5 sustainable flooring options

Your home’s floor doesn’t only affect the design and feel of a space – it can also have an impact on the environment.

The decision about what to use for your floors, or what to replace them with, is undoubtedly an important one as it’s not something you’ll be doing regularly.

What kind of flooring will you decide to use in your home? Picture: realestate.com.au/buy

When you’re thinking about sustainable flooring, you need to think about the types of floor surfaces available and what you’ll cover them with, such as decorative rugs.

Also be sure to consider who lives in your home and the areas you tend to spend the most time in.

The range of materials for floors are now huge… and the sustainable options are growing.

How much foot traffic is a room or passageway going to have – and how much will it need to withstand? For example, if you have young children, pets or people with health conditions, such as asthma, these factors will influence your choices.

Finally, think about how much time you want to spend cleaning and maintaining your floors.

The range of materials and colour options for floors is now huge – and, thankfully, the options for sustainable flooring materials and options are growing too.

Here are five of the best sustainable flooring options to consider.

1. Sustainable carpet

If you are keen on using carpet, wool, sisal and jute are all great sustainable flooring materials.

Sustainable carpet is one of a few sustainable flooring materials

Looking for sustainable flooring materials? Look no further. Picture: Getty

There are now carpet companies that actively work towards reducing the impact carpet has on the environment. One company even uses recycled carpet backing, which results in more than 1200 tonnes of waste carpet being diverted away from landfill each year.

Recycled carpet tiles are another alternative – these divert around 600ml drink bottles from landfill and you also have the option of choosing an eco-friendly underlay.

2. Bamboo

Bamboo flooring is a sustainable flooring alternative to timber and is now widely available. Bamboo, which is actually a type of grass that shares similar characteristics to hardwood, is sustainable because it grows quickly and reaches maturity in three to five years.

It’s also durable, easy to maintain and easy to install. Even better, it looks great, too: Bamboo is a light material and you can find it in a variety of colours to match your décor.

Sustainable flooring starts with using renewable resources, like bamboo. Picture: Getty

3. Polished concrete

Polished concrete is an increasingly popular sustainable flooring material. It’s particularly environmentally friendly when it’s manufactured out of recycled materials.

Polished concrete flooring is a chic choice for sustainable flooring. Picture: Getty

Polished concrete has a long life cycle, is energy efficient and excellent for trapping and releasing heat.

Concrete floors are not only functional but are also aesthetically beautiful – and there are endless design options to try.

4. Recycled timber

Second-hand and recycled products are also an option to try for sustainable flooring. Recycled and reclaimed timbers are now being used more widely for flooring.

You can find a range of salvage yards and specialty recycled timber companies – and reclaimed timbers can be extremely beautiful, too.

Sustainable floors don’t get much more beautiful than recycled timber. Picture: Getty

5. Natural lino

Natural lino products (not to be confused with vinyl) are a great choice. Lino is a durable, long-lasting floor covering made from a renewable resource that is biodegradable. It can be swept, too, which reduces the need for cleaning with water, power or chemicals.

Lino flooring is easy to keep clean, making it a sustainable choice for anyone who doesn’t like too many chemicals. Picture: Getty

Lino can be dried easily and is great for wet areas, helping to prevent the build-up of mould and mildew.

Need more inspiration? Check out the six types of flooring you’ve (probably) forgotten about.

Consider what lies beneath

One of the main sources of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) that can be often overlooked is carpet backing or underlay. So make sure that what you have underneath your sustainable flooring option is also non-toxic and comes from a sustainable and renewable source.

Decorate with sustainable rugs

Opting for a fairly neutral floor, and then adding a rug, is one of the best ways to allow your decorating diva to come out – without busting the bank.

There are a wide range of fair trade and eco-friendly rugs and materials available.

Stylist Jessi Deakin loves the natural texture and tone that sustainable jute rugs bring to a space. Picture: Tamara Graham

You can find a range of recycled plastic rugs, which feel amazingly soft, or rag rugs made from recycled cotton.

If you’re keen to DIY, you can have a go at making one yourself. Wool is a sustainable material, so choosing a woollen rug is a great sustainable option.

Along with wool, natural fibres such as hemp, jute and sisal are beautiful underfoot and also offer strong sustainable aspects.

Shannon and Simon Vos chat flooring:

This article was originally published on 3 Nov 2017 at 9:00am but has been regularly updated to keep the information current.