There has been a surge of interest in eco friendly building and remodeling materials in the last several years, and for good reason. We all need to think about how to lower our personal impact on the environment. Here are a list of some of our favorite eco-friendly building products that you can use if you’re trying to go green!

Our Favorite Eco Friendly Building Materials

Bamboo Flooring:

Bamboo flooring is a great eco friendly building material to choose. If you cut a bamboo tree down, it will will grow 10 times faster than a regular tree. It matures more rapidly! A regular tree could take 25 years to mature where bamboo takes only 5-7. This means that they can be replenished so much quicker. Secondly, it requires less water and no pesticides for its growth and maturation, as it is a very durable plant. Finally, any product that is made of bamboo will eventually decompose into a nutrient rich soil. This is extremely valuable to the earth, so you’re doing something eco friendly even if you get rid of it (although we hope you won’t want to!).

Cork Flooring:

Cork flooring is another great eco friendly building material.  Cork is acquired by stripping most of the outer bark from the cork oak tree. This regular harvesting does the tree no harm, and the bark grows back, to be stripped again every nine years. The trees live for 200 years or so, and the forests are passed down through generations of families in the cork-producing business.

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Even cork processing is relatively straightforward: The cork sheets or pieces are cured, boiled and pressed. Scraps are collected for reuse, so almost nothing is wasted. Our favorite provider of Cork and bamboo flooring is US Floors. Talk to us about new flooring today!

Quartz Countertops:

If you’re looking for eco friendly building materials, look no further than Quartz Countertops. There are many reasons that quartz is considered eco friendly. It emits low VOCs and quartz products are Greenguard Certified to meet rigorous indoor air quality safety standards. Quartz surfaces are nonporous and prevent the growth of surface mold and bacteria due to the use of quartz as a key ingredient. Quartz products do not need sealing and maintenance like granite or other stone. There is less material waste during manufacturing (quarrying) and fabrication of quartz surfaces. Most quartz manufactures maintain responsible water treatment and reuse in their manufacturing facilities, while also implementing quarry restoration processes and using recycled materials and nontoxic pigments in their product lines. The last benefit? It’s incredibly stunning and the most durable of all countertops!

Wellborn Cabinets:

As far as cabinets go, Wellborn Cabinets would be our first suggestion when someone asks about eco friendly building materials for their kitchen. There are many reasons that we consider Wellborn Cabinets eco friendly. Their company mission includes “educating and embracing suppliers based on their commitment to similar environmental practices, including sustainable or recycled raw materials as well as low emission products where applicable.” This is a top priority for the company. They also are eco friendly in their processes. For every tree that they cut down, they plant another. Wellborn Cabinets also utilizes steam from a wood fired Co-Generation Plant in their Dry Kilns, Heating Ovens & Paint Room. This process saves 300,773 (MCF) thousand cubic feet of natural gas, a non-renewable resource, annually by using collected wood shavings. They continue to update their products and processes to become even more green each year. They are made in the USA as well, so it saves resources shipping from out of the country. Their products are beautiful and their process are green. What more could you ask for?

Silverline by Andersen Windows:

Energy efficient windows are a great product to purchase if you’re looking for eco friendly building materials. At Builders Surplus, we offer Silverline by Andersen windows. The Andersen Corporation was awarded the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year–Sustained Excellence Award in 2017.

For over 100 years, Andersen has built a reputation for environmental stewardship and energy-efficient products. In fact, Andersen has been part of the ENERGY STAR program since it started, and was the first window manufacturer to be named an ENERGY STAR National Window Partner of the Year in 1999.

Which is why, when you choose Andersen® windows and patio doors, you know you’re getting energy-efficient products that help reduce the transfer of heat, so your house requires less energy for heating and cooling. And since the durability* of Andersen products reduces maintenance, painting and the need for replacement, they help save resources and energy in the long run. That’s what I call an investment that pays for itself! Not only are they eco friendly, they are beautiful and durable.

 

Signamark Doors:

Lots of air can leak out of your front door if you don’t have the right one. That can cause you to use more energy trying to heat or cool your home, meaning you’re using more resources than necessary. Replacing your front door with a Signamark Fiberglass Door is a great solution and a wonderful eco friendly building material.

Signamark fiberglass doors have an environmentally friendly CFC free polyurethane foam core that provides five times the insulation value of wood doors. Their foam compression weather strip and reversible double-bulb four fin sweep combined with their adjustable high dam threshold provide superior protection against air and water filtration. All 6′ 8″ fiberglass doors and sidelites with the triple pane decorative glass have earned the ENERGY STAR for all 50 states. ENERGY STAR is a government backed program sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that helps consumers identify products that save energy and help protect the environment. ENERGY STAR requirements vary for doors by climate zone. Signamark is a great product for energy efficiency.

I hope you’ve found the eco friendly building materials we’ve listed above to be helpful! For eco friendly and green remodeling, visit us in store and get started!

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  Builders Surplus is a full service renovation company with locations in Louisville, Kentucky, and Newport, Kentucky, which also serves Cincinnati, Ohio. We are the leading provider of Ledge Stone, wall tile and backsplash tile in Louisville, Newport, and Cincinnati. We specialize in interior design, kitchen design, bathroom remodel, building materials, and home improvement. Interior Design and measurements come as a free service to our clients. We sell building materials ranging in every price point, from unfinished kitchen cabinets to top of the line Wellborn cabinets. In addition to interior design, we also offer installation services. If you have any questions or would like to set up a free design consultation with one of our interior designers, we would encourage you to do so. We love sharing our knowledge with clients & potential home renovators. We write about interior design, home decor, decorating ideas, and home improvement. We hope you’ll check back in for our next article! Happy Renovation!