• (Green) Swab Your Decks! It's Almost Talk Like a Pirate Day
• Green and Gorgeous Remodeling: Eco-Friendly Flooring
• Is Vinyl Flooring Causing Autism?
• Green Products from A to Z
• Do Common Cleaners Have Toxic Ingredients?

In a previous gwg article, we discussed the 10 must knows regarding cork flooring.  Now to find suppliers near our readers.  Within a week of emailing DuroDesign, I received cork samples and information.  In fact, they sent me samples in each of their six collections and 54 colors.

When the samples were opened, my husband and I poured over the options and were immediately impressed with DuroDesign’s cork line.  Recently, we’ve decided to use cork throughout our future home, except the great room, (unless I convince him to use an area rug).  We found it difficult to choose a favorite, so it appears we will have a few different schemes going throughout our home.

One of the reasons we would choose DuroDesign is because their cork tiles and uniclick panels are pre-finished with water-based polyurethane sealants.  Just because it is a cork floor, doesn’t mean it is necessarily green.  DuroDesign’s water-based finish assures that the cork floor is still green.  When you order their product, the price includes enough water-base polyurethane for 4 additional coats (the stain lasts approximately 4 years), as well as a special lambs wool applicator & instructions for stain re-application, and stain for touch-ups.

Another reason I would choose DuroDesign, is that despite the collection or color I choose, the price remains constant.  The only variable is how many square feet are needed.  For example, on the price list effective August 2008:

Under 50 square feet = $10/sf
51-200 sf = $8.50/sq
Over 200 sf = $6.50/sf

When remodeling DIY style or even when hiring a contractor or sub, it is crucial to know how much you’re spending on each material.  DuroDesign makes this a reality and even helps you calculate how many boxes you’ll need and how much each will weigh.

When it comes to style, price, and green flooring, DuroDesign is a solid choice for  homeowners. To learn more about their warranty and maintenance-free products, click here.  Take a minute and glance through their online portfolio of previously installed projects.  I was impressed with the various projects, some with which I am familiar, and others designed by architects I admire.  But don’t just take my word for it, request your own samples and brochures here.  Enjoy learning more about DuroDesign, a choice supplier when it comes to green cork flooring.

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In today’s marketplace  greenwashing is rampant.  Many companies are purposefully misleading consumers to believe that their products are environmentally friendly in order to catch that ever-important environmentally aware segment of the population.  In such a day, I wondered if there was really a thing as a green vacuum cleaner.

Sure, I’d heard the green benefits of installing a central vacuum system.  Longer life and no bags both equal less impact on the landfills.  With my modest pocketbook, the upfront price of $2000 plus to install a central vacuum system was out of my league.  A portable vacuum was more my speed.

In my attempt to answer this question, the friendly people at Eureka offered to send me their new, green Envirovac to try for myself.  I explained to them that I live in a busy household with two energetic kids, a frantic husband and one crazy cat.   Carpet, hardwoods, linoleum, and drapes are all included in the household.  The brave people at Eureka didn’t seem the least bit concerned.  Game on.

The Eureka Envirovac arrived in a 100% recycled and unbleached box.  The vacuum boasted such environmentally responsible features as an 8 amp motor (33% less energy to operate) and a washable HEPA filter (cleaner air and less waste).  How very green!

Now for the real test.  My eight year-old’s bedroom.  Walls of pink and floor of stink.  After a thorough going over with the Envirovac, average is the best way to describe the suction and power.  It picked-up most of the crumbs and lint yet the carpet pile was left matted.

Then, came the baseboard test.  Dust bunnies just love to party along my baseboards.  This test involved a piece of graphite from a pencil lying ½ inch from the baseboard on my relatively new carpet.  Pass after pass and that graphite didn’t budge.  I eventually had to use the easily detachable hose that travels on the vacuum to clean the perimeter of the bedroom.

Finally, came the hardwood floor test.  This was a first to me since I have never before vacuumed my hardwood floors for fear of scratching.  The Eureka Envirovac left my floor just like I found it.  Scratch free.  Although chunks of sand and pretzel bits were kicked back at my ankles.  Not the most comfortable of side effects.  Wearing boots may lessen the sting next time.

Eureka Envirovac promotes their one touch, bag-free, emptying system.  Easy and bagless.  True.  Yet, the weekly filter cleaning isn’t as easy and will probably take some practice to master without coating your floor with a new layer of dust.

Want to really green your cleaning of hard floors?  Think of grandma and use a dustpan and broom.  You will save electricity and maybe burn a few calories while you are at it.  As for carpets, I can’t give you a firm yes or no.  If it is electricity that you are looking to save, go for it and buy the new Eureak Envirovac.  If it is performance that you are looking for, keep looking.

