| Making home improvements adds to the aesthetic | | | | Surprisingly, bamboo is also becoming a popular option |
| appeal and value of your home. Many homeowners | | | | for both countertops and bed sheets. Sheets are |
| are becoming more environmentally conscious and | | | | usually made from cotton, but now you can buy |
| are searching for "green" ideas to beautify and | | | | sheets and pillowcases made using fibers of bamboo |
| improve their homes. Here are some "green" | | | | plants. The fibers are soft and fine and the sheets |
| remodeling solutions for homeowners including | | | | have a silky feel without being slippery. Bamboo |
| bamboo products, zero-VOC paint, reclaimed wood | | | | countertops are constructed from bamboo plywood |
| flooring, and FSC certified lumber. | | | | and offer a look similar to butcher block. Bamboo |
| What exactly is "FSC certified lumber" and why | | | | plywood is available through flooring suppliers or |
| would you choose to use it? Lumber that has been | | | | retailers where you can find bamboo flooring. |
| FSC certified originates from sustainable forests. | | | | Installation of both bamboo flooring and countertops |
| Sustainable forestry considers the health and | | | | can require cutting, sanding, sealing and adhesive |
| well-being of the sensitive ecosystems and is based | | | | application. It's important to consider how much these |
| on the idea that the amount of goods and services | | | | installation activities may affect indoor air quality in |
| yielded from a forest should be at a level the forest | | | | terms of VOCs (volatile organic compounds), dust, |
| is capable of producing without degradation of the | | | | and particulates. VOCs are the chemicals emitted into |
| soil, watershed features or seed source for the | | | | the air when adhesives, coatings or paint dry. |
| future. Look for the Forest Stewardship Council | | | | Water-based adhesives contain less VOCs and you |
| (FSC) certification when you or your contractors buy | | | | will want to look for an adhesive that meets the |
| lumber. The FSC certifies that lumber bearing its | | | | standard of 150 grams of VOCs per liter as a safe |
| symbol originated in a responsibly managed forest. | | | | maximum. Choosing tongue-and-groove flooring can |
| Many retailers stock FSC-certified products including | | | | minimize the need for adhesives. |
| The Home Depot and Lowe's Home Improvement | | | | VOC levels will also be a concern when choosing |
| Centers. If you are having difficulty locating a specific | | | | paint. These chemicals are added to paint to keep |
| product, go to the Forest Stewardship Council web | | | | the paint from freezing, to allow the paint to dry |
| site for assistance at the URL listed at the end of | | | | slower so it maintains a wet edge, or just to provide |
| this article.. | | | | the pigment necessary to color the paint. A number |
| If you are planning to install hardwood floors, consider | | | | of paint suppliers offer environmentally safe paints |
| using hardwood made from recycled or reclaimed | | | | and coatings with low levels of VOCs. |
| woods because they make use of timber that was | | | | Sherwin-Williams offers eco-friendly latex paint |
| cut decades, or even centuries, ago and the | | | | product lines that have the highest indoor air quality |
| weathered character of the wood can be gorgeous. | | | | ratings for low VOCs and low odor. Their Harmony |
| You may also want to ask your flooring contractor | | | | line features zero-VOCs. Look for the |
| about bamboo which is an attractive, eco-friendly, | | | | Sherwin-Williams GreenSure symbol and for more |
| renewable resource alternative to hardwood flooring. | | | | information check out their web site at |
| Bamboo is actually a grass rather than tree and | | | | By building with FSC certified lumber, choosing |
| grows back quickly when harvested, as fast as a | | | | reclaimed wood or bamboo for flooring, and using low |
| foot a day! Bamboo flooring is available in a number | | | | VOC adhesives and paints we can all do our part to |
| of different finishes and shades to complement your | | | | improve and preserve our precious environment. |
| décor. Adhesives used in bamboo flooring | | | | Homeowners who make the extra effort to utilize |
| sometimes contain a urea formaldehyde resin, | | | | these eco-friendly products will both beautify and |
| although products that contain minimal or no | | | | improve their homes and feel good about living |
| formaldehyde are available. | | | | "green". |