Natural oil finishes gain popularity as consumers get more familiar with product benefits Some would say that using plant-based oils to finish a hardwood floor is unique. Not the norm, the road less-traveled and, possibly not suited for standing up to high traffic. But with the number of customers who are beginning to ask about [...]

Luxury Vinyl Tile’s realistic patterning and glue-less installation boost demand despite uncertain “green” product attributes A floor does not have to be natural to look natural. And the new natural looks of a number of luxury vinyl tile (LVT) brands – coupled with glue-less installation options — are noticeably boosting LVT sales. Newer, self-locking installation [...]

Are you relying on retailers who are “being green,” or screaming green? Each time a regional publication distributes its annual “Green Issue,” loaded with “green” business advertising, I am naturally reminded that some retailers still don’t get it. Particularly when it comes to environmental flooring and interior products. Their advertising messages scream that they are [...]

Coming soon to the Natural Interiors Design Center Its way stylish appearance is just part of it. EcoDomo leather wall and floor tiles have long been recognized as the environmental leader. From recycled content to no toxic ingredients, this is a high-end product with extreme durability and unique fashion sense. Look for it soon in [...]

Demand will mean more product selection, but can your retailer tell you what standards a product meets? Even if you are not consciously seeking people- or planet- friendly products, it’s more likely in 2013 that the product you buy will have some environmental advantage — particularly if it’s a building or interior finishing product. The [...]

Our top posts focused on reducing indoor chemicals, sustainable renovation, lighting and health, controversy over Forest Steward Council (FSC) certification, and consumer demand for health and environmental product information Distinct trends were evident this year toward natural and less-toxic hardwood floor finishes, a reduction of toxins in traditional products like vinyl, and increased demand for [...]

Painstaking remake of historic Rauh home in Cincinnati means authentic replication, along with new, environmental features The squares within the new parquet floor had to be just so. They were the design foundation in restoring the former home of Frederick and Harriet Rauh in Wyoming, Ohio – one of the oldest Modernist residences in the [...]

Carpetland Carpet One Floor & Home plans to end unsightly grout with PH-neutralizing technology With all of the grout and tile sealers available today, you would think soiled grout and tile would be a thing of the past.  But too often, homeowners complain that their tile floors and walls are becoming eyesores. “They want a [...]

Natural and planet-friendly practices are trending, even when environmental certification is not the goal The best designers are always on the front end of a trend. And this trend is not motivated by trying to meet requirements of the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) rating system.  Human and planet health are at the core of [...]

Repurposed wood, certified dimensional tile and natural, zero-VOC finishes position new Cincinnati bar for lasting attention Architects and designers know that designing the perfect bar means creating a unique atmosphere for respite and escape. It must invite, perhaps with warm, dimly lit nooks perfectly suited for comfortable conversation.  It must have an attention-getting focal point, [...]

New cork products from Wicanders look like ceramic, stone and wood Why make cork flooring that looks like ceramic tile or wood? “Obviously to expand the uses for cork, which unlike tile, is warm and comfortable to walk on,” says Ben Lanich, manager of Carpetland Carpet One Floor & Home in Cincinnati, OH. “And the [...]

Part  Two: What’s the best way to clean hardwood flooring and what does moisture do? Ben Lanich, manager of Carpetland Carpet One Floor & Home in Cincinnati, OH, puts some common hardwood flooring questions to hardwood expert Dan Fergusen. Carpetland also offers low-VOC and natural hardwood finishes, both prefinished and site-finished. Lanich’s store is located [...]

Exclusive online prices now available on products with Natural Interiors® Scorecards Have you been considering a cork floor that has a third-party indoor-air quality certification, but the price is just a little higher than you want to go? Or maybe you’re more inclined toward chemical-free carpet, Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)-certified hardwood finished with natural oil, [...]

Part One: Site-finished vs. prefinished, and solid vs. engineered Ben Lanich, manager of Carpetland Carpet One Floor & Home in Cincinnati, OH, puts some common hardwood flooring questions to hardwood expert Dan Fergusen. Carpetland also offers low-VOC and natural hardwood finishes, both prefinished and site-finished. Lanich’s store is located at 10101 Springfield Pike, Cincinnati, (513) [...]

