What to Look For

With home construction materials, the greenest product is one that not only has minimal impact on the environment but also minimal impact on your health. That certainly holds true for flooring, which may come from irresponsibly logged forests and then coated with formaldehyde emitting stains and adhesives.

Materials: Choose from the following materials when selecting flooring.

• Bamboo
• Cork
• Concrete
• Forest Stewardship Council Certified Hardwood, Softwood, Laminates and Reclaimed/Salvaged Lumber
• Linoleum
• Recycled Tile and Stone

Sealants, Stains and Polishes: Whether choosing cork, concrete or FSC-certified wood flooring, your floors will still need to be sealed and, depending on your tastes, stained or polished. If you're doing all the sealing or staining yourself, choose low-VOC, non-formaldehyde sealants and stains made from natural pigments. For polish and upkeep, look for hardwax and natural oil polishes. Choose from the products listed in our Wood Finishes Buying Guide.

Grouts and Glues: Just as with sealants, it is important with grout for tile and glues for laminates or linoleum to look for low VOC, non-toxic products.

Shopping Tips

• Since some flooring requires a chemical adhesive, buy one that has a very low VOC content, such as water-based low-VOC Auro Adhesive with organic binders ($28 per 2.2 lbs.; www.naturalhomeproducts.com, 707-824-0914) or W.W. Henry Company's GreenLine GL83 latex-based, zero-VOC linoleum floor adhesive (www.henry.com, 800-232-4832).