What product did you choose for flooring for good indoor air quality?
Carolyn Farrow| Posted inGreen Products and Materialson
I am trying to decide on a flooring choice for our entire home (including walk-out basement in Michigan). I do not want tile (too hard with little kids) or carpet (allergies). I am considering laminate flooring or engineered wood. I want the same flooring throughout. I also considered luxury vinyl but am concerned about PVC/lead contamination (we have very young children). Can anyone recommend specific brands/products? I can’t seem to find anything reasonable priced that is no VOC. Please help!
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I've used Marmoleum and really like it. It doesn't off-gas and is easy to clean.
Thank you! I did consider Marmoleum, but I think we'd prefer something a bit more "wood looking" since it will be throughout the entire house.
After doing one project with all premium vinyl throughout: It's a great product. This being said, don't install vinyl, wood, laminate, tile, etc... in the bedrooms. There are certain bedroom noises. that without carpet, can be heard throughout a house very clearly. There is no secrets any longer. So unless you want to have the talk a bit early, I would put carpet in the bedrooms, and whatever hard surface else where.
Thank you Stephen! Point taken about the bedrooms - I wish it were possible for us to install carpet in the bedrooms (we can due to child's severe asthma and allergies). Do you have a premium vinyl product you suggest? I am looking for something free of phthalates and lead and no VOC. Thank you!
If you want something that looks like wood and is safe and natural, why not an old fashioned hardwood floor? And then Marmoleum where you don't need the wood look.
We can't put regular hardwoods in the basement and want it to look like a continuous living space. I know, I am probably being difficult, but flooring is such a big decision and we want everything to look cohesive.
I wish I knew of a product that for certain had those properties. That build I used Traffic Master Allure.- Africanwood look.
Carolyn, we had Marmoleum and hardwood floors in our last home. We have Marmoleum (and engineered hardwood) in our new home too.
On top of the Marmoleum (and hardwood) in some rooms we had/have area rugs to soften those spaces from walking, visual, and acoustics perspectives. The beauty of that scenario is that with pets and kids, and husbands who like to work in the dirt and grease, we could just toss those area rugs after 10 or so years. In the intermediate years they can be rolled up and sent to the carpet cleaning facility to be sanitized. And/Or You can flip them over and vacuum the back side, pad, and floor underneath to get a real deep cleaning, something that you can't do with wall-to-wall carpet.
A few other things that you can do with Marmoleum is make borders and patterns to help delineate rooms and wrap edges up walls in laundry areas. Might just need to find a commercially oriented installer to do that.
Anyhow just some thoughts that you may well have already explored.
Have you looked at the Marmoleum Striato?
http://www.greenbuildingsupply.com/All-Products/Sheet/Forbo-Marmoleum-Striato
or you might want to waste some time flipping throughhttp://www.houzz.com/marmoleum
I'm all for the designer's vision, but often constraints provide a better result than the original idea. How about Marmoleum in the basement and wood and, to tie it together, Marmoleum above? The upstairs M could be introduced as a border or you could use it as an island to define, say the kitchen area, if you have an open plan. I think the results could be award winning. My problem with M is that there are so many intriguing colors and patterns that it's tough to choose. (No affiliation, just a product designer enjoying playing architect.)
Engineered floating floor can be hardwood, bamboo or cork and will install anywhere. The factory finish is generally guaranteed twenty five years or more and does not out gas. Cork is warmest underfoot and has the most cushion to it. Avoid glue down flooring if you're concerned about outgassing. And who wouldn't be.