Do nanotechnology and antimicrobial agents pose risks for my children? Q. I am trying to select a cork or hardwood floor that is safe for my children to sit, crawl and play on. Some that I have looked at are finished with nanotechnology, and some contain antimicrobial agents. Are you aware of any dangers posed [...]

Flooring retailers and distributors see roadblock in FSC certification requirement Flooring retailers and distributors — who have learned they must have Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification in order to sell FSC-certified products that count as certified wood under the U.S. Green Building Council’s rules — are questioning whether FSC rules have gone too far. FSC [...]

New Natural Interiors® scorecards are more credible with third-party certifications, but when do you make exceptions? Q. I was excited to learn about the Natural Interiors health and environmental scorecards that are now available at Carpetland Carpet One, Buddy’s Flooring America in Beavercreek and ProSource in Cincinnati. What I like most is that most Better [...]

Made from all natural ingredients, this vinyl alternative now offers everything from traditional to trendy colors and patterns Whether you ultimately choose Forbo Marmoleum, Armstrong Marmorette or another brand, this video gives you a good look at the ingredients used to make linoleum. While this video is from Forbo, all manufacturers use linseed oil, pine [...]

Why didn’t you mention reclaimed trees in your reclaimed wood article? Q. Your article, The Truth about Reclaimed Wood, did a good job demonstrating that a number of mainstream companies make reclaimed flooring from deconstructed barns and other buildings. But you didn’t mention flooring made from trees that are removed to make way for development. [...]

Demand is growing, and it’s readily available at a flooring store near you It’s a fact: Reclaimed hardwood is now mainstream. You don’t have to search it out through a specialty retailer. Just ask Ben Cochran, whose northwest Virginia company has been making floors from deconstructed buildings since 1978. “Everything we use in our reclaimed [...]

Southwest Ohio Natural Interiors® Design Centers celebrate kick-off with Nature’s Carpet discount Today through Labor Day, you can get a 10 percent discount on Nature’s Carpet — the leading brand of chemical-free New Zealand Wool carpet. Contact Natural Interiors at 513-984-9472 or contact@naturalinteriors.com to receive the  discount and have a representative bring samples to your [...]

Top southwest Ohio flooring retailers end confusion over conflicting “green” claims with Natural Interiors® Scorecards Forty-nine percent of the hardwood flooring lines sold at Carpetland Carpet One Floor & Home in Milford, OH, have been tested and independently certified to meet healthy indoor-air quality standards. Seventy-four percent are from companies that have Forest Stewardship Council [...]

 Natural flooring leaders add Natural Interiors® Four of southwest Ohio’s top flooring retailers now are Natural Interiors® Design Centers. Starting today, product certifications and traits that show whether a product is Better for People or Better for the Planet will be readily available to customers at Carpetland Carpet One Floor & Home in Milford, Schumacher [...]

Flooring industry takes steps that recognize green consumers want products that are Better for People “I don’t really think most flooring customers really care about green,” a rep for a large hardwood manufacturer tells me. “The planet just isn’t a priority to them, particularly if an FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) -certified  label  on the product [...]

Indoor Air Quality Certifications offer some, but not complete, assurance about vinyl flooring Q. While I am intrigued by natural, linoleum products, my budget is more inclined toward the Naturcor vinyl flooring I am looking at buying from my local  Buddy’s Flooring America store.  I also am concerned about buying a product that does not [...]

As Green Squared joins a long list of “green” certifications in the marketplace, some flooring companies are planning to make product certifications readily available We once said what could be more natural and less toxic than a tile floor? It is baked dirt, after all, fired at temperatures exceeding 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit.  Surely, this heat [...]

Most contestants only answered one question Were the questions too hard? We hope not. The whole point of this year’s contest was to learn how to easily spot products that are proven to be Better for People, Better for the Planet, or both. The winners, who will be announced tomorrow, were the first three people [...]

Organic comforters have been claimed, but there’s still time to win some low-VOC paint There are two days left to answer questions in the Natural Housewife 2012 Contest. The top three winners – those who will receive organic comforters from Vivetique Sleep Systems – have been selected and will be announced next week in a [...]

FSC is the top indicator of sustainable harvesting, but it’s hard to find on a finished flooring product Forest  Stewardship Council (FSC) Certification.  It is synonymous with wood that meets the most rigorous standards of sustainable harvesting. It remains the only certification the U.S. Green Building Council will use for certified wood in the latest [...]

