If you do it right, hardwood floors can last half a century. Now, that’s sustainable! Here are my top picks for sustainable hardwoods.
I confess, I knew very little about hardwood flooring before researching this piece. But by digging into the details of hardwood flooring products, getting going on a renovation project at home, and having a really nerdy conversation with Danny Harrison of Galleher, I quickly got up to speed!
So, while I grew up in a home blanketed by carpets, I don’t think I’ll ever install a carpet again! Consider me a full convert to hardwood floors.
Hardwood flooring can last half a century if done right, making it a much more sustainable flooring option than carpets that wear out in just a few years.
Compared to carpet and linoleum, hardwood floors are:
- Easier to keep clean
- Much more durable
- Far more sustainable.
This makes hardwood a great choice for eco-friendly renos and if you have pets, kids, allergies, or a combination thereof.
At first glance, a straight plank of wood looks like the cleanest, greenest option for hardwood flooring. However, engineered wood flooring actually uses much less of a tree per plank than solid hardwood.
When buying new, look for:
- Hardwood flooring made with 100% FSC certified wood
- Flooring you can install and maintain without solvent-based products.
What is ethical hardwood flooring?
Ethical and sustainable hardwood flooring comes from forests that are:
- Managed
- Monitored
- Protected.
This ensures that trees grow for future generations.
Eco-friendly hardwood flooring is also manufactured with fewer toxic chemicals in a way that won’t compromise indoor air quality.
Industry insights
After my conversation with Danny Harrington, V.P. Product Strategy, Galleher, I am of the mind that the most sustainable option in many cases is a UV-cured floor that is highly durable and easy to maintain without toxic chemicals.
Danny told me that he bristles “when people say that these natural finishes are a healthier choice than a UV-cured finish, which are all 100% solids (no solvents whatsoever).”
He points out that a UV-cured finish dries at the factory, not in your home. In contrast, because most oil and wax finishes have solvents, they can off-gas in your home. These also need to be maintained by applying the same solvent-based products every few years.
Danny highlighted another issue with ‘eco-friendly’ flooring: urea-formaldehyde.
He told me a story about a bamboo flooring product from many years ago that was made with urea-formaldehyde. The company switched to a formaldehyde-free glue in an attempt to reduce toxicity but found that the new product had 33% higher formaldehyde emissions than the original.
How could that happen?
It turns out that the reason waa the pressing method.
Formaldehyde-free glues are all cold-press glues, where the glue is not activated by heat. Urea-formaldehyde glues are hot press, so the press itself is heated. It turns out that the heat was flashing off most of the formaldehyde not only from the glue but from the Bamboo itself. In the cold press product, the press wasn’t flashing off any of the naturally-occurring formaldehyde.
The upshot: The formaldehyde left in the natural Bamboo material was higher with the cold-pressing, formaldehyde-free glue method than after the original urea-formaldehyde hot pressing method!
I always tell people that, in the end, the only thing that matters are the actual emissions from the finished product, not what type of adhesive was used, because there are many other variables at work.
Danny Harrison, VP Product Strategy, Galleher
For several reasons, including:
- A very long background in sustainability in flooring
- His work with FSC both in the forest and at factories
- A solid reputation for promoting indoor air quality initiatives
- His management of EcoTimber
- His tenure on the USGBC’s Technical Advisory Committee for Certified Wood
- Time spent on the Sierra Club’s Forest Certification Committee
- His work as an adviser to the CARB when it first developed its air quality standards.
Greenwashing
A lot of ‘green’ flooring is just a greenwashed toxic unsustainable product.
Watch out for manufacturers using the FSC logo somewhat creatively.
Don’t assume that an FSC logo on a brand website means an entire product or collection is sustainable. The company may, in fact, use FSC certified packaging but not FSC certified wood!
For a complete deep dive into the most important certifications for sourcing ethical hardwood floors, see this post.
A regulatory body’s definition of a VOC also matters when it comes to ‘zero-VOC’ products. For instance, a natural oil finish sold as ‘zero-VOC’ in the US may not say it’s ‘zero-VOC’ in Europe.
Why?
Because the US regulator’s list of chemicals classified as VOC’s only includes smog-producing chemicals. In Europe, it includes a much longer list of toxic chemicals, including isocyanate, which is common in many flooring finishes and adhesives.
