For flooring you must watch out for synthetic carpets which contain VOCs that off-gas and lower air quality. 100% wool carpets are better but they still probably contain fiber that is dyed and moth-proofed which makes them unsuitable for people with chemical sensitivities. VOCs are also often used for wooden flooring installations.

Hardwood flooring looks fanatastic. The grain and polish of such hardwoods as oak, ash, hickory and maple look stunning in a room. Hardwood flooring is extremely hard wearing and is allergen free, so it is better for people suffering from allergies. The big drawback with hardwood flooring is that it is not environmentally friendly. Hardwood trees take between 50 to 130 years to reach maturity and so cannot be considered a renewable resource. There are two solutions to this obstacle. One is to get hardwood flooring from a dealer with Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) accreditation. This means the wood has been taken from a managed sustainable forest project. Or better still use 'recycled' hardwood flooring - such flooring is normally called reclaimed hardwood flooring or antique flooring. It can be sourced locally and has the added advantage of being more stable than new hardwood flooring and being VOC free. Check out this directory of suppliers of reclaimed hardwood flooring. Reclaimed hardwood flooring is often described as 'rustic' because it contains saw marks, worm holes and other 'imperfections'. For some this adds character and charm, for others these markings are blemishes.

Another environmentally friendly option is bamboo flooring. Bamboo flooring has made huge advances over the last few years. Not only are a variety of styles and colors now available, but also strand woven bamboo flooring has been perfected. Strand woven bamboo flooring is much harder than either horizontal or vertical bamboo flooring. (Don't be confused - 'horizontal' and 'vertical' refer to how the bamboo flooring plank is made, not how it is installed). Indeed strand woven bamboo flooring has a Janka Hardness Rating of nearly 2,000 pounds force making it harder than oak, walnut, hickory and ash. It is allergen free and also has an antibacterial quality that makes it the safest flooring. Bamboo is the most renewable plant on the planet because it is the fastest growing. Bamboo reaches maturity in 5 to 7 years. Remember to buy strand woven bamboo flooring with FSC accreditation.

Another environmentally friendly flooring option is cork flooring. It is made from the bark of the cork tree so comes from a renewable resource. Cork flooring feels soft and warm under foot and has the advantage of being rot, mildew and fire resistant. Cork flooring also has good thermal and acoustic insulation properties. The only down side for cork flooring is that it might not stand up to high traffic situations as well as hardwood flooring or

strand woven bamboo flooring.

Coconut flooring has a similar appearance and hardness to hardwood flooring. Coconut palms take only 6 years to reach maturity. It is from senile palms that have stopped producing coconuts that coconut flooring is made of. For those looking for a green alternative to hard flooring coconut flooring is ideal.