Why is Vivetique Better for People? Mattresses and bedding from Vivetique Sleep Systems and The Natural Bedroom are Better for People because: a.)    They are made from natural, chemical-free materials like natural latex and PureGrow™ Wool  and organic cotton instead of petroleum-based products that release chemicals that humans breathe and absorb. b.)    PureGrow™ Wool controls [...]

What Is Green? This is possibly the easiest question yet in The Natural Housewife 2012 contest, in which three people will win $600 organic comforter from Vivetique Sleep Systems. A “green” interior decorating, finishing or building product is: a.)    Better for people b.)    Better for the planet c.)     One that is made only of organic [...]

Editor’s Note: Some slight changes have been made to this program. Click here to see the final line-up. Schumacher & Co. Custom Hardwood Floors launches first Natural Interiors® Floor Finishing Program Today’s emphasis on measuring indoor-air quality relies heavily on the terms Low- and Zero-VOC (Volatile Organic Compound). But the EPA’s regulation of VOCs – [...]

One answer is not enough to win Only one of more than 50 contestants in The Natural Housewife Contest 2012 has answered all four of the weekly questions posted to date. There are three top prizes — a $600 organic comforter from Vivetique Sleep Systems. This means that two new or existing contestants who submit [...]

Natural oil that bonds gets thumbs up  The oil hardwood flooring finish we are testing in this blog works differently than those we’ve already shown you. It does not soak into the wood like the others. Instead, it forms a molecular bond with the first microns of the wood surface. It is spot-repairable like the [...]

What does the “green” label on your paint can mean? A quick reminder: Many of you have sent in answers, but not to all of the questions. You can still catch up. The more you answer, the better your chances of winning a $600 organic comforter from Vivetique Sleep Systems or a room’s worth of [...]

Experience and training of flooring installation crew should never be a question mark for consumers We talk about product quality. We talk about price, which in today’s economy means we bypass some higher-quality products. But except in the instance of installing Marmoleum from Forbo, we have not talked much about installer training. States like Oregon [...]

Cork, sustainable hardwood, oil and low-VOC finishes top list in homeowner’s meticulous selections Cork flooring upstairs. Hardwood with an oil finish downstairs. Stained Red Oak, from Indiana forests considered sustainable by Indiana Hardwood Lumbermen’s Association, reaches from the spacious foyer and into the dining room. It changes to a basket weave pattern in the family [...]

Keep the answers coming Keep racking up your points, or jump into The Natural Housewife contest now for a chance to win a $600 organic comforter or a room’s worth of Earthpaint. Get full contest and prize details here, and help from the Facebook pages of our hint-droppers – Greener Stock and Brothers Floor Covering. [...]

You don’t have to be a housewife to enter Some of you have asked. No, you don’t have to be a housewife, and yes, if you are in the top three, you will choose the size and style of your Vivetique Sleep Systems comforter.  It also is possible to skip a question and still be [...]

Better for people? Better for the planet? Let the contest begin! If you have read the rules and contest details, you know that three winners will receive luxurious organic comforters from Vivetique Sleep Systems and two more will each get a room’s worth of Earthpaint. And you know you will get the weekly, multiple-choice questions [...]

Why do you harp on Indoor Air Quality Certifications? Q. If cork flooring is a natural material, why do you put so much emphasis on whether the manufacturer has gotten the flooring certified through chemical emissions testing? A. There are many natural flooring products on the market. But very few of them are made without [...]

New looks, including stone, wood and textiles, expand uses for cork flooring What is that? Just when we thought we had seen every style and color of cork flooring available today, Wicanders has thrown us a curve. Some of it looks like stone. Some of it looks like marble, granite, wood and textiles. But it [...]

Anderson Township, OH, family completes new home with natural oil hardwood finish and cork When the original plan for putting strand bamboo flooring in the new home they were building in Anderson Township, OH, went awry, Jennifer and Carlton Monroe reviewed their priorities. “I wanted something natural,” Jennifer recalls. “But it also occurred to me [...]

It starts when you find the collector This video talks about what happens to your old carpet after it is taken by a collector to a recycler. There are now more than 100 carpet collection companies that prepare your old carpet and padding to be sent off to a recycler. Many flooring companies that replace [...]