So, folks selling flooring in the US don’t have to include isocyanate in their calculation of total VOC’s in a product, even though it’s a very harmful chemical.
In the list below, I offer my top picks for climate friendly, ethical hardwood flooring.
Top picks
Galleher Monarch True Teak Collection
Highlights: Easy to maintain, fully FSC certified sustainably sourced teak flooring. Made with E0 certified Baltic Birch plywood backing and formaldehyde-free adhesives.
- Luxury hardwood flooring
- Made exclusively from FSC® certified older growth plantation teak in Thailand
- Glued to E0 certified Baltic Birch plywood backing
- Formaldehyde-free adhesives
- Exceptionally durable
- Resistant to rot
- Resists moisture-related expansion and contraction
- UV cured urethane finish that is easy to maintain without toxic chemicals.
- Lifetime structural warranty
- 25-year residential finish warranty (3 years for light commercial)
- Can install as a floating floor or use nail-down or glue-down methods
- Costs more than less sustainably sourced teak
Galleher’s True Teak collection includes:
- Sunned Teak Prime
- Bleached Teak Prime
- Sunned Teak Light Rustic
- Bleached Teak Light Rustic.
Kahrs Original, Prime
Highlights: Made in Sweden using local FSC certified wood. This one-strip, wide-plank floating hardwood oak flooring has a matte finish and is free from aluminum oxide or toxic glues or finishes.
- UV cured acrylic finish is water-based
- Made without urea formaldehyde glue (formaldehyde tests show 0.008 ppm)
- Better than CARB2 and European standards for off-gassing
- EMAS and FloorScore qualified
- Meets Prop 65 requirements
- Kahrs is a U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) Member
- Modern and sophisticated aesthetic
- Can sand two to three times
- Bigger boards than most – faster install!
- 30-year wear-through warranty and lifetime structural warranty
- Works with radiant-heated floors (hydronic and radiant heat)
- No Janka hardness rating available – 3.7 Brinell hardness rating is roughly equivalent to 830 Janka
Kahrs Original Prime flooring is made in Sweden using wood from Eastern Europe, helping to reduce transport associated emissions.
The Prime collection looks more modern and sophisticated than the European Naturals collection and the wire-brushed finish looks oiled even though it’s not. The white oak has a matte sheen and slightly grey appearance which will change over time.
The planks are 9/16ths of an inch (14.2 mm) thick with a 1/8th inch (3.5 mm) top/wear layer, making these a bit thicker than Tesoro Woods. This means you can sand the flooring two to three times. The planks are 7.5 inches wide, and 73.25 inches long, making these a bigger board than Tesoro Woods offers.
This product qualifies for LEED: Indoor Environmental Quality/4.4 Low-Emitting Materials – Composite Wood and Agrifiber: 1 point, Indoor Environmental Quality/4.4 Low-Emitting Materials/No added Urea-Formaldehyde: 1 point.
Tesoro Woods Great Northern Woods – FSC Certified
Highlights: Knot-free, FSC Mixed 3-inch or 5-inch wide, E0 compliant, zero-VOC engineered hardwood flooring made with Select grade American hardwood.
- FSC certified sustainable American hardwood from Select grade timber
- Available as 3-inch or 5-inch wide planks
- You can float, nail, or glue down the pieces
- No added urea formaldehyde adhesives
- Zero VOC finishes and E0 compliant
- Plantation grown in certified controlled forests
- No knots or mineral streaks – every piece can be on full view!
- 27-year residential wear-through warranty
- Lifetime structural warranty
- High hardness rating!
- Tongue and groove design makes for easy laying.
- Not as much sanding potential as the Kahrs Prime
Tesoro Woods Great Northern Woods hardwood flooring collection comprises rift or quarter-sawn:
- Maple
- Walnut
- Red oak
- White oak.
These come in boxes of random lengths from 11 to 84 inches long, with each piece measuring 14.29 mm thick and the veneer 3.2 mm thick. This means you can do a couple of sandings to restore the finish if needed.
The planks consist of certified sustainably harvested hardwood, with a core and bottom from either recycled, reclaimed, or salvaged sources.
