Eco friendly flooring

As a building material, wood is the smart choice.

It's good for the home and the global environment because it's a natural renewable, sustainable resource.

It will last beyond our lifetime and ultimately when it is finally in need of replacement by future generations, is recyclable and won't join the floor-covering mountain at landfill sites across the country.

Most timber for wood floors is cut from forests that are professionally managed and classed as a 'renewable resource'.

What does this mean? Well, 'professionally managed' means that trees are often individually identified for felling based upon strict criteria. The nature of felling a tree creates light and sustenance for trees that remain around it so that they can prosper. At least one tree is planted for each tree that is felled - many more trees are now being planted around the world than are cut down.

Professional and sustainable forest management and efficient production techniques mean it is possible to harvest wood without any detrimental effect on the environment.

But be careful when looking for tropical hardwoods such as merbau, which are susceptible to illegal logging and smuggling in some areas of the world.

According to a recent study, the UN-ECE Temperate and Boreal Forest Assessment Report, European forests have grown by 30% in the last decade. This growth will continue in the next decade as only 65% of forests are annually harvested. Trees are a renewable resource that can be replaced time and time again.

This makes wood flooring abundantly renewable - among its peers it is the most environmentally friendly flooring option available. It uses less energy to manufacture, and emits fewer greenhouse gases and waste products.

A wood floor installed today is likely to still be in place in 10 or 20 years time - and longer. The same cannot be said about other floor coverings such lino, vinyl or expensive carpets - which will be adding to the burden on landfill sites across the country.

And even if the unthinkable should happen and a wood floor is taken up, it can (and should) be easily recycled - or in the worst case be disposed of easily as it is a naturally biodegradable product.

Finally, as a natural insulator wood provides an extra layer of insulation, which helps conserve energy resources.

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