Is your hardwood flooring sustainably sourced?
Back in 2008, the US banned imports of illegally sourced timber. Unfortunately, some still do it anyway. If your hardwood flooring supplier can’t tell you where the timber for your flooring came from, that is your first clue that it wasn’t sourced from somewhere that manages forests responsibly.
All certified sustainable wood is labelled with the seal of the US Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). The FSC’s mission is to make sure that forests are regrown and biodiversity and air and water quality are protected. When your hardwood has the FSC stamp of approval, that means that is has met all of their 57 criteria, which cover everything from protecting the local wildlife to allowing workers to unionize if they want to.
Reclaimed Wood
This type of hardwood flooring is sourced from places like old warehouses, boxcars, military structures, underground piers, dismantled houses, and sometimes logs are even pulled out of rivers after sinking on their way to the mill.
Reclaimed wood can be a bit more expensive, because it’s more labor-intensive. It needs to be cleaned, re-milled as necessary, and any nails that are still there need to be removed. That said, if there’s room for it in your budget, reclaimed wood is one of the most eco-friendly hardwood flooring options available.
Salvaged Wood Flooring
Trees that are cleared in order to develop land, or that are considered too old and diseased, and even storm-damaged trees often end up on the waste pile. However, quite often these trees can still give perfectly good timber for hardwood flooring. For example, wood salvaged from old shipping crates can make some great flooring!
Bamboo
Bamboo is quickly becoming many homeowners’ go-to when it comes to flooring, and it’s not even wood! Bamboo grows extremely quickly, so this tough, hard plant fiber can be harvested often with very little impact. Forests for traditional hardwood flooring have taken years to mature, whereas bamboo takes a matter of months, sometimes less. It is 27% harder than northern red oak, 13% harder than maple, and expands and contracts 50% less. Bamboo is also naturally anti-bacterial!
Hardwood Flooring from Jason Brown Wood Floors
At Jason Brown Wood Floors, our commitment to quality installation is clear in all that we do, which is why our customers consistently rate us as one of the top contractors in the region. We have been awarded Baltimore Magazine’s Best of Baltimore Award 3 times and have been proudly serving the Baltimore Area for over 16 years. If you’re ready to speak with someone about your hardwood flooring project, we want to hear from you! Contact us at 410-668-9131 or send us a message here.
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