filler in paving roads and wood floors removed from old buildings is reinstalled in luxury condos. One of the most sought-after products is old barn boards which are lightly planed and used for flooring.

The main thrust of the new flooring market has been choosing products that do not contain toxic substances or do not give off byproducts during the manufacture. Bamboo flooring, grass and natural wool carpet and cork are examples of these types of flooring. Different reeds and seaweeds have soft fibers which can be spun into carpet.

Tiles are great for recycling. They can be ground up and used for all types of fill as they are almost all clay. Old tile that is carefully removed is often reapplied elsewhere.

Staining Your Wood Floor

Many homeowners would like to have the feel of wood under their feet but not the “woody” look of oak and other types of hardwood flooring. They have compared laminate, and have even found some shades that are agreeable, but the pull for real wood is too much. Staining the floor is a good option for these people who want something different like a thin green or a red patina.

To have have a stained hardwood floor you have to begin with an unfinished floor product. This is not to say that you can’t strip your old floor and stain it but if you do you have to make sure that the company who strips it gets everything off otherwise your floor may be blotchy.

Keys to Staining

Vacuum: Use a heavy-duty machine and get out all the sawdust in the corners. You don’t want to do any unnecessary sanding.Open Windows: Even if using a water-based stain.Test: Take a rag and stain a small spot in the closet to verify the tone. It will take 5 minutes to dry.Stain: Brush on for a heavy stain or use a rag for lighter stain. Smooth out with a clean rag.

Touch Up: Apply a second coat or just touch up any missed areas.

Finish: Let sit for 24 hours to make sure it is completely dry. Use polyurethane but do not shake the can or bubbles will occur. Apply with brush or roller with the grain. Finish will dry in around 4 hours. Then apply second coat. Three coats should be enough and let stand for 3 days before moving the furniture back into the room.

Green Carpet

When environmentalists think of carpet many of them utter the words “off-gassing” which means that the volatile organic compounds (VOC’s) used to make the fibers give off toxic odors for, in many cases, years after installation. In fact a carpet’s life has a great impact on the environment starting out with chemical emissions from the manufacturing process, the use of nonrenewable resources, transportation costs (carpet is heavy), installation off-gassing and (a big problem) the cost of disposal both at local landfills and recycling depots.

Wool carpet has been used for a floor covering since the days when man first moved oput of the caves. The nomads of the Sahara and Gobi deserts built mobile cities where the floors of the tents were made from carpet. It could be cleaned and reused.

Today, many homeowners have realized that wool carpets are stain resistant, easy to clean with a vacuum system, washable and resists flames. Woven natural carpets in themselves are great for the environment but many manufacturers add treatments for wrinkling, extra stain-proofing and coloring. In addition, they put a synthetic backing on which defeats the purpose of the “green” carpet because the backing contains VOC’s.

Grasses are becoming popular for carpet alternatives. Natural fibers like sisal, seagrass and mountain grass carpets are making their way to m,any of the leading carpet centers. Many of these carpets are made in countries where there is badly-needed employment so buying one of these carpets is a win all around.

Lovable Laminate Floors

Not since the invention of linoleum has one flooring product dominated the market so quickly and with so many styles and designs. Because of its versatility, wearing ability and price laminate flooring is one of the fastest selling flooring products in stores. Like many composite building materials was invented in Europe. Pergo, a Swedish company Pergo brought its laminated product to the United States in 1994.

To begin with, laminate flooring is manufactured to mimic natural woods, tile and stone but is made up of composite materials, both natural and recycled wood, which is coated with hard finish. The design is actually a picture of the wood type or other material and it is fused to a dense, composite plank.

A natural for the do-it-yourselfer laminate floors have interlocking seams which “snap” together and form one huge flooring piece. Spaces have to be allowed on the edges for expansion and contraction and small wood strips hold them floor in place. Other wise it “floats” on a cushion of thin foam underlay .
The cost is the big plus. Starting around $1.00 a square foot it is one of the cheapest materials available, even cheaper in some cases than linoleum. All types, cheap or expensive finish off a floor very nicely and the more expensive types resemble real planks or tile flooring.

For large areas its good to have a professional do the job for a spectacular surface.

Bamboo – Renewable Beauty

Almost all exotic hardwood floors are manufactured from trees that take decades (and sometimes a century) to grow. Teak and mahogany are beautiful but are leaning toward the endangered list as the denuding of the world’s rainforest goes along unchecked.

One flooring product from the tropics runs opposite to this trend because it renews itself every few years. In fact some species can grow as fast as 1 meter per day to a height of 60 feet -all in 90 days! In addition, it’s one of the only natural products that doesn’t come from a tree – it’s a grass.

Pound for pound bamboo is one of the strongest organic products in existence. For eons it has been a prime structural material and the framework for homes, bridges and boats. As a flooring it possesses an unusual beauty one that makes every floor a one-of-a-kind surface. It is harder than either maple or oak which means that it resists hard blows and scrapes.

Bamboo flooring comes prefinished and goes down like regular hardwood so regular flooring contractors can do the installation.

Wood Subfloor Evaluation

Building a road over unknown ground has been tried before many times. Logging companies do it all the time to get out the timber. They just drive a bulldozer through an area that has been cut and that is the road. But it is not a permanent road. Because to make a permanent road there has to be a good base so the road will not shift. A floor is much the same. If it is not braced properly underneath, or if the decking material is not level, then you will get all sorts of problems.

If the new flooring is going into the main living area and there is wood underneath the surface will be prepared according to the material you choose to put down. Old linoleum floors are usually a good base for more linoleum or carpet if they are in good shape and secured well to the old surface. If there are small patches of linoleum missing sometimes a flooring contractor will use a leveling compound.
This makes more sense than to try and scrape it off as the old glue may be rock-hard in spots creating a huge mess.

Tile is different. It should never go onto the original wood subfloor as the moisture may cause problems like squeaking and warping down the road. A marante or thin plywood board covering should be fastened on top of the subfloor. Fasten it down placing wood screws in grids of 5″ separation.

As well it should never go directly down on linoleum or old tile. This old covering should be removed or the mastic may separate and the tile come loose. Covering the old linoleum surface with plywood would also suffice but tile would have to be removed before the new subfloor went down.