Ecoconscious consumers turn to earth-friendly flooring alternatives

DULUTH, Minn. — Cork is hip. Linoleum is back. Bamboo is the new alternative to hardwood. All three are earth-friendly flooring options made from renewable resources or waste materials.

More consumers are making ecoconscious choices to reduce the use of natural resources and harmful effects on the environment, some retailers say.

“Green products are actually becoming a big sector of home improvement products,” said Sean Bradley of The Floor to Ceiling Store in Duluth. “We have seen a 25 to 40 percent growth in linoleum and cork, just in the last two years. Cork is selling the most, followed by linoleum and then bamboo.”

For decades, linoleum was the kitchen flooring of choice. It was edged out of the market in the 1960s by cheaper and easier-to-maintain synthetic vinyl. While vinyl remains king, linoleum has staged a comeback in the past five years, bolstered by the support of environmentalists. They point to its earth-friendly features: Linoleum is made from natural ingredients that, if discarded, would break down without harming the environment. It also doesn’t release chemical gases like some other synthetic flooring materials.

Retailers started offering bamboo and cork within the past couple of years. Topped with a thick protective finish, both are alternatives to traditional wood floors. But unlike hardwoods, no trees are destroyed to make them. Cork is harvested from a tree bark that regenerates while bamboo is a grass that is cut and allowed to grow back for subsequent harvests.

Cork’s renewable feature was one of the reasons Steve and Peg Sutherland of Duluth chose it for their kitchen floor. They considered all the options but picked cork because it’s easy to maintain and it’s warmer, softer and more comfortable than hardwood, Steve Sutherland said.

The couple liked the look of the grain and how the cork’s neutral tan tones complemented their color scheme. The cork also came in sections that could be assembled over their imperfect subfloor.

The cost was similar to a ceramic tile or hardwood floor, Sutherland said. More than a year after its installation, the couple remains happy with their choice.

It’s only in the last three to five years that cork and bamboo have emerged as legitimate flooring categories but they’re growing fast, according to Matthew Spieler, managing editor of Floor Covering News, a national publication about the flooring industry.

At the National Wood Flooring Association convention three years ago, only four or five companies had cork or bamboo displays, Spieler said. Last year, almost two dozen companies did, including some large companies like Armstrong.

Statistics compiled by Floor Covering News show carpets and area rugs make up 65 percent of flooring distributed to retailers, followed by hardwood flooring at 10 percent. Among hardwood floors, oak leads at 61 percent of the market, followed by exotic flooring — including cork and bamboo — at 10 percent. Spieler expects the exotic flooring category to grow when 2003 statistics are complete.

Linoleum remains a very small percentage of flooring sales, Spieler said, and is still included in the same category as vinyl flooring, which makes up 9 percent of the market.

Not everyone sees a growing market for cork and other earth-friendly flooring. Rick Wallin, Bradley’s counterpart at The Floor to Ceiling Store in Superior, Minn., says customers are more concerned with appearance and still use more traditional flooring.

“When it comes to decorating the inside of their home, the No. 1 requirements are that it looks nice and the color is right and that it’s as easy to maintain as possible,” said Wallin, the store owner. “Earth-friendly products aren’t always the easiest to maintain.”

At his store in Duluth, Bradley sees an environmental interest among young adults who will be part of the home improvement market for years to come.

“They’re more concerned about green products than seasoned clientele,” he said. “Those age 25 to 35 will at least ask about them.”

Linoleum

Chances are your grandmother’s kitchen floor was linoleum.

Linoleum, which has been around since the late 1800s, is made from sawdust, linseed oil, resins and ground limestone pressed on a jute backing.

Its geometric, marbleized and floral patterns, as well as its spattering designs, reigned from the late 1890s to the 1950s. Sales declined in the 1960s as vinyl flooring gained popularity. While the old linoleum needed to be waxed, today’s doesn’t.

