Real Wood Floors: Reclaimed Wood Flooring is the Ultimate Green Choice

When it comes to flooring options, everyone knows that wood is a green flooring choice, but for the ultimate in green flooring, consider using reclaimed wood. Reclaimed wood floors are...

one of the hottest flooring trends today. The material for reclaimed wood floors comes from wood that has had a previous life in another form. Some of the sources for this wood include old barns, abandoned factories, out-of-date warehouses, and deserted Army barracks. Much of this wood also comes from river bottoms. Centuries ago, the logging industry used to float its raw materials on rivers, and the materials would sometimes sink. The majority of this wood has been preserved for hundreds of years, and is now being salvaged and repurposed as wood flooring.

No matter what the source of the material, the wood is carefully recovered to minimize environmental distress. All nails and other metal objects are removed by hand, and the wood then is meticulously milled to yield the most usable flooring material.

Recycling this wood into wood floors provides an added green benefit, but this wood also offers homeowners a totally unique look. Because reclaimed wood comes from a variety of sources, locations and time periods, each individual board is rich with character, color and mineral variations. This variety creates a one-of-a-kind recycled floor that will reflect the homeowner's own unique style and decor.

If reclaimed wood floors appeal to you, you can find professional wood flooring installers in your area who specialize in reclaimed products. Simply visit the National Wood Flooring Association's web site at www.woodfloors.org, click on the "Find a Professional or Product" link, and enter "Reclaimed" in the search field.

The NWFA is a not-for-profit trade organization of more than 3,600 wood flooring professionals working worldwide to educate consumers, architects, designers, and builders in the uses and benefits of wood flooring. The NWFA can be contacted at 800-422-4556 (USA & Canada), or 636-519-9663 (local and international).

SOURCE National Wood Flooring Association