Sustainable Home Flooring Options

Insulation is important for our environment, but also for our finances and for our comfort. Provided that you’ve equipped your home with a proper wall, ceiling, and window insulation, there is one more thing left to tackle here — installing energy-efficient flooring. There are numerous solutions here, which is why we’ve come up with this guide that will hopefully help you choose an option that fits you perfectly.

Floor Heating

Let’s start off with a trend that has been around for quite some time — installing floor heating is a great way to make your floors more energy-efficient. In addition to the more comfort that warm floors provide, radiant floor heating supplies the heat directly to the floor, which makes it significantly more energy-efficient than forced-air and baseboard heating, given that it eliminates duct losses. So, why even consider it, why doesn’t everyone use this technology? Well, the use floor heating depends greatly on the floor material — for example, wood, as an insulator, prevents the heat from passing through, while laminate, ceramic tiles, and natural stone work fantastically with this solution.

Bamboo

This material has experienced a surge in popularity, largely owing to the fact that this is a sustainable alternative to timber floors and that it is widely available. Although it is very similar to hardwood in characteristics, bamboo is actually a durable, easy-to-install, and beautiful grass.

What makes this material sustainable? I mean, after all, it’s just another plant, right? Well, bamboo is an extremely fast-growing plant, able to reach full maturity within three to five years. Light and convenient, bamboo can be found in a variety of shades and colors to fit your décor perfectly.

Cork

Much like bamboo, cork is beloved far and wide for its eco-friendliness. It has excellent thermal (and acoustic) qualities, while being beautiful, lightweight and warm to the touch. Additionally, it is a hypoallergenic, fire and insect-resistant, stable, and renewable material. Cork holds an insulating R-value of 1.125, owing to the fact that it has 60 to 100 million cells per cubic inch; this means it has air pockets in its construction, making the material one of the best non-conductors of heat and warmth on the market.

Hardwood

Although bamboo truly is an eco-friendly alternative to hardwood, it isn’t as energy efficient. Hardwood floors are among the most popular modern flooring solutions for a reason — they are perfect insulators. If installed correctly, this flooring solution will keep your home warm in the winter and cool in the summer, decreasing the amount of electricity you’ll need to heat the interior up. In addition to the regular wood flooring, there are engineered hardwood options that include a foam base which basically acts as a vapor barrier, adding up to the property’s general insulation value.

Wall-to-Wall Carpeting

Carpets are an excellent way to add temperature stability to a room. If they are made out of wool, they make for fantastic natural insulators that provide a ton of additional warmth to your home. Having wall-to-wall carpeting doesn’t mean that there is no space for soft and cozy rugs in your home. In fact, these work even better with carpets than with any other material — wall-to-wall carpeting provides friction, more warmth, and a smooth aesthetical transition to rugs.

Natural Stone

While it may not seem intuitive, natural stone doesn’t always have to be cold. In fact, it can serve as an insulator (although not in the same capacity as hardwood). How does it work? Well, when exposed to a lot of heat, natural stone warms up and then radiates that heat for a longer time period. It’s best suited for areas with varying climates.

Regardless of which flooring option you want to choose, we recommend that you find a perfect heating option beforehand — these solutions insulate, but they don’t generate heat. Depending on your preference, comfort, and aesthetical viewpoint, feel free to choose any of the mentioned eco-friendly options, be it bamboo, cork, hardwood, carpeting, or natural stone!