Sustainable flooring

It is thought that sustainable flooring creates safer and healthier buildings and guarantees a future for traditional producers of renewable resources that many communities depend on.

Several initiatives have led the charge to bring awareness of sustainable flooring as well as healthy buildings (air quality).

In the U.S., the Building for Energy and Environmental Sustainability (BEES) program of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) [8] provides a one-stop source of life cycle assessment-based information about flooring options.

[9] The development of life cycle assessment methodology in the early 1990s has shown the environmental advantages of wood and wood-based products.

Occasionally very rare woods, including old growth teak, mahogany, oak and more exotic timbers such as panga, wenge, bubinga are utilized.

The process of reclamation includes salvage, transport, cleaning of old bitumen residue, refitting and sanding with finishing by lacquering or oiling.

[14] Besides qualifying for LEED points, reclaimed wood is drawing an increasing number of home and business owners, architects, and contractors to choosing reclaimed wood flooring for a few significant reasons:[15] Bamboo flooring is made from a fast-growing renewable "timber" (bamboo is actually a grass).

It is naturally anti-microbial and has excellent insulation properties, ensuring minimal heat loss and comfortable warm walking surface.

Cork is resilient and 'springs back' preventing imprints due to heavy traffic and furniture, it also provides excellent noise insulation.

It is anti-static, repelling dirt, dust and other small particles, making it hypoallergenic – for this reason it is often used by people with respiratory issues (asthma, allergies).

This process can be repeated numerous times and in 2009 alone, Shaw's Evergreen facility recycled over 100 million pounds of carpet.