 |
|
Bamboo flooring is sustainable and beautiful. Photo courtesy of Sustainable Flooring Inc.
|
By Chuck Ross
Two alternatives to hardwood floors are gaining popularity: bamboo flooring and finished concrete slabs. These materials are more sustainable than hardwood floors, since their production doesn’t require deforestation. Both are easy to clean and offer a range of decorating options. They also offer indoor-air-quality benefits over carpeting; homeowners can vacuum up dust, allergens and other respiratory irritants easily.
"I think that's hugely important, because of the astronomical number of people who are suffering from asthma," says Katherine Austin, AIA, an architect and green-building specialist in Sebastopol, Calif.
A grassy option
Although it's actually a grass, bamboo flooring looks — and is installed — just like hardwood, according to Victoria Schomer, ASID, owner of Green Built Environments, a San Rafael, Calif.-based design and consulting firm. Thin bamboo strips are laminated under pressure and formed into tongue-and-groove boards that can be glued or nailed.
Bamboo is sold prefinished, which means off-gassing of toxic chemicals will be minimal. The one caveat, Schomer notes, is that formaldehyde is often an ingredient in the glue used to manufacture the product. "Formaldehyde is an emission that off-gasses for a long time."
Slab-floor benefits
Concrete slabs can be finished and sealed with stains and colorants to add a decorative touch. A colorant can be added to the concrete prior to pouring, or the slab can be finished after the fact with an acid-based stain that etches color into the surface, according to architect Austin.
Although concrete floors are durable, Austin notes that builders need to take care when working on the floor to prevent damage. If an existing slab is top-coated to create a new floor, she recommends a coating depth of at least 1-1/4 inch to protect against possible cracking.
Chuck Ross is a freelance writer based in Brewster, Mass.
| 
)