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For a long time now, I’ve been in love with the beauty of bamboo flooring.  The fact that it is considered “green” is another bonus.  Yet, I’ve heard many negative things about bamboo floors as well.  Hopefully the items listed below will help answer questions you may have and rectify any possible bamboo misconceptions as well.

• Though bamboo flooring is categorized with wood floors, it is actually a grass.

• Bamboo flooring is considered ’green’ because of its ability to rapidly regenerate.

• Just because bamboo itself is ‘green’ doesn’t mean that your floor is green.  Has a forest disappeared because it was cleared for the growing of bamboo?  Have panda bears relocated because of the harvesting of the manufacturer’s bamboo?

• Ask yourself how ‘green’ you and your pocketbook are willing to go.  Check with a manufacturer and do your homework to make sure you’re getting the “green grade” you desire.  Make sure you know what you’re getting before you pay a “great deal” for it.

• What about the finish?  If your product is considered ‘green’, but a finish was added to the wood that gives off VOC’s from formaldehyde based glues and finishes, your bamboo floor is no longer as ‘green.’  Look for manufacturers that offer water-based, solvent-free finishing.

• Do you live in an arid region?  Because bamboo is used to high humidity, you will need to be sure it is properly finished and sealed to assure its durability.  The less expensive bamboo flooring may not offer the moisture resistant finishing.

• Buying pre-finished bamboo panels will reduce its susceptibility to moisture.

• The Pattern in your bamboo floor depends on the direction the grass was laid and then glued, commonly named Vertical and Horizontal grain flooring.

• Strand Bamboo flooring is a third pattern, created as the bamboo is mashed up and bound.  It is much denser than either the Vertical or Horizontal grains and said to be nearly indestructible.

• Another common complaint is that bamboo floor colors have been know to fade.  To ensure the installation color, make sure the sub-floor is cured before installing the flooring.  Also, installing blinds and keeping the humidity in your home consistent, will also protect your bamboo from fading.

• Buying pre-finished bamboo panels will reduce its susceptibility to moisture.

• Strand Bamboo flooring is created as the bamboo is mashed up and bound.  It is said to be as hard as an oak floor.

• Some believe bamboo to be a soft wood because it has been known to show dents more than the traditional wood floor.  In general, bamboo floors are slightly harder than oak flooring.

• Not all bamboo floors will perform the same.  Depending on proper installation and the product used, some will lose their color, warp, delaminate, and even split.

• Bamboo that is harvested after 4 years will be considerably softer than that harvested and milled after 6 years.  Another way to check the age of your bamboo is to measure the plank length.   According to Mike at the Green Building Center, “The ideal height is approximately 6 ft. Before that it hasn’t reached its maximum hardness, and after that it starts to soften again. So when you see flooring that only comes in 3 ft lengths you should be suspicious.”  Make sure you are buying the appropriate grade for your project.

• There are two types of bamboo flooring.  For areas with low humidity, solid  (or traditional) bamboo will help avoid some of the potential problems as there are less materials glued together.

• The other type of bamboo flooring is the engineered click system (also called plank board, floating, or wideboard), which is much like many of today’s laminate floors.  They are fairly easy to install, especially if you are DIY savy.  The long, wide boards can glide over an imperfect subfloor, making them a great choice for a renovation.

• If you’re installing your project yourself, make sure you allow enough time for your bamboo to acclimate before installation (several days), and have the temperature/air conditioning set to what you expect the normal condition to be.  This should help avoid warping, later contraction, and expansion.

• There is a range of pricing available.  I’ve seen clearance flooring at Simple Floors for a couple dollars a square foot.  There are other suppliers out there selling at more than $7-8 per sf.  My preferred local ‘green’ supplier, Green Building Center, advertises $5-6.25 per sf for Plyboo bamboo flooring.  An easily accessible supplier, The Home Depot, offers an engineered click bamboo for $3.29 a sf.

• Find additional information at the following bamboo supplier sites:

Green Building Supply
Green Building Center
Plyboo
Bamboo Flooring Biz
The Home Depot

(The photo was taken at Balance Massage & Wellness Center, located just outside of Park City, UT. The Owner Marty, made ‘green’ choices when renovating the old home.  Balance is a wonderful example of green remodeling.)

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Can’t say that any of us on the GetWithGreen team used a DirectBuy membership for our remodels, but I will say that some of us definitely were solicited to do so.   This week DirectBuy issued a press release saying that their members have the opportunity to purchase a variety of green products and save by paying manufacturer-direct prices.

According to the announcement, some of the green products available to DirectBuy members include:

• Faucets and plumbing fixtures tat offer low consumption
• Natural cork flooring and underlayments
• Flooring made of renewable natural bamboo
• Lighting and ceiling fans with Energy Star ratings
• Energy Star compliant kitchen appliances, washers and dryers
• Cabinets treated with low-voc, LEED-compliant stains
• Bedroom, dining room, living furniture manufactured by members of the Sustainable Furniture Council; many of these pieces are made from natural fibers, use eco-friendly foam, and contain organic, halogen-free fire retardants.

