We all want to save the planet and be as environmentally friendly as we can, after all we only have one planet. So when choosing whether to install a hardwood floor in your home or go with something else like vinyl consider this: A hardwood floor is the most environmentally friendly material that can be used.
Trees are all around us and are one of the most abundant resources that we have on this planet. In fact they are also one of the most abundant renewable resources around. Modern sustainable forest management techniques allow for the harvesting of trees knowing that there will not be a serious environmental impact. Why? According to the USDA Forestry Service for every 1 cubic feet of tree cut down 1.66 cubic feet is replanted. This means that there is more wood growing than is being cut down, resulting in a 90% increase in standing hardwood volume since 1953. The trees being planted today will also be allowed to grow for about 100 years and while they do they will help to take carbon out of the air and replace it with oxygen. Wood is a carbon neutral product and can store carbon even while in your home, concrete can’t do that!
There are other benefits as well. According to the EPA a home’s indoor air quality is better with a wood floor. Wood floors use less energy and less resources like water to harvest and produce when compared to other flooring options. Wood flooring will also last for decades or even a century which is good for your wallet and good for the environment and when that day comes to replace the floor the circle of life can be completed and the wood burned for fuel or recycled to be made into something else.
This can be taken a step further by using reclaimed wood in your home. Not only is that wood being recycled but the quality of the wood being used is excellent and unique. We can all do our part to help the planet and installing a hardwood floor into your home is something to consider. So why not consider reclaimed wood and be the ultimate enviro hero?