U.S. production of linoleum ceased for a time in the mid-1970s. Today, three manufacturers produce linoleum: Armstrong, Forbo and Domko Tarkett.

While vinyl has a wide range of prices, linoleum costs similar to high-end vinyl, about $4.45 a square foot.

“They don’t have linoleum to fit any budget,” noted Bill Abalan, owner of Abalan’s Inc. in Duluth.

Because linoleum is harder and more durable than vinyl, it’s also harder to install. But linoleum gets better with time, Bradley said.

“The longer you have it, the more gravity compresses it, so it gets harder the longer it sits there,” he said.

Much of today’s linoleum, which is available in tiles and sheets, still has the bold, lively colors in marbleized or paint-spattered designs popular in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s. That makes Abalan hesitate to incorporate it into his interior designs.

“It’s not necessarily what you want to put down in a lasting design project,” he said. “They were popular with bright green countertops and reds in the kitchen. Real strong, bright linoleums become the focal point in the room. And designers favor light backgrounds.”

But today’s linoleum includes updated colors in lighter, neutral hues as well as patterned borders.

“There are ways to take linoleum and jazz it up for a very hip look,” Bradley said.

Cork

Cork flooring isn’t new.

In the late 1930s, Frank Lloyd Wright used cork in bathrooms at Fallingwater, the architect’s masterpiece in western Pennsylvania. With its natural cushioning and sound-absorbing qualities, cork is a natural in libraries. When the historic St. Paul Public Library was renovated a few years ago, cork floors were installed.

Just five years ago, cork displays in stores drew little customer interest. Cork came in square tiles that were hard to install and tended to curl up. With more cork choices and 1-by-4-foot laminated sections that easily fit and snap together, the formerly sluggish seller is now “in.”

“As we change to green products, it’s a very hip product because of its look,” Bradley said of cork. “It’s part of a contemporary look. Some put it into studies, some into bedrooms but the primary use is in kitchens.”

Cork is the outer bark of an oak tree native to Portugal, Morocco and other Mediterranean countries. Harvested without downing trees, the bark grows back in five to 10 years.

“It doesn’t compare with anything,” Abalan said. “It’s a soft, natural product; firmer than carpet, softer than wood. It’s quiet, a very pretty floor with some maintenance to it.”

A fresh coat of polyurethane is recommended each year to maintain a cork floor.

According to manufacturers, cork insulates, is fire-resistant, resists mold and mildew, harbors few allergens and is waterproof. Still, some people are skeptical about using cork in kitchens, fearing water can get under the cork and cause damage.

“Anytime you have wood and water, you have to be cautious,” Bradley agreed. “But if water gets under it, it probably wouldn’t be any worse than a wood floor.”

Costs for a cork floor range from $6 to $9 a square foot, plus $2.75 a square foot for installation at the Duluth Floor To Ceiling Store. That’s comparable to a wood floor, which would cost $5 to $10 a square foot, plus $2.75 to $3.25 a square foot for installation.

Bamboo

A grass that grows in China and Burma, bamboo is so renewable it can regrow to maturity in just four to five years.

With qualities of wood, bamboo is as hard as maple and 50 percent more stable than red oak, according to makers of Bamtex, a brand of bamboo flooring. It’s also naturally water-resistant, making it a good surface for bathroom floors.

Bamboo has long been used in Oriental design and has become popular in parts of the United States.

“Bamboo has a totally different, unique look,” Wallin said. “It will take some time for us to grasp it … But it will become more popular.”

Said Bradley: “People come in and want to see it. They give it a consideration. But in our neck of the woods, it seems like a Far Eastern product.”

Bamboo’s subtle graining, which can include the cane’s telltale knots, is available in various shades. At about $9 a square foot, bamboo flooring is more expensive than basic oak and maple wood floors but less expensive than more exotic woods like cherry, Wallin said.

“If someone has teak furniture, is trying to create a tropical theme or if they’re sitting in Fort Lauderdale, it really is the look,” Wallin said.