Photos from Duro Design
Green flooring options are becoming more abundant these days. And if you know anything about carpet, you know that no matter what it’s made of, even if it’s recycled or otherwise eco-friendly in terms of materials, it is one of the most unhealthy (though affordable) floor coverings you can have in your home. Carpet traps everything you track in on the bottom of your shoes: dirt, bacteria and who knows what else. If you must have carpet, stick to area rugs or carpet tiles that can be washed and/or replaced.
That said, cork flooring is a wonderful, natural option to consider. It is very affordable, starting around $3/sq. ft., and because it comes from the part of a tree that grows back naturally and can be harvested several times, it is sustainable. It looks and feels luxurious and comes in a variety of styles and colors, with a small sample of your options shown above. And what’s even better is that it’s a no-hassle installation process. These Uniclic cork floor panels from DuroDesign click together without tools or glue, and minimal floor preparation is required. You can just lay your new cork floor directly over your old floor.
Cork has a natural sound-absorbing quality, so it is ideal for kids rooms, music rooms, or any other room where there’s constant traffic and noise. If it does nothing else but stop your kids from sounding like a herd of buffalo running through your home, isn’t it worth it?
Why It’s Green:
- 100% renewable resource harvested as the bark from living cork oak treesv
- Naturally hypo-allergenic, anti-microbial and anti-fungal
- Contains no PVCs and no added formaldehyde
- Finished with a low-VOC finishing system
Prices vary. Call (888) 528-8518 for more information.
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I’m Jennae Petersen, and I’m a lot of things. A mother, a graphic artist, a connosieur of beautiful interiors and a purveyor of all things design. Green Your Decor was borne of frustration in my attempts to find eco-friendly housewares that were also beautiful, and inspiration to do something to reduce my own carbon footprint and help others do the same in a beautiful way.
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Thank you for the nice post, Jennae!
For those interested in finding out more about cork oak floors, Wicanders floors represent a generations-old balance between environmental conservation, creation of wealth, and social development that benefits millions of people worldwide.
Wicanders was recently chosen by the readers of Qualified Remodeler, because cork oak is a sustainable resource that balances natural beauty and environmental responsibility, and it also absorbs acoustic vibrations, reduces allergens, and prevents thermal transfer, which reduces energy costs. We have also recently joined Winners’ Circle for the 2008 GREEN LOG Home and Lifestyle Awards in the Flooring: Alternative Green Materials category. We were chosen from over 80 nominees, and we are proud to be among this prestigious group of companies and individuals.
You can read more about Wicanders Cork Oak Floors on our blog, http://wicanderscorkoakblog.com
Thanks a lot!