Being in an urban area doesn’t mean you can’t make ‘greener’ purchases. Living in the city is probably an even better reason why people should be buying green. Unfortunately, there’s no real road map as to where to make these purchases and whether those purchases are truly green or not,” said Mark Brandt, owner of DirectBuy of Manhattan.  The green products our members can buy through DirectBuy have been rated by recognized authorities like Energy Star, LEED or the Sustainable Furniture Council, so you know the green purchase you’re making is part of the solution.”

‘We all know we should be making greener purchases, particularly when it comes to products we use in our everyday lives like lighting and appliances. Unfortunately, making those wiser choices can be quite costly. By making all these green options available at DirectBuy, we give our members the choice to save money and valuable natural resources,” said Michael Wiseltier, owner of DirectBuy of Brooklyn and Queens.

Give your local DirectBuy a call and see what they will tell you about their category offerings, and if you’ve you used DirectBuy, let us know!

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We had the pleasure of meeting with Sarah Graves from modwalls at the West Coast Green show this week.  Modwalls is a a manufacturer of recycled glass tile, located in Scott’s Valley, CA.

modwalls just announced the availability of their Viridian recycled glass mosaic tile modwall glass tile.  The Viridian line is SCS Certified for a minimum of 98% pre-consumer recycled content.  Contents include old windows and windshields.  The Viridian recycled glass tile series comes in two lines: Viridian Pearl & Viridian Industrial.

Viridian Pearl Viridian Pearl Series recycled glass tile consists of 1″ tiles that carry an iridescent sheen.  The display at the show was beautiful.  The tiles are attached to mesh, and carry a price tag of $25.95 sq. ft retail.  The finish on the Pearl line appears to be targeted for walls and backsplashes.  There are eight different colors available today.  It seemed a bit slick for a bathroom floor.  That is where the Industrial line comes in!

Veridian Industrial Like the Pearl Series, the Industrial Series recycled glass tile is made of 1″ tiles attached in a square foot mesh.  These tiles carry the same $25.95 retail price tag.  The difference is that Industrial line have a non-slip matte finish that will work nicely on your remodeled bathroom floor.   The Industrial line also has eight different colors.

For a lot more on recycled glass tile, see our list of 6 other recycled glass tile providers on GetWithGreen.com

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Looking for eco-friendly flooring options for your home?  We’ve talked carpet, Marmoleum, bamboo, concrete and more here on GetWithGreen.com.  The team at Designing Spaces produced this nice nine minute video on options that you can consider for your remodel.  Watch and learn about lifespan, recycling, and installation.

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GetWithGreen.com continues to see a rise in interest for recycled glass tile.  Our articles on the topic are some of the most viewed on GetWithGreen today.  So we wanted to tell you about Stardust Glass out of Portland, OR, which is manufacturer of recycled mosaic glass tiles.

Husband and wife artisans, Jason and Megan Coleman have extended a family tradition in ceramics by offering a complete line of glass tile.  The tile in varying shapes and sizes is offered as small as 1″ and as large as 4″ square (other shapes are also available).

Recycled content in their glass tile is very high.  Clear tiles are made from 100% recycled glass.  Emerald, Lava, Mercury Red, Moss, Rum, and Ultra Red 87% recycled content, and all other colors are 98%.  Jason and Megan claim that their kiln process which fuses the glass tile is more efficient than a furnace.

Prices range from $35-75 per square foot retail.  You can purchase the products from a host of stores in Oregon, Texas, and our favorite in the Bay Area – Ecohome Improvement.

Come on, with such rich sounding color names as Lava, Mercury Red, and more, it just tempts you to take a look!

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FLOR, the modular carpet company that offers a ‘Return & Recycle’ program, has just made available their new Martha Stewart Floor Designs.

FLOR, teamed up with Ms. Stewart to create Martha Stewart Floor Designs. Interior design a la Martha Stewart is now even more accessible to the DIY set.

Derived from Ms. Stewart’s personal collections and her own homes — Lily Pond in the New York Hamptons, Skylands in Maine, Turkey Hill, built over two centuries ago in Westport, Connecticut — Martha Stewart carpet collections, now include carpet tiles from FLOR. FLOR’s Martha Stewart Floor Designs, available in a variety of styles, colors and textures, are a good start for budget-conscious DIY’ers who want to create tranquil and intimate bedrooms, vibrant family rooms and warm, inviting living areas, says the FLOR team.

The Martha Steward carpet styles come in 9 different collections with multiple patterns in each collection.  Pricing ranges $5-6+ sq. ft, and the carpet tiles can be purchased directly from the FLOR website, or various FLOR retail outlets.

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