Looking for green/grassroots kitchen floor

We have been looking for some ecological/green flooring for our kitchen. Ceramic tile is out of the question (since we don't like it), and vinyl is being avoided for A) the environmental waste created during production, and B) the chloride gasses that it gives off for the first couple years. Laminate is out since the rest of the house is hardwood, and because it doesn't like moisture.

We found Marmoleum by Forbo. Its great stuff - bulletproof, made from linseed oil, hemp fibers, and unicorn dreams... and also ridiculously expensive at about $4.50 to 6.50/sq ft. We thought about using some OSB with an epoxy coating for an industrial look, but the rest of the kitchen and the house is classic pre-war style, not modern.

anyone have some ideas on some flooring materials that are environmentally friendly, preferably DIY, and don't cost $5/ft?

i'm laying some bamboo stuff thursday and friday for a customer, but i think it's close to $5/sq ft. my cost

Jiminy crispness... I was all excited to point out Marmoleum 'til you got there. We only did the foyer (3'x4') so the cost didn't really strike me...

Was that for the tiles or the roll, and is the other any cheaper? Or does that range cover 'em both?

I used a laminate that came in approximately 18" x 24" pieces that were t&g edged. It's foam backed and is actually a floating system. I don't know how Eco-friendly it is, but it's a great kitchen floor. Basically countertop style plastic laminate on 1/4" particle board.

This isn't really kitchen floor friendly but it may inspire you...

My old neighbors did their entire back patio / pathway with drops from a counter top place. They then got a masonry cutting doohickey and made lots of triangles and did them flagstone style. I think she told me they paid something like $0.20 a square foot for the materials and their patio is gorgeous... All sorts of polished marble in various colors and other stone that I am not familiar with at all.

You're worried about the gases from a vinyl but considered OSB? That stuff is deathboard. How about concrete? It can be stained or even a design stamped into it, and it can be D.I.Y. Just make sure you get it level.

I think for the ultimate in green.. you can't beat bamboo

Marmoleum may be expensive but it's supposed to last just about forever...if you consider the return on investment it may still be a good choice.

ransom wrote: Was that for the tiles or the roll, and is the other any cheaper? Or does that range cover 'em both?

That was for the tiles. The roll is a bit cheaper, but I don't have the skills to properly lay sheet, so the installation of the sheet kills the deal.

Duke wrote: I used a laminate that came in approximately 18" x 24" pieces that were t&g edged. It's foam backed and is actually a floating system. I don't know how Eco-friendly it is, but it's a great kitchen floor. Basically countertop style plastic laminate on 1/4" particle board.

particle board backing won't do it... too sensitive to moisture for us.

minimac wrote: You're worried about the gases from a vinyl but considered OSB? That stuff is deathboard.

OSB is deathboard????? Tell me more.

stuart in mn wrote: Marmoleum may be expensive but it's supposed to last just about forever...if you consider the return on investment it may still be a good choice.

VERY true. One of our concerns is resale in case we decide to sell the home in 5 years. To a generic buyer, Marmoleum isn't much of a selling point over anything else. Its like buying a $2000 carbon fiber hood and fenders for your 95 Miata. Sure it costs a lot, but will it return if you sell the car?

The other big concern is simply money... Is Marmoleum worth 8 times as much as cheap vinyl tiles? Even if it lasts 8 times as long, will we maybe want to update the look of the kitchen before then? I would hate to spend top dollar for a "lifetime" kitchen floor only to decide that I want to redecorate in 8 years.

patgizz wrote: i'm laying some bamboo stuff thursday and friday for a customer, but i think it's close to $5/sq ft. my cost

I love bamboo, but I don't think I'd like the look directly adjacent to the Oak hardwood in the dining room.

For further reference, the walls are going to be chocolate brown (nearly exactly the color of a Hershey bar) and the cabinets are very slightly off-white. A medium warm brown-ish color would be ideal for the floor.

I actually work for forbo. Just in the industrial adhesives portion of the business, not flooring. I have seen the stuff in Forbo HQ in North Carolina. It wasn't particularly interesting looking but we were all expected to ooh and aah over it. It just looks like the floor of an old school or hospital.

Cork is very green and just looking at lumber liquidators is around $3.80/ft. Not sure if that's the look you want though.

ditchdigger wrote: I actually work for forbo. Just in the industrial adhesives portion of the business, not flooring. I have seen the stuff in Forbo HQ in North Carolina. It wasn't particularly interesting looking but we were all expected to ooh and aah over it. It just looks like the floor of an old school or hospital.

Thanks for the inside input! We weren't fascinated with the pattern, but the colors they offer are great. I agree with you though. We had chosen these two colors:

The only real reason to choose the Marmoleum was if we went with the red as a dramatic choice. If we went with the rusty tan color, why pay the premium for Marmoleum if the tan color is available from 60,000 random flooring suppliers at $1/ft? I mean... I'm all about green living, but how much am I willing to pay for it?

