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, patterned concrete and reclaimed wood – all hot items on the west coast that are still being discovered in the Midwest.

“As one of more than 50 partners in the greensource project, we can take the designers we work with there for ideas or a better sense of what a whole room of a product on the floor feels like,” says Alexis Santel, business development manager for Buddy’s Flooring America. Read the rest of this entry »

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 boxes, the color did not look like what we chose. Instead, it looked like the material had yellowed, like something does when it gets old.

The installer said this was normal and that it would go away. But with the price of this product already being higher than many other options, I did not want to take the chance. I sent the flooring back and cancelled the job.

I really wanted this floor. Is it possible that I just got a batch that was defective?

A. The problem you are describing is not a defect. It is called “ambering,” which is a yellowish cast that appears on Marmoleum – and the competing brands of linoleum. As the installer said, it is normal. It goes away entirely after the flooring comes out of the box and is exposed to light for a few days. Read the rest of this entry »