FLOORING: Hardwoods remain a popular flooring option

How much wood are we using?   Where does it come from?  Where do we send it?  When we ship it out, does it come back to the US?  Building Product Digest shares some aggregated factoids/statistics…  

By David Koenig (Editorial & Production – Cutler Publishing, Inc.)
BPD-Building Products Digest
 
Use of American hardwoods has remained stable over the past five years, according to the Hardwood Manufacturers Association.

Total hardwood usage in 2006 was 10.7 billion bd. ft., the same as in 2002. Although usage in furniture has declined over the past decade, other uses have increased: kitchen and bath cabinets have grown 61%; flooring grew 56%, and mouldings, dimension, and millwork increased 38%.

Usage in furniture has declined because 53% of all wood furniture sold in the U.S. is produced overseas. However, American hardwoods are increasingly exported to countries such as Read more

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Awnings provide eco-minded remodeling options for homeowners

It?s no secret that homeowners have ?green? on the brain. With energy efficiency rebates and a number of different green products on the market in 2008, homeowners are showing concern for eco-friendly home upgrades.

In fact, according to a 2007 market research survey on U.S. Residential Awning Usage, conducted by Harris Interactive Inc., and commissioned by the Professional Awning Manufacturers Association (PAMA), nine out of ten homeowners are concerned about saving money on energy costs for their home, while three-fourths are concerned about reducing air conditioning costs.

?Money and energy costs were top concerns for homeowners, which goes hand-in-hand when selecting new products for homes,? said Michelle Sahlin, managing director, PAMA. ?However, the study also revealed that Read more

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We Got Green: Gruppie Girl selects no VOC paint from Sherwin Williams

Zero VO What?

The battle between living green and having nice, new, shiny stuff is a theme that often runs through my life.  Blame it on all of those home shows that I am addicted to, but I have a need to redecorate my house.  Recently I discovered how green my home decorating choices can be.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has stated that the air quality inside your house can be two to five times worse than the air outside.  Most Americans spend 90% of our time indoors.  That is a dangerous cocktail. 

Volatile Organic Compounds or VOC?s are those sneaky gasses that are contained in conventional house paints, cleaners, lacquers and some furniture.  They are responsible for much of the toxic air in our homes.  When we paint the inside of our homes with paints that contain volatile organic compounds, our family breathes them in long after the paint is dry.  VOCs can cause nausea, loss of coordination, kidney damage, repertory infections and memory loss just to name a few of the lovely side effects.

There is a better Read more

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