As I step through the old house I’m purchasing I can’t help but admire the gorgeous hardwood floors. I love these floors so much more than carpet, but I also can’t help but feel a twinge of guilt about the environmental toll of such beautiful flooring. I console myself by rationalizing that the trees used for making this hundred year old house’s floors died a long time ago.
What about flooring for newer houses, or for older houses needing refurbishing? Is there a green option for having amazing hardwood floors?
There is, if you go for reclaimed wood flooring! In fact this is a very hot design trend right now. Wood can be salvaged from many places where it is no longer needed. Some ingenious sources include old barns, abandoned factories and warehouses, deserted army barracks, riverbeds, and even logs that sank during logging operations a long time ago.
All of this wood is in great condition. Any nails or metal objects are removed and the wood is then processed to yield beautiful flooring material.
Because of the multiple sources for the wood, reclaimed wood flooring will look totally unique. Each board offers a rich depth and variety of color and mineral variations. No two installed wood floors will ever look the same!
You do have to be prepared for possible small imperfections in the wood, but that’s part of what gives the material its special character.
Cost for installation varies widely, but should not be significantly greater than installing hardwood floors from new material. Many local flooring contractors have access to repurposed wood. There should be someone in your local area who can install these kinds of floors.
So go ahead and enjoy the pleasure of reclaimed wood flooring without the guilt!
Related posts:
- Reclaimed Oak and Other Wood Is The Eco Friendly Answer For Wood Lovers
- Reclaimed Wood Furniture Is The Eco Friendly Way To Enjoy Wood’s Beauty
- Can Engineered Hardwood Flooring be Environmentally Friendly?
- Five Great Looking, Eco Friendly Kitchen Flooring Options
- Reclaimed Oak Beams: Beautiful, Sturdy, And Great For The Environment
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Joe, there are a lot of reclaimed flooring sources out there which are actually very comparable in price to most regular hardwoods. I provide floors milled from made from abandoned logs once used decades ago like you mentioned above.
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