Lot’s of video this past week or two here on GetWithGreen.com!Â
Today we are bringing you this Marmoleum informational nugget from FOX 12 in Oregon. This four minute video clip discusses Marmoleum, what it is composed of, and how it installs.  Really great information for those of you considering this very popular “greener” alternative flooring.
Watch the: Marmoleum video
This week Pioneer Millworks announced what they are calling the first fully eco-engineered wood flooring in the industry.  At GetWithGreen.com we have not seen one yet either (so if you know of one, leave a comment and let us know!).
Engineered floors are growing in popularity in remodels, and new construction. For their product, Pioneer Millworks is using FSC certified plywood, and formaldehyde-free low VOC glue.  Here is what their announcment had to say:
Las Vegas, NV February 2008 — Pioneer Millworks is poised to re-engineer the wood flooring industry with the introduction of what is said to be the first, fully-eco engineered floor to hit the market. The new line was launched at Surfaces this week.
Until now, engineered flooring (wood veneer over plywood platform) has inherently been a non-eco friendly product thanks to uncertified veneers, glue and finish toxicity, and off shore manufacturing.
“For years, we’ve resisted producing this type of floor, it just goes against our eco This post continues… »
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… Â
By David Koenig (Editorial & Production - Cutler Publishing, Inc.)
BPD-Building Products Digest
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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 This post continues… »
Water-Based polyurethane for Hardwood Floors
After ripping out the carpet in our master bedroom we sanded the very nice, but 50 year old oak flooring underneath. As part of my requirements for redesigning our home I always want to start by looking into environmentally friendly products. So in an effort to work with materials we already have, and not consume unnecessary laminate flooring I took a trip to Southern Lumber in San Jose and talked to someone there about the difference between water-based vs oil-based stains, and water-based vs oil polyurethanes. The professional at southern lumber right away discouraged me from using water based This post continues… »
Blogger and Real Estate Broker Angela Ward in Maui, tells her story about staining her concrete floor with Ecoprocote.  Here is the article from Angela’s blog:
In an effort to go Green on my remodeling project, I stumbled across an environmentally-friendly concrete stain which is made out of soy:Â Ecoprocote.
The conventional method of coloring concrete is acid-staining, a very harsh and most times costly undertaking. Not only does it involve sanding the concrete first which produces undesireable dust everywhere, the fumes can be so intense that this is usually not a DIY project. I received estimates for acid-staining at $10/sf. This computes out to $6,000 for a 600sf condo.
I did a Google search on concrete stains and found Soycrete, made by Ecoprocote. The results looked the same as acid-stained concrete, but with much less impact on the environment, your wallet, and This post continues… »
Forbo Flooring Systems, a leader in linoleum floor coverings and eco-friendly flooring alternatives, has just announced the availability of their new Marmoleum Dutch Design Collection that includes 12 new colors. The Dutch Design Collection is listed on the Forbo website, but can only be found under the Commercial (vs. Residential) category of their website, but the products are available to homeowners.  Forbo tells us that the unique colors will be sold through December 2009.
 
 
 
 
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MARMOLEUM DUTCH DESIGN
Marmoleum Dutch Design is a range of Marmoleum flooring developed by 12 Dutch designers who were granted complete This post continues… »
What are your eco-friendly carpet options? We will put that list together for you soon. In the meantime, we wanted to deliver some news from one carpet and flooring manufacturer that is publically calling attention to their efforts to ease pressure on the environment: Mohawk Industries. They have started some early hype around what looks to be some further eco-friendly carpet and flooring options that will be available this Fall.
Historically, Mohawk is/has been a supplier of flooring for both residential (and commercial) applications. Mohawk offers a complete selection of carpet, ceramic tile, wood, stone, laminate, vinyl, rugs and other home products. These products are marketed under the brands Mohawk, Karastan, Ralph Lauren, Lees, Bigelow, Quick Step, Dal-Tile and American Olean.
Mohawk Industries, focuses on environmentally friendly business practices that benefit This post continues… »
Research will quickly tell you that bamboo is actually not a wood, but a grass. Bamboo is a grass that regenerates itself within 4-6 years, thus making it an excellent renewable resource. Ultimately to make it a green product, we all need to make sure that forest lands are not cut down in order to plant this renewable plant that offers a green flooring product. Below is a list of providers of manufacturers of bamboo flooring products - virtually all are from China.Â
We have noted several suppliers that in our research stand out. We don’t have experience working with suppliers, but we wanted to call out those that were the most informative to us - so look for our notes below. Here is the list:
        
       
       
       
123 Bamboo - Chinese company selling direct and through distribution
Central Bamboo Flooring, Inc. - offering solid and engineered bamboo from
Bamboo Hardwoods, Inc. - One to check out! Informative site from this Seattle company, offering various types of bamboo flooring (engineered, solid, woven, AND other FSC Hardwoods).   Bamboo harvested thoughtfully in Vietnam.
Bamboo Mountain, Inc.  - One to check out! Excellent website with informative information and a clear focus on providing the consumer with This post continues… »
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