In new builds and remodels, a lot of green-conscious builders and homeowners have been choosing bamboo as a hardwood alternative for flooring. But there are other beautiful, eco-friendly options available to builders and homeowners. One of these is eucalyptus.
Eucalyptus has the appearance of a fine tropical mahogany, yet it has all the "green" benefits of rapidly renewable hardwood. The eucalyptus tree is amazingly renewable and fast growing. Ready to harvest in as little as 14 to 16 years, the eucalyptus tree can grow to 14 inches in diameter and 120 feet tall in that short period of time.
Eucalyptus is also very tough, resisting dents extremely well and making it an ideal choice for flooring. According to experts, eucalyptus floors can actually be 20% harder than northern red oak. And while it is normal to have a little bit of degrade in every type of wood flooring, there is less degrade in the eucalyptus than in oak. Finally, eucalyptus flooring is extremely affordable, often half the price of traditional wood flooring.
For certain applications, engineered eucalyptus wood can be used as an alternative to solid eucalyptus. When installing a floor in areas more prone to high humidity or variations in moisture, engineered eucalyptus flooring might be preferred. And there are other benefits to the engineered eucalyptus wood as well: it can come in wider widths than the hardwood version; the surface veneer is a full sawn veneer which means that it can be refinished multiple times; and it often comes in a tongue-and-groove construction that allows it to be stapled, glued down, or floated.
Harvested from a 100% renewable crop, eucalyptus floors are beautiful, eco-friendly, cost-effective, and a long-lasting alternative to traditional hardwood floors.
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