Green Flooring Options

I want to send a shout-out to my buddy, Bob Moore, at Work Place Solutions here in Jacksonville. When asked about the state of sustainable (and cost-effective) flooring, here is what he had to say:

Carpet-traditionally it is made nylon fiber(petroleum based). Some mills offer
nylon made with 1 to 100% recycled content. The higher the recycled content the
higher the cost. Recycling fiber is still in it’s infancy but gaining ground
quickly. Shaw has a great carpet tile that is 100% recyclable. On the back of
every carpet tile is an 800 phone number. Call that number and Shaw will take
the carpet back and pay for the freight. In my opinion that is the best program
in the industry. As an alternative to nylon there are mills that offer recycled
polyester fiber. Carpet backings are starting to incorporate soy oil, hemp and a
plethora of recycled petroleum based products. Grass cloth, wool and cotton are
natural alternatives for carpet fiber but are more pricey and less durable.

Commercial wood flooring is easily replaced with natural wood
laminates (only the top laminate is hardwood with the core and bottom of each
board made up of wood pulp or other materials), cork (renewable) or bamboo
(renewable).

Vinyl Tile and Vinyl Sheet Flooring- some tile
manufacturers are using post construction waste (drywall waste) for fillers. The
vct is 85% limestone with the binders being mostly vinyl products. An
alternative to vct or sheet vinyl is linoleum which is limestone, wood pulp and
resin (pine tar).

Vinyl base- Johnsonite makes a snap-on version
of base that allows you to remove it for carpet replacement. If you use toeless
base and install it before the carpet goes in you do not have to replacement it
when the carpet is changed out.

Ceramic is a fairly green product
(basically it is colored dirt) and can be very affordable. Crossville has a
product with post industrial (ceramic tile manufacturing waste) and post
construction waste (drywall waste) as the base material.

For more information, feel free to give Bob a call at 997-8878. Bob and I are both studying to sit for our LEED AP exam, so I can assure you that he has LEED in the forefront of his mind all the time. (Right, Bob? Go get that book and keep studying!) He's a great resource for sustainable flooring options and I encourage you to pick his brain.