04 May Upstairs, Downstairs
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 room.
Lorinn Williams of Indian Hill, OH, began planning this home two years ago. Her 12-year-old daughter encouraged her to select as many “green” products as she could.
“I particularly love every single process in making each selection,” Williams says.
Several stained samples of the floor had to be reviewed before Williams chose the color that was just right.
The oil floor finish used throughout the first floor is considered
low-VOC (Volatile Organic Compound) at 50 grams per liter. Low and zero-VOC paints from Sherwin Williams and Porter were used throughout the home, Williams says.
The hardwood flooring industry has seen a rise in requests for oil floor finish by customers who want a more natural look that can be spot-repaired.
Williams chose upscale natural flooring — Italian marble — for the master bath on the first floor.
On the second floor, she chose a floating cork floor that is warm underfoot and has great noise-deadening properties.
Cork, particularly on the second floor, also is an increasingly popular choice. Williams chose one that is made to look like hardwood plank flooring.
Throughout the selection process, there was an aesthetic Williams envisioned that had to be done just right, she says.
And it was, she says.©
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