I'm willing to pay a little more for "green" flooring, but that's why I love you folks... you have the real scoop on ideas and you're willing to think outside the box.

My wife also thought about MDF with an epoxy coating.

pigeon wrote: Cork is very green and just looking at lumber liquidators is around $3.80/ft. Not sure if that's the look you want though.

Cork would be a very nice look, but its actually not very green at all. Even the finest wine producers have stopped using cork because its not green. Cork takes decades to produce inside the plant, and there is little or no use for the rest of the plant.

Renewable, yes. Green, no. Cork is green like a Bentley. Sure its all renewable, but how much money and resources does it take to make it in the first place?

Taiden wrote: This isn't really kitchen floor friendly but it may inspire you... My old neighbors did their entire back patio / pathway with drops from a counter top place. They then got a masonry cutting doohickey and made lots of triangles and did them flagstone style.

It actually DOES inspire me, thank you. The drops from granite/composite countertops are usually 3/4" thick. Unfortunately, my kitchen is in PA which means I have a basement under the kitchen separated by good-ole pine 2x10s. An entire floor of 3/4" stone would mean the kitchen would end up IN the basement with an unpredictable bang.

But the inspiration is working... I'm thinking about stainless sheet metal scraps, hardi-board scraps, MDF scraps, recycled formica scraps....

Excellent inspiration, Taiden. Thanks.

patgizz wrote: i'm laying some bamboo stuff thursday and friday for a customer, but i think it's close to $5/sq ft. my cost

I bought my vertical strand (yes, softer than cross strand) for $1.98. Tongue and Groove, 5/8" thick.

We have fairy bright red composition tile in our kitchen against oak floors in the rest of the house.

Cheap, many colors, easily cleaned, repaired (waxed and polished if you want) durable and they make tons of the stuff for supermarkets, etc.

I don't know if it's 'green' but I would think economies of scale would mean production is very efficient.

Did I say cheap?

If you're really into it you can cut in designs, put in accent tiles or stripes.

Good luck,

James

Grtechguy wrote:

patgizz wrote: i'm laying some bamboo stuff thursday and friday for a customer, but i think it's close to $5/sq ft. my cost

I bought my vertical strand (yes, softer than cross strand) for $1.98. Tongue and Groove, 5/8" thick.

I've read reports of people moving away from bamboo because it's not proving to be durable long term.

Is this true?

With all due respect, in the $1 per square foot range you will find a wide range of toxic and harmful materials. If you find "green", it will be Soylent green.

That is the absolute bottom of the barrel for floorcovering.

OSB has very high percentages of formaldehyde in it. It will off-gas, and if it ever catches fire it gives off toxic fumes. Epoxy eco-friendly?? Seriously?

MDF and hardi board are not better options than particle based sheet products from a moisture resistance perspective. Stainless steel and formica scraps sound like a laceration waiting to happen. Plus, none of these will contribute to your resale value.

Your marmoleum option is a good one. Don't rule out laminated products too quickly- several are engineered to be highly moisture resistant.

The granite/ composite countertop drops is also an option you shouldn't quit on too quickly. Most of it is 1/2" thick (which puts it in the same weight range as ceramic if it is granite, much less if it is composite). But even if the weight is an issue, it's pretty easy to reinforce a wood framed floor. Masonry floors (including several inches thick of concrete sub-base) have successful been done on wood framed floors for hundreds of years.

I've done a lot of bamboo, and it is extremely durable (and hard as crap, so it is difficult to nail). It could look very good next to you oak, but I would recommend a complete contrast (don't try to match the stain colors- it will never work). It's green, durable, and will add value to your house. You probably can't buy it for $1 per foot.

Go to a Habitat for Humanity Re-store. You will have a wide selection of flooring available at very favorable prices. Some of it will not be "green" in how it was manufactured/ harvested, but it is green to the extent that it is already manufactured, and therefore will not consume additional resources, it is left over or seconds that would otherwise end up in the landfill, it is discontinued product so it can't be sold commercially, and the proceeds are utilized in a non-profit format to help people who need housing in many parts of the world. Lots of "win".

Make your own tile. Cement and dirt mix. Soft and can be glazed. Make a 12" x 12" mold. I saw this in a Popular Mechanics mag (I think) years ago. I am going to look on web for article.

Popular Science 1988. Terra Tiles, www.grannysstore.com

z31maniac wrote:

Grtechguy wrote: I bought my vertical strand (yes, softer than cross strand) for $1.98. Tongue and Groove, 5/8" thick.

I've read reports of people moving away from bamboo because it's not proving to be durable long term. Is this true?

I've had it down for 3 years now. better than pine, maybe not as good as oak. BUT, it doesn't show scratches as it's the same color throughout. It also may be my imagination, but it "feels" warmer to bare feet than hardwood as well