Tuesday May 20 2008

If you’re building or renovating with the environment in mind, be sure not to ignore your floors. The right surface for your home will not only be pleasing on the eyes and easy on your feet, it’s good for your health and hip pocket.
 
“Selecting the right floor for your home is one of the most health-impacting choices you can make,” says David Baggs, Ecospecifier’s technical director and expert in sustainable building products. David recommends avoiding toxic flooringglues and floors made from petrochemicals for those who don’t want ‘green guilt’ or health issues plaguing living spaces.
 
Although some people maintain carpet is high maintenance, adjunct professor Alan Pears from RMIT says carpet cleaned with a HEPA filter vacuum can be a better choice than polished floorboards.

“A lot of renovators don’t realise it, but there is massive air leakage through gaps between shrunken floorboards, leading to high energy bills. It’s also unhealthy for any small children crawling around.”

But here’s the good news. All kinds of materials – bamboo, natural rubber, linoleum, even concrete and tiles – make good sense, says sustainable-materials consultant Kirsty Máté. “Many floor choices can be sustainable – it’s how you use the material and whether it can be recycled or influence the thermal mass (warmth or coolness) of a building that counts,” she explains.

A concrete or tiled floor in a cool climate like Melbourne may not be a good eco-choice if costly heating is needed, but it is a great choice for sunny Queensland, where it may lower air-conditioning bills.

David says although the best flooring choices may cost more upfront, they last longer and often require less maintenance.
So step on it. An attractive, eco-friendly flooring choice could cut your heating or cooling bills, improve the health of your family, and be a breeze to keep clean.