AN article on flooring is likely the last place you'd expect to find a moral. But this one has, and, as with any good tale, it's at the end.
No peeking
This story started at my kitchen table, over a cup of coffee with my eldest brother, Norm Grignon, certified flooring installer by profession; musician and counsellor to mentally challenged adults by passion.
"When you decide what you want to do with your floors, let me know and we'll get at 'er," he promised. Knowing my propensity for piggybacking reno projects with writing profits, he added: "If you decide to do a story, I'll get you the background on the latest options. You wouldn't believe the environmentally safer stuff out there."
I'm not talking about your regular hardwood, although it is beautiful. From leather to linseed, flooring options now allow environmentalists something solid and stylish to stand on while sticking to what they stand for.
Homeowners' green consumerism eventually leads them to discover naturally renewable resources, including cork and bamboo and traditional hardwoods such as oak and maple, harvested from responsibly managed forests.
Consumers are now less likely to simply walk into the local flooring store and be sold PVC vinyl flooring or carpet that will end up off-gassing in their home.
Here's a closer look at some of those enviro-friendlier flooring options:
Cork
What's old is new again. Cork was a natural choice starting in the 1900s, primarily where silence was sacred: churches and libraries.
Made up of millions of air-filled cells, cork is also a hit with musicians, as well as homeowners seeking a refuge from noise pollution. Cork's shock-absorbing qualities can also ease back pain, making it a practical choice for kitchens where homeowners traditionally spend the most time standing for meal prep. Its popularity has shot up dramatically in the past five years.
Cork is anti-static, making it easy to sweep clean, anti-fungal, making it less likely to trigger allergies, and warm, making you less likely to curse the chilly bathroom floor after your winter morning shower.
With its inherent insulating qualities, cork is ideal for normally cold, damp, and just plain uninviting basements.
And banish the thought that you'll be limited to the colour and pattern of wine bottle stoppers. There are dozens of colours available, as well as custom colour matching.
Harvested primarily in Spain and Portugal from the bark of living trees (which doesn't harm the plant), cork is considered one of the truest renewable flooring options.
Bamboo
Because it grows eight times faster than the average Canadian redwood, bamboo is a wonderful environmental option. Plus, harvesting the fast-maturing plant does not kill it.
Nor is anything likely to harm it once it becomes your flooring. Bamboo is 33 per cent more dent-resistant than white oak. Need something stronger still? Consider strand bamboo, a high-density flooring made by fusing bamboo fibres under extreme pressure. It's 100 per cent harder and more dent-resistant than oak.
It's ideal for high-traffic areas such as hallways and foyers.
And because bamboo resists expansion or contraction, it's a good antidote to humid basements.
Leather luxury
Leather flooring is made of 100 per cent recycled leather. It's eco-friendly, durable, easy to clean, and absorbs or stops sound and vibrations. It can also be interlocked with cork to create intricate designs.
Carpeting
Carpeting manufacturers aren't about to have the green carpet yanked out from underneath them. Some companies now offer carpeting that's 100 per cent recyclable. Old carpeting gets sent back to the manufacturer (so far only in the U.S.) and it's remanufactured into new carpeting.
New options
Although eco-friendly alternatives such as linseed, hemp and flax seed-based flooring options aren't nearly as hot yet, there's no denying consumers are stepping up their interest in greening their flooring.
And now the moral, as promised: Home-improvement projects ought to be done while everyone involved in initiating or completing them can enjoy them.
Six months ago, before he could tackle the flooring in this century old farmhouse, my brother died following a stroke. Attending the memorial, which filled the church to overflowing, there were more than 500 friends, colleagues and former flooring clients -- all of them grateful for his help in defining the character of their home. Another 500 attended a reception -- a huge honour for a dear brother and true professional.
-- Canwest News Service
