Sustainable Building Sourcebook
Chapter: Materials
 
Wood Flooring
 
CSI Numbers: 09640 Wood Flooring
 
Introduction:
 
Wood flooring in this section refers to finish floors that range from planks to parquet and are usually nailed or glued to a sub-floor, or can be their own sub and finish floor. Wood flooring materials can consist of imported hardwood, regionally grown hardwood, or salvaged material that is re-milled into flooring. Using material from local or regional sources is high on the list of many green designers and builders. Using local materials has the benefits of reducing environmental impacts of transporting materials long distances, encouraging vernacular building styles, and supporting the local economy.
 
At-A-Glance Notes:
 
Technology:
Well-developed.
 
Suppliers:
Suppliers of regular domestic hardwood flooring are common. Mesquite, pecan and cedar suppliers are available in Austin but less mainstream outside the Texas market. Reused flooring availability is limited locally. Least toxic adhesives for wood flooring are readily available.
 
Cost:
Mesquite, cedar, pecan and reused wood flooring (such as re-milled old wood) range in cost from cheap to expensive depending on the supplier and the supply at the time. Reused wood flooring (such as salvaged flooring) is seldom commercially viable because of the time required to prepare it. Re-milled old wood milled into flooring is available.
 
Public Acceptance:
Wood flooring is highly valued.
 
Regulatory:
None.
 
Considerations:
 

Wood flooring is considered an aesthetic plus in homes. It also offers long life and fairly easy maintenance.

Most wood flooring is derived from hardwood trees. From an overall view, the growth/removal rate for hardwood trees in the U. S. is positive, meaning removal exceeds growth.

The use of regional hardwoods such as mesquite, pecan and aromatic cedar stimulates the regional economy and uses a tree considered a nuisance or waste product by many. Mesquite and cedar trees are often subject to eradication programs rather than being used constructively. All of these woods are highly valued as a floor material. However, trees do not produce large logs consistent in size, which increases their processing costs.

Reused wood flooring is often derived from re-milled salvaged timbers. It can also be salvaged from old flooring. From an environmental standpoint, this approach saves materials from the waste stream and does not impact living trees. Very often the reused wood flooring comes from trees that are no longer present to harvest, or in grain patterns only found in rare old large trees. This adds to the aesthetic quality and value of this type of flooring.

The finishes selected for wood flooring and any adhesives used should be low-VOC.

 
Guidelines:
 

Standard installation techniques apply to wood flooring of all types.

Wood flooring requires coating to protect the surface and make cleaning easier. Select least-toxic adhesives and finishes, such as low-VOC types. For adhesive-applied flooring and all finishes, see Finishes and Adhesives sections of this Sourcebook .

 
Resources:
 
Professional Assistance:

Texas Forest Products Laboratory
P. O. Box 310
Lufkin, TX 75902-0310
(409) 639-8180
www.txforestservice.tamu.edu
Information on all Texas native woods

Components/Materials/Systems:

See "Floor Laying, Refinishing, & Resurfacing" and "Floor Materials" in Yellow Pages.

Reused Flooring:

Delta Lumber Company
4701 E. 5th St.
Austin, TX 78702
(512) 385-1812
Longleaf yellow pine

Long Lost Lumber
600B Wayside
Wimberly, TX 78676
(512) 923-2650
longlostlumber@yahoo.com
www.longlostlumber.com
Recycled wood supplier

Natural Performance
Elgin, TX
(512) 303-1947
recycler@ccsi.com
www.naturalperformance.com/longleaf
Recycled long leaf pine supplier

Precision Woodworks
507 E. Jackson St.
Burnet, TX 78611
(512) 756-6950
Longleaf Yellow Pine, recycled wood suppliers

Texas Architectural Timbers
5446 Arroyo Luis
Bulverde, TX 78163
(210) 385-3052
Reclaimed oak, shagbark hickory, and chestnut

What It's Worth
P.O. Box 162135
Austin, TX 78716
(512) 328-8837
wiwpine@aol.com
Longleaf yellow pine, recycled wood suppliers

Mesquite and other Texas woods:

Cedar Canyon