In
most American homes and offices, carpet is the most popular floor
covering. There are a number of other options including: renewable
resources such as wood, cork, and bamboo, tile, resilient flooring
(vinyl or linoleum, as well as floor coverings made from recycled
materials.
Various
chemicals in floor coverings can contribute to indoor air pollution
by releasing fumes containing VOCs. VOCs can come from carpet
padding and carpeting, finishes applied on wood floowing, and
the adhesives used to apply carpet padding, tile and resilient
flooring. According to research, half of all indoor air quality
problems come from building materials, while the other half come
from dust mites, pollen, and pet dander. These pollutants can
be reduced by choosing hard surface flooring and limiting carpet;
using no-VOC adhesives and mechanical fasteners for carpet pads;
using linoleum instead of vinyl flooring and using mortar instead
of glue to fasten tiles.
Carpet
Renewable Fiber
Wood
Ceramic Tile
Miscellaneous Materials
Carpet
Collins
and Aikman
ER3
Recycled carpet and backing
Susan
Rowlance
800-241-4902 x 1455 or 440 899-2526
Milliken
Carpet
Carpet
made with recycled materials
Naomi Lee 800 241-4826 ext 8465
More
carpet companies can be found at: www.stopwaste.org/materials/carpet.html
Renewable
Fiber Floorings
Due to toxic byproducts and poor indoor air quiality, polyvinyl
chloride (PVC) that composes most vinyl flooring is not recommended.
A number of alternatives are emerging, including natural linoleum,
which is made using cork. In most cases, the cork used in linoleum
is harvested with harming the tree, and in some cases, cork is
recycled from the bottling industry. The product is durable and
attractive, yet uses no toxic materials.
Ecosurfaces
Cork,
Recycled Rubber, and Vinyl Flooring for Residential and Commercial
use.
P.O.
Box 989
Lancaster, PA 17608-0989
(877) 326-7873
Forbo
North America
Marmoleum
linoleum flooring made from renewable resources for residential,
commercial, or industrial purposes.
P.O.
Box 667
Hazelton, PA 18201
(800) 233-0475
Mid-western
distribution through:
Architectural Floor Systems (AFS) in Chicago
(800) 323-6792
Dodge-Regupol
Cork
flooring tiles for residential and commercial use, many of their
products are made of 100% recycled cork from the bottle industry.
P.O.
Box 989
Lancaster, PA 17608-0989
(800) 322-1923
Smith
and Fong Co.
Bamboo
flooring materials. Plyboo is a 100% bamboo flooring made as
a 3-ply laminate, tongue-and-groove strip. Bamboo is twice the
stability of red oak and 90% of the hardness.
2121 Bryant St. #203
San Francisco, CA 94110
(650) 872-1184
There
is no Ohio distributor- purchase direct from manufacturer.
Wood
Flooring
Wood flooring has a long life with minimum maintenance; however,
hardwood trees are being removed faster than they can grow. As
a result of this shortage of good hardwood, a number of companies
in the area produce wood flooring that is remilled salvaged timbers
from old buildings and floors. It is recommended to use use water-based
finishes and adhesives treating and cleaning floors.
Aged
Woods Inc.
Salvaged wood from old barns made into wood floors.
2331
East Market St.
York, PA 17402
(800) 233-9307
www.agedwoods.com
Conklin’s
Authentic Antique Barnwood
Pine,
Hemlock, chestnut, oak, and heart pine flooring from remilled
antique beams from 19th-century barns.
RR 1, Box 70
Susquehanna, PA 18847
(570) 465-3832
www.conklinsbarnwood.com
Sylan
and Dean Brandt
Tongue-and-groove
wood flooring recovered from old factories. Available in yellow
pine and oak, up to 13" wide and 1". thick. Custom
milled.
651
E. Main St.
Lititz, PA 17543
(570) 626-4520
Ceramic
Tile
The production of ceramic tile involves an energy intensive process
of high temperature firing of earth material. The financial and
environmental cost of firing can be high, but the product quite
durable. A number of the companies listed below use recycled materials
in the production process, making them even more “green”.
It is better to use cement grout rather than using a glue-down
process because it produces fewer fumes.
Metropolitan
Ceramics
Recycled
content in their tiles
P.O.
Box 9240
Canton,
OH 44711
(330) 484-4887
Summitville
Tiles, Inc.
Tiles
made by using 100% of their waste product for all porcelain
pavers.
5350
Transportation Blvd.
Garfield Heights, OH 44125
(216) 581-9900
Tile
CERA
In-house
scrap and cull tiel in reincorporated into the maufacturing
process. This is a unique closed-loop manufacturing process.
300
Arcata Blvd
Clarksville, TN 37040
(800) 782-TILE
Miscellaneous
Flooring Materials
Durable
Mat Company
Products
and mats made from 90% recycled rubber from truck tires. Ideal
for entranceways and workshops. Dura-Tile II is installed for
a carpet-like surface, Durite as an LLV doormat and cargomat,
Dura-Rug is a link mat with a chenile-like surface. Also make
loading-dock bumpers made with recycled materials.
75 N. Pleasant St.
P.O. Box 290
Norwalk, OH 44857
(800) 537-1603
Lancaster
Colony Commercial Products
Rubber
and PVC tiles and matting made from recycled materials for industrial
purposes.
P.O.
Box 630
Columbus, OH 43216
(800) 292-7260
Turtle
Plastics
Turtle
Tiles and Grit Top Tiles, are interlocking grid-surface tiles
made of 100% recycled PVC good for workspaces, barns, pools,
and showers.
7450
A Industrial Parkway
Lorain, OH 44053
(440) 282-8008 X 204
www.turtleplastics.com
R.C.
Musson Rubber Co.
Rubber
stair coverings, flooring and rubber and vinyl matting.
1320
E. Archwood Ave.
Akron, OH 44306
800-321-2381, 330-773-7651
fax: 330-773-3254
www.mussonrubber.com
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