Eco friendly kitchen flooring

3 years ago

I’m looking for something (preferably in sheet form) to lay over existing ceramic floor tiles which won’t break the bank but also - more importantly - doesn’t contain formaldehyde, pthalates, lead, plastics, fire retardants or other VOCs. And which is recyclable at the end of its life. I’ve looked at marmoleum but it only comes in 2m sheets so would need welding together and results seem a bit mixed. Linoleum sheets seem hard to come by here in the UK so I’ve just started looking at cork. Any other suggestions please? This feels a lot more difficult than it should be!

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Comments (10)

Wumi
3 years ago
Rubber?
Wumi
3 years ago
Forbo do Marmoleum click tiles, if you're concerned about joints. I have Marmoleum roll in my utility room.
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Hi Amy! I love cork flooring. It's really a sustainable material and has got some great properties, like sound and heat insulation. I don't have personal experience of using cork in kitchens, but I do have experience of using it in bathrooms. I think bathrooms are actually tougher on cork than kitchens, especially if you have little kids who enjoy a lot of splashing in the bath like I do!! Kitchen floors rarely get as wet, so hopefully my experience with bathroom floors in cork will help you. I'm not sure I understand from your post what the floor build-up is going to be, so I would need you to clarify a bit more on that to say anything much about the underlay or floor prep needed. What I can tell you about is my experience of both the laminate type cork flooring and the glue down cork tiles. My parents have had glue-down cork tiles, well sealed with varnish, in their family bathroom for at least 30 years and they are still going strong, although they could do with a gentle sand down and a recoat of varnish. I did a major renovation of my bathroom about 6 years ago and used the laminate type of click together cork flooring, which is absolutely beautiful. The only thing is that it really has not stood up to use. However, it was never sealed with anything, so possibly a coat of varnish might help. I was really careful to select a version that was supposed to be suitable for use in kitchens and bathrooms, but it hasn't coped with the amount of wet that happens in my bathroom. However, this is not to say that it wouldn't be OK in a kitchen if you are the kind of people to quickly clean up spills and notice and deal with leaks. The problem with my bathroom was that the tap was faulty and leaked from day one, and I didn't notice for a long time because it was behind the pedestal and soaked under the flooring. So now my floor is completely ruined and I need to replace it. But it did look beautiful for a couple of years and it did suffer from a lot of abuse from unseen leaks and then was finished off by very splashy kids bathtimes! For both bathrooms, mine and my parents, the cork floor is lovely to walk around on barefoot. You don't get the same chill that you get with tiles. So I would definitely use it again. I'm planning to replace my laminate cork floor in the bathroom with a high density cork tile instead and seal it well with some kind of eco-friendly varnish, once I've found one! Hope this helps! Jane www.i-architect.co.uk
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OnePlan
3 years ago
I wonder if cork would be a good option - not sure if it’s full credentials - but I would be mindful that if you lay most things over tiles you may get dips where the grout lines are.
Wumi
3 years ago
If the tiles are pretty solid you could potentially lay some screed over the tiles to level out the grout lines.
rinked
3 years ago
Sounds like you need a wooden floor then (but will cost a bit). But what about plinths, doors, etc... Anything thinner than 5 mms would require a level floor without grout.
Donna
Original Author
3 years ago
Thanks - I’d love a wooden floor but I think wood naturally contains formaldehyde and I’m not sure how long it would need/take to off gas. However, the number of other options available are pretty limited!
rinked
3 years ago
"Formaldehyde is emitted from wood under very high heat and is not expected to be a significant source of the emissions from composite wood products during normal service."

https://bioresources.cnr.ncsu.edu/resources/understanding-of-formaldehyde-emissions-from-solid-wood-an-overview/
rinked
3 years ago
How eco do you want to go, if even 100% wood is not suitable?
Wumi
3 years ago
Maybe go down the route of secondhand/reclaimed wooden flooring? That’s a more sustainable approach.
HU-226409412
3 years ago
@Donna We've been looking at concrete - but have to be careful of sealers used because some of those can have high VOCs

Eco friendly kitchen flooring

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Eco friendly kitchen flooring

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