The power of the people must come into play for carpet recycling effort to bump to the next level, outgoing director says Listen up people: The next time you tear out old carpet, think before you put it out for the trash collector and send it to a landfill where it will pollute the planet [...]

Today’s hardwood flooring finish choices should include low-  and zero-VOC products “Why are you testing dye or beeswax or tree sap?” For a moment, Tom Helwig, field supervisor at  Schumacher & Co. Custom Hardwood Floors, thinks we’ve gone over the edge. “Because,” we tell him, “a growing number of customers don’t want chemical emissions in [...]

Unique accent walls and backsplashes are a natural fit for some flooring stores I wasn’t looking for tile, mosaics or recycled glass when I went to the Buddy’s Flooring America store on Ridge Avenue in Cincinnati. But there was something magnetic about the eye-catching colors and textures on display. This is a flooring store, I [...]

Rising interest in less-toxic hardwood floor finishes has some installers testing and expanding the choices The site-finished hardwood floor has long been touted as virtually indestructible.  It will show scratches and wear over time, but all you have to do then is have it recoated with finish. This sounds simple enough. But with today’s emphasis [...]

But a natural oil hardwood finish means that pretty soon you won’t There is something we like about natural hardwood floor finishes even more than the fact that they are low odor and low VOC (Volatile Organic Compound), says Roy Young, quality control manager for Schumacher & Co Custom Hardwood Floors in Cincinnati, OH. “It’s [...]

A style for every room As Designer Candace Olson shows us in this video, today’s cork floors don’t look like bulletin boards. Rather, the looks range from that of hardwood planks to mosiac tiles. And cork is suitable in almost any room environment.

Popularity of natural fiber rugs and wall coverings increases with availability and a quest for the natural aesthetic                                                    Natural wood, natural stone, accented with wool, sisal, jute or seagrass. Add a little leather, or maybe some cheena. While design trends have not turned back to thatched roofs and dirt floors, there is something distinctly desirable about a [...]

Where efficient energy  abounds, along with trendy, sustainable floors The main purpose of this building is to let design and building professionals see the latest “green” technologies in action. But when you enter, the floors might be the first thing to catch your attention. The floors at greensource CINCINNATI, originally built in 1875, include linoleum, [...]

Requirements for damp basements might challenge use of all natural, chemical free carpet pads Q. I want to put carpet that has low chemical emissions in my basement. I also had planned on using a natural fiber carpet pad. I have not ever had water leak into the basement, but there is some moisture, due [...]

Competition in strand bamboo means quality products and competitive pricing from many manufacturers Not long ago, we would have told you that there were just a few reliable brands and several hard-and-fast rules to follow when choosing a strand bamboo floor. But as sales of strand, stained and hand-scraped styles have soared and now dominate in the [...]

Yellow cast on new linoleum is no cause for alarm Q. I wanted to install Marmoleum Click flooring in my daughter’s room because it is supposed to be very good for healthy indoor air quality, and my daughter has allergies. But when the installer from the flooring company started taking the flooring out of the [...]

Authentic reclaimed hardwood can have advantages over wood that is made to look old “Distressed or old?” A designer that I work with was going back and forth about reclaimed hardwood and hardwood flooring that is purposefully distressed to make it appear old. “I like the idea of reducing wastefulness and landfill mass by making [...]

Bargain hunting for flooring installation can cost more in the long run Q. I thought I was getting a great deal on the prefinished, FSC-certified hardwood floor I want to put in my family room and kitchen, until the salesperson figured in installation. This added about $3 per square foot to the total, and the [...]

Past and present green building trends mean 2012 will bring increased interest in healthy indoor air quality, reclaimed and recycled products, and smaller homes Residents on the West Coast have been walking the green building walk longer. But even in the Midwest, which often lags behind, people who build or remodel in the New Year [...]

Year in review shows Natural Interiors visitors focus first on style and indoor-air-quality, then concern for planet health We couldn’t head into a New Year without a baby. Fortunately, the winner of our Natural Housewife Contest – one of our Top 10 traffic generators for 2011 – now has one. 1.  Sara Eickhoff reports that [...]

Green Label Plus certification remains the most used, stringent standard for limits on chemical emissions from carpet The cynics among us have not always embraced the idea of a carpet trade organization – the Carpet & Rug Institute (CRI) — being in charge of testing and certifying carpet as having low chemical emissions. In our [...]

