Waste Not, Want Not: Eco-Friendly Choices in Kitchen Floor Designs

by Joe Aguilar
HomeOwnerNet Columnist

Thinking about updating your kitchen floor design? Before selecting a flooring material, you should consider your options. Thanks to modern interior designers' creative kitchen ideas, today's homeowners have more kitchen flooring selections than the standard vinyl, linoleum, tile, and hardwood floors of yesteryear. Also, some of the latest kitchen floor ideas are quite eco-friendly. Installing a kitchen floor designed from rubber, cork, or bamboo could help you spice up your home without damaging the environment.

Save a Tree, Choose Bamboo

Unlike most grasses, bamboo is strong and durable, which makes it a great interior design choice for flooring. Also, bamboo matures in three years, regenerates quickly, and doesn't require much fertilization or maintenance, which adds to its eco-friendly nature. Since bamboo floors are so dense, they require minimal refinishing.

Cork: Soft and Resilient

Cork combines the best qualities of several kitchen-flooring designs: it looks like hardwood, feels like carpet, and cleans up like vinyl. Since cork floors are supple, they rarely scratch or scuff. Although cork floors are made from bark, the production process doesn't actually harm the trees, so cork is considered a renewable resource.

Rubber: The Chefs' Secret

Professional chefs have been using rubber in their kitchens' designs for years. Now, interior designers have picked up on rubber floors' advantages. Not only are rubber floors durable and easy to clean, they are comfortable to walk on, which can benefit homeowners who spend lots of time cooking. Also, when you're shopping for rubber flooring, you can choose from a rainbow of attractive colors. Rubber floors are frequently made from recycled tires.

If you'd like to see how rubber, cork, and bamboo floors actually look in a kitchen, investigate home and garden shows for inspiration. Home and garden shows might even introduce you to different eco-friendly kitchen ideas.

Sources

"Natural Alternatives to Vinyl Flooring," HGTV.com
"Bamboo: The Greener Grass," ThisOldHouse.com
"Cork Flooring for Soft Footing," BobVila.com

About the Author
Joe Aguilar is a freelance writer in Boulder, Colorado. He has an MFA in creative writing from Oregon State University.

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