This collection qualifies for a variety of LEED points including for 4.4 Low-Emitting Materials, No added Urea-Formaldehyde: 1 point, Materials & Resources, and 7 Certified Wood: 1 point. It is also certified by FloorScore, FSC 100% Mixed, E0 compliant, isocyanine-free, and CARB 2 certified.
The wood is UV finished with aluminum oxide enhanced urethane with a water base and a smooth matte finish. It has a Janka hardness rating of 950, which is high for engineered wood.
Tesoro Woods Coastal Lowlands – FSC Certified
Highlights: Non-toxic, E0 compliant, 100% FSC certified, 7-inch rustic hardwood flooring in a matte finish and suitable for at least two sandings.
- FSC certified recycled rustic hardwood flooring
- Great for shabby chic looks
- 14 shades available
- Uses North American hardwoods
- 7-inch wide (fast installation!)
- You can float, nail, or glue down the pieces
- 27-year residential wear-through warranty
- Lifetime structural warranty
- No add urea formaldehyde adhesives
- Good for the chemically sensitive
- Durable and easy to maintain (thick wear layer)
- Tongue and groove design makes for easy laying
- Suitable for use at or below grade
- Can use over hydronic radiant heat systems
- Qualifies for Floorscore and LEED
- E0 compliant and free of isocyanine.
- Not as much sanding potential as the Kahrs Prime
Tesoro Woods Coastal Lowlands collection comprises 100% FSC Recycled certified wide plank (7 inch) rustic hardwood flooring. It is made in Guatemala using North American:
- Maple
- Walnut
- White oak
- Hickory.
Each plank has an engineered core and a back comprising plantation grown pine from Chile and Brazil. The flooring has a 3 mm sawn wear layer on a solid cross slat core in a 3-layer format.
The planks are finished with UV cured Aluminum Oxide enhanced open grain urethane and don’t off-gas any VOCs.
This flooring qualifies for Floorscore and LEED under Indoor Environmental Quality/4.4 Low-Emitting Materials/No added Urea-Formaldehyde: 1 point, Materials & Resources/7 Certified Wood: 1 point.
The planks measure:
- 7 inches wide
- 12-84 inches long
- 9/16ths of an inch (13.6 mm) thick
- With a 3.2 mm top/wear layer – allows for two sandings.
The maple and walnut have a smooth surface while the hickory and white oak are lightly wire-brushed.
These planks can include knots, mineral streaks, and micro-beveled edges making them a great fit if you’re after a quick installation and a shabby chic aesthetic.
Kahrs Original, European Naturals – FSC Certified Oak Siena
Highlights: European-style floating hardwood flooring perfect over hydronic or electric radiant heat and in dry or damp spaces. CARB2 compliant, made with FSC certified oak (also available as maple, walnut, cherry, pecan, and other species) engineered with non-toxic adhesives and finishes.
- More traditional aesthetic using maple and oak from the Alps
- Square edge design
- Easy to install, even for amateur DIYers – uses Kahrs patented Woodloc interlocking system
- No nails or glue needed!
- Great for super dry or damp climates
- Can use over radiant heat, with no buckling or warping
- Can use on concrete and wood subfloors in all rooms
- UV cured acrylic/urethane low-VOC finish
- Made with formaldehyde-free adhesive
- CARB2 compliant
- FSC Mixed Sources certified
- 25-year wear-through warranty
- Lifetime residential structural warranty
- Raw materials sourced within 200 km of the Kahrs factory in Sweden
- Bigger and wider planks may not suit some aesthetics
- Don’t automatically qualify for LEED points
Kahrs hardwood flooring is a 3-layer engineered design with a:
- Silk matte hardwood top/wear layer
- Quartersawn pine or spruce core
- Softwood bottom layer.
This product also meets:
- EMAS standards
- Environmental management systems ISO 14001 and 9001:2000
- California Proposition 65.
The finish doesn’t contain aluminum oxide, making it suitable for a variety of refinishing products.
Kahrs has been around for more than 150 years and specializes in stable, durable flooring. The company seasons wood slowly and carefully over six months to two years. Combined with the cross-ply structure, this extended drying makes it a great choice for even super dry or damp climates. Kahrs is also great for use over radiant heat, with no buckling or warping. You can use these boards on concrete and wood subfloors in all rooms.