Styling, price and performance determine engineered hardwood flooring sales, though environmental attributes abound If you’re thinking about putting engineered hardwood flooring in your home, style, performance and price – rather than the product’s planet friendliness – are probably the points you are pondering. “More people in the Midwest are choosing engineered hardwood because of a [...]

Part I: Engineered hardwood flooring can be a greener option than solid, but there are many factors to consider before you buy We knew the day would come. Many of us in the green products industry pushed engineered wood floors because they require less premium wood to manufacturer than solid hardwood floors. Many customers resisted. [...]

More than a decade after its U.S. entry, Nature’s Carpet gets mainstream attention and could be part of a market that is “ready to explode” Some rolled their eyes and suppressed laughter at the idea that a chemical-free, biodegradable, un-dyed carpet could make it in mainstream America. But when Brian Cox saw Nature’s Carpet in [...]

Once available only in glue down tiles, floating floor construction widens the market for high-fashion, recycled leather flooring It wasn’t the kind of job that a flooring retailer sees every day. The customer was an accountant who worked from her home. She wanted a distinctive floor for her home office, where she meets with clients. [...]

Recycled leather offers a high-fashion look that can also be planet- and indoor-air friendly Unique. Trendy. Upscale. We’re not talking about a leather sectional. The customer who is building a home in Florida wants leather on the floor and walls. And Mike Smith, an account manager at ProSource Wholesale Flooring, says he will be delivering [...]

How do I choose the right cork floor? Q. I have decided to put cork flooring in my kitchen and throughout most of the first floor of my home. What I am not sure about is whether I should buy solid or engineered flooring. What is the difference, and is there a brand that stands [...]

USFloors Bamboo flooring installation by Carpetland Carpet One meets all of the owner’s expectations The new meeting-room floor installed more than a year ago at the Evergreen Holistic Learning Center had to promote health and stimulate positive, meaningful conversation. Brazilian Cherry simply would not do, Joan Barlage, Evergreen co-director, recalls thinking when she was looking at [...]

Cincinnati flooring expert says “green” can also mean affordable and durable It used to be hard to find a “green” carpet product that was reliable and durable – in addition to being affordable. If you told me you were concerned about chemical emissions and indoor-air quality, I would tell you about all-natural wool carpeting, and [...]

Allergens, dust mites, pet accidents and mold are defeated by new carpet installation methods  It’s a mold inhibitor, not a cleaning product. But I wondered what it would do in the aftermath of a flood that left mold growing on my friend’s basement stairs.  HealthinEx ™ is a component of an exclusive program  from  Carpet [...]

Proper equipment, settings and training are needed to keep water away from carpet pad and subfloors, where lingering moisture could fuel mold We gave the expert in this week’s Natural Interiors® TV episode an ultimate challenge. We asked him to demonstrate his steam-cleaning on a piece of Nature’s Carpet – an all-natural wool carpet that [...]

                                              Proper steam cleaning means no water gets through the carpet – even Nature’s Carpet® that has no plastic backings

Oil-based polyurethane, water-based polyurethane or natural oil? Q. We are building a new home, and our builder is insisting that our hardwood flooring should be finished with oil-based polyurethane. He says it is the best, but we want a low-VOC finish, either with a water-based or natural oil finish. Is there some reason our builder [...]

Recycled rubber underlayment and flooring lessen burden on landfills and curb illegal dumping If you’re working with a flooring company that has explained proper installation, you already know that you need a durable underlayment for your new floating floor. If that company happens to be focused on durable “green” products, you also know that one [...]

  KW Flooring companies divert 2 million pounds of carpet from landfills annually, while some have never heard of the Carpet America Recovery Effort   What is the flooring contractor who’s about to replace your carpet going to do with the old carpet he takes out of your home? Are you afraid to ask? Do [...]

The KW Flooring Group has just joined the Natural Interiors Marketing Group. Check back for their blogs soon.

Play Ball! Matt Wallar of Milford, OH, is thrilled with the flooring he bought from Carpetland Carpet One Floor & Home. Prefinished maple flooring from Somerset — which has FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certification — was installed throughout the first floor. And the basement is now home to a floor designed to look like a [...]