Here at Luxury Flooring we think it’s really important that not only is our flooring of the best quality available, but that it’s good for the environment too. We know that more and more homeowners are becoming increasingly conscious about how they can make their home more energy-efficient and environmentally friendly, whether it’s solar roof panels or just recycling properly; but have you considered how your flooring can be of assistance?

We won’t deny that a huge number of trees are cut down each year and with the current state of deforestation and illegal logging we understand why customers are starting to have growing concerns. But over recent years the industry has taken giant leaps in progress towards sustainability and we have made sure that we play a vital part too. This is why we have a policy in place that ensures our manufacturers plant a brand new tree for every single one that they cut down, we believe that this will ensure that the natural life cycle of the forest can continue and the risk of deforestation will be reduced. All of our manufacturers around the world abide by FSC regulation, which stands for the Forest Stewardship Council. These regulations states that only certain forest areas are allowed to be cut down and any locals should not be affected during any stage of the cutting down process.

As a material, wood is naturally renewable, which is great! This means that with careful management forests can supply huge amounts of building materials for many years without becoming too sparse or depleted. As mentioned previously, we ensure that all our manufacturers plant a new tree for each one that they cut down, not only are we ensuring that forests are maintained but we are also helping the environment. “But trees take years to grow, how does this help?” – Naturally, we expect these kinds of questions, but did you know that young trees absorb more carbon dioxide and produce more oxygen than older ones? Not many people do, so this means that by harvesting the older trees and making ways for new ones we are actually helping the atmosphere!

So, with that in mind let’s discuss one of the questions that we get asked most frequently, “which type of flooring is the most environmentally friendly?” Well, we would recommend the increasingly popular Engineered Wood. The base and layers of the floor tend to be made from trees such as birch or polar, both of which are incredibly fast-growing and are grown in abundance to ensure that they can be easily replaced and reduce the carbon footprint. Not only is this type of flooring eco-friendly and sustainable, it is also really practical to have around the home, due to the construction of the multiple layers it is less likely to contract and warp in shape if it is exposed to moisture, which means that Engineered Wood Flooring can be installed in rooms that have a higher moisture level such as bathrooms or kitchens. Whilst it is predicted that Engineered Wood can last for decades (subject to manufacturers discretion) it also pays to know that if it does get damaged then you are able to sand and refinish the floor numerous times to get it looking just as good as the day it was installed – if not better.

There you have it, the guide to environmentally friendly and sustainable flooring, we’re doing our best to keep the earth safe, let’s see you do the same!