Evironmentally Safe Flooring Choices - Vinyl

As mentioned in a previous post, I am writing a series of floor covering posts in which I will discuss floor coverings that are safer for the environment. In the last post I covered cork and in this post, I will discuss vinyl.

Some may think that the possibility of an environmentally friendly vinyl flooring is out of the question. This post will provide some information that will allow you to decide whether vinyl floor covering is a viable choice for you.

What makes it a challenge? Well there are multiple things that make vinyl flooring more difficult to produce in an earth friendly manner. many would think of the material itself. Being a form of PVC, vinyl coverings contain chemicals that are difficult to dispose of in an environmentally friendly manner.  Another aspect that makes vinyl flooring a challenge to the environment is that it has to be bonded to the sub-floor with an adhesive. These bonding agents also can be environmentally unsafe.

What that means is that to increase the safety index of vinyl flooring, one would need to lower the factors in the material and then figure out a way to minimize waste so that less of these chemicals get to a point that they can affect the earth. 

You may be surprised to learn of some of the advancements that are being made in these areas. Here is an article from a flooring dealer that explains some of those methodologies of making vinyl flooring safer.