The planks are thicker and bigger than those from Tesoro Woods, measuring:
- 5/8ths of an inch (15.9 mm) thick
- 1/8th inch (3.5 mm) top/wear layer
- 7.88 inches wide
- 95.38 inches long.
The flooring can be sanded two to three times to restore the unstained white oak matte finish.
Wide Plank Floor Supply Reclaimed Heart Pine Plank Flooring
Highlights: Hardwearing rustic looking reclaimed heart pine flooring from old barns and other buildings, available unfinished in various thickness options as solid and engineered flooring.
- Available in widths of 6-12 inches and variable thicknesses
- Harder and more durable than yellow pine
- High Janka rating!
- Different finish options
- Great choice for high traffic areas
- Sourced from demolished and dismantled antique barns and buildings
- Company strives to maintain the timber’s original character
- Each board has unique nail holes, worm holes, mortise and tendon joins, and a natural patina created by age.
- Not a consistent look, so best for specific aesthetics
- Hard to match in the future
Wide Plank Floor Supply’s Reclaimed Heart Pine Plank Flooring is available as solid and engineered flooring in widths from 6-12 inches. The solid planks are ¾-inch thick and the engineered planks are available in 5/8-inch or ¾-inch thicknesses. The plank length can range from 18-inches to 10-feet; different boxes offer a range of cuts to suit your project.
Heart pine has all the knottiness of yellow pine but is harder and more durable. Yellow pine has a Janka score of just 690 versus heart pine’s 1225. Heart pine is also a richer red and brown color.
This collection is available in mix grain, vertical grain, and prefinished options. You can choose between:
- Original Face – slightly rougher finish with saw marks etc.
- Milled Face – milled and planed smooth.
The reclaimed pine already has a rustic appearance, making it a great choice for high traffic areas and homes with dogs and kids.
Wide Plank Floor Supply Reclaimed Oak Plank
Highlights: Reclaimed red and white oak flooring from old barns and other buildings in Pennsylvania.
- Sourced from carefully dismantled barns and other buildings in Pennsylvania
- Bursting with character!
- Available in widths of 6-12 inches and variable thicknesses
- Available unfinished in various thickness options as solid and engineered flooring
- Very hardwearing with a Janka rating of 1290 or 1360
- Tongue and groove installation
- Not a homogenous look – won’t suit all aesthetics
Wide Plank Floor Supply offers beautiful reclaimed red and white oak flooring. This sustainable, reclaimed flooring is bursting with character, thanks to wormholes, mortise holes, peg holes, natural cracks and checks and an aged patina. You can order red and white oak together or separate to achieve your desired aesthetic.
The planks are available in face widths of 6-12 inches and as ¾-inch thick solid wood or engineered wood measuring 5/8-inch or ¾-inch thick. The planks come in boxes of different random lengths ranges, the smallest being 18 inches and the longest 10 feet.
These tongue and groove planks have a hardness rating of 1360 (white oak) or 1290 (red oak). Choose between pre-finished, as smooth milled face, or original face with all the character of reclaimed wood.
Fantastic Floor
Highlights: Affordable and quite durable hardwood flooring option that’s FSC certified.
- Affordable FSC certified flooring options in Red Birch
- Select and Character Grade planks
- 3.25-inch and 5-inch wide options
- 4 mm top layer allows for two or more sandings
- Stained or unstained options
- Can nail, glue, or float the floors
- Suitable for radiant heat
- Can install over wood or concrete sub-floors
- Fast shipping!
- Aluminum oxide finish
- Not suitable for damp areas (no bathrooms or mud rooms, etc.)
- Unclear if CARB2 or E0 compliant
Fantastic Floor offers a handful of affordable flooring options using Red Birch. Most of these options have an impressive Janka hardness rating of 1260.
It is unclear if these floors are CARB2 or E0 compliant and the company did not respond to my enquiries asking about certifications. The main reason I’ve included this company is because the flooring is FSC certified, affordable, and durable.
Fantastic Flooring processes orders within 48 hours and has warehouses all across the U.S., making for fast shipping and delivery within 3-8 business days after ordering.