Making home improvements adds to the aesthetic appeal and value of your home. Many homeowners are becoming more environmentally conscious and are searching for "green" ideas to beautify and improve their homes. Here are some "green" remodeling solutions for homeowners including bamboo products, zero-VOC paint, reclaimed wood flooring, and FSC certified lumber.
What exactly is "FSC certified lumber" and why would you choose to use it? Lumber that has been FSC certified originates from sustainable forests. Sustainable forestry considers the health and well-being of the sensitive ecosystems and is based on the idea that the amount of goods and services yielded from a forest should be at a level the forest is capable of producing without degradation of the soil, watershed features or seed source for the future. Look for the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification when you or your contractors buy lumber. The FSC certifies that lumber bearing its symbol originated in a responsibly managed forest. Many retailers stock FSC-certified products including The Home Depot and Lowe's Home Improvement Centers. If you are having difficulty locating a specific product, go to the Forest Stewardship Council web site for assistance at the URL listed at the end of this article..
If you are planning to install hardwood floors, consider using hardwood made from recycled or reclaimed woods because they make use of timber that was cut decades, or even centuries, ago and the weathered character of the wood can be gorgeous. You may also want to ask your flooring contractor about bamboo which is an attractive, eco-friendly, renewable resource alternative to hardwood flooring. Bamboo is actually a grass rather than tree and grows back quickly when harvested, as fast as a foot a day! Bamboo flooring is available in a number of different finishes and shades to complement your décor. Adhesives used in bamboo flooring sometimes contain a urea formaldehyde resin, although products that contain minimal or no formaldehyde are available.
Surprisingly, bamboo is also becoming a popular option for both countertops and bed sheets. Sheets are usually made from cotton, but now you can buy sheets and pillowcases made using fibers of bamboo plants. The fibers are soft and fine and the sheets have a silky feel without being slippery. Bamboo countertops are constructed from bamboo plywood and offer a look similar to butcher block. Bamboo plywood is available through flooring suppliers or retailers where you can find bamboo flooring.
Installation of both bamboo flooring and countertops can require cutting, sanding, sealing and adhesive application. It's important to consider how much these installation activities may affect indoor air quality in terms of VOCs (volatile organic compounds), dust, and particulates. VOCs are the chemicals emitted into the air when adhesives, coatings or paint dry. Water-based adhesives contain less VOCs and you will want to look for an adhesive that meets the standard of 150 grams of VOCs per liter as a safe maximum. Choosing tongue-and-groove flooring can minimize the need for adhesives.
VOC levels will also be a concern when choosing paint. These chemicals are added to paint to keep the paint from freezing, to allow the paint to dry slower so it maintains a wet edge, or just to provide the pigment necessary to color the paint. A number of paint suppliers offer environmentally safe paints and coatings with low levels of VOCs. Sherwin-Williams offers eco-friendly latex paint product lines that have the highest indoor air quality ratings for low VOCs and low odor. Their Harmony line features zero-VOCs. Look for the Sherwin-Williams GreenSure symbol and for more information check out their web site at http://www.sherwin-williams.com/
By building with FSC certified lumber, choosing reclaimed wood or bamboo for flooring, and using low VOC adhesives and paints we can all do our part to improve and preserve our precious environment. Homeowners who make the extra effort to utilize these eco-friendly products will both beautify and improve their homes and feel good about living "green".
Linda Hunter is a top-producing real estate professional and mortgage loan consultant in Long Beach, California. For more information on California real estate, mortgage loans and home improvement topics, visit her web site at http://lindahunter.com/
A resource for bamboo flooring products approved by GreenHomeGuide's editors can be found at http://www.greenhomeguide.com/index.php/product/C115/
Visit the Forest Stewardship Council web site at http://www.fscus.org
Eco Friendly Remodeling Tips
