Is laminate Flooring Eco-Friendly

Are you the kind of homeowner who loves being green? Do you go out of your way to recycle, compost, and save resources?

Adding green elements to your home can save you on energy costs, efficiency and improve your quality of life. So what about your flooring? Can a laminate floor be considered an Eco-friendly product?

The answer is YES. If you have laminate, then you might have a greener home than you thought.

Bill Dearing, the president of the North American Laminate Flooring Association (NALFA), had this to say about laminate’s environmentally friendly qualities:

“Laminate flooring has a wealth of green advantages, and products certified to NALFA’s sustainability standard are being used in growing numbers because of them. Consumers are becoming increasingly conscious of the importance of environmentally friendly products.”

If you’re looking for eco-friendly flooring, laminate could be a top choice. Here’s the facts:

It’s Made From Natural & Recyclable Materials

Laminate is made using recycled natural materials and most manufacturers follow environmental responsibility initiatives when producing laminates. The main core board of laminates are made from natural wood fibers and are generally recycled wood fibers and chips.

For example, Quick-Step follows these green initiatives when manufacturing laminate:

Our U.S. produced laminate boards are made of 74% preconsumer recycled wood fibers and chips from sustainable sources.
Not one exotic tree is harvested to create our beautiful exotic floors.
Rather than sent to the landfill, rejected products are integrated into our chipboard factory or reused by third-party manufacturers.

You can Recycle the Flooring

Due to the easy installation of locking the floors together and floating them, you are able to disassemble the flooring and re-install! Move it to another room, donate it to someone, or even return it to the manufacturer for recycling like Armstrong’s recycling program.

Clean without Chemicals

You don’t need to use any chemicals to get a deep clean on laminates. Basic cleaning of laminate requires only a damp mop or a water-vinegar solution.

It meets the LEED standards.

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards determine whether something is eco-friendly or not. Laminate meets the eco-friendly criteria according to LEED standards. That is because the flooring is comprised of recycled content. With this recycled content, your home or business gets extra points, which could increase the value of your property.

From the way laminate flooring is manufactured to the way it’s cleaned, installing laminate in your home is the perfect way to create a cleaner, greener living space.