4 Eco-Friendly Flooring Options for Your Home

With each passing year, interest in sustainable and green living grows. And rightfully so! We as humans only get one planet, Earth, so it is our duty to make sure we treat it right so future generations may enjoy it and take in its wonders as we have.

One of the many ways that we can help prolong the lifespan and resources of our Earth is by making eco-friendly and environmentally conscientious decisions whenever possible. Whether we’re bringing our own bags to the grocery store, carpooling to work, or opting for eco-friendly materials for new flooring within our home, we all can do our part, no matter how small and insignificant it might seem.

Fortunately, for those interested in shopping green when it comes to flooring, long gone are the days of dull and bland eco-friendly options. As more and more consumers have made it their mission to shop with a more environmentally conscious lens, major flooring companies and corporations have expanded their eco-friendly offerings. As such, homeowners have a variety of excellent eco-friendly flooring options at their disposal.

Here are the top four eco-friendly flooring options for your home:

Engineered Hardwood Flooring

Let there be no mistake, engineered hardwood flooring is made from real wood and features many of the benefits of actual hardwood. But what many don’t know is that because of the way that it is produced, engineered hardwood is more sustainable than solid hardwood flooring.

Engineered hardwood is constructed of layers of natural hardwood and plywood, each layered together in a different direction. This tiered building approach enables engineered hardwood to have increased durability and temperature resistance, allowing it to last for decades. Additionally, the trees used for plywood grow faster and are less mature than those used for traditional hardwood flooring. They create less sawdust when they cut them, allowing for more of the tree to be used instead of going to waste.

Engineered hardwood is also easier and faster to install than hardwood flooring, limiting the required resources.

Stone Flooring

An earthly, attractive, and low-maintenance flooring option, stone offers homeowners a timeless and incredibly sustainable flooring material for their homes.

Stone flooring is a natural product that requires minimal resources to produce. Thanks to its overall strength, stone flooring can last for decades without the need for repair or replacement.

If you want to minimize your carbon footprint when it comes to your stone flooring, work to ensure that it comes from the United States so that you can eliminate the need for shipping.

Laminate Flooring

Laminate is another sound flooring option for those who want to make an eco-friendly flooring decision while on a budget. Renowned for its ability to mirror other more expensive materials, like wood or stone, laminate flooring offers a surprising amount of durability for its price point.

But that which makes laminate flooring a green flooring option lies in its construction. Its base layer of wood by-product and glue means it comes from recycled materials. Laminate’s top layer comes from embossed paper, and the wear layer above it is a thin sheet of plastic. Put all these materials together, and you’ve got yourself an affordable flooring option made from primarily sustainable materials.

Also worth mentioning is that laminate flooring offers an easy install for potential DIYers. With its lock-and-click construction, laminate flooring will eliminate the need for installers and allow you to cut down on the resources required to install your new flooring.

Luxury Vinyl Plank Flooring

While luxury vinyl plank (LVP) flooring is made from plastic which, in and of itself, is not a particularly green material, it can last up to decades if properly cared for, earning it admittance on this list.

With this durability, LVP flooring is also waterproof and exceptionally rugged, meaning that you won’t have to repair or update it after a few years. Luxury vinyl plank flooring is built to last, with many brands offering decade-long or even lifetime warranties. So while the initial choice might not seem too eco-friendly, when your friends are replacing their flooring after only a few years, and your LVP still looks excellent, your decision will appear entirely more green and responsible.

There are a variety of fantastic eco-friendly flooring options for your home. Whether you decide to go with engineered hardwood, stone, laminate, or LVP flooring, as long as you make the right decision for yourself and what you believe in, you can’t go wrong.

Are you interested in learning more about the eco-friendly flooring option available through Dolphin Carpet? Contact us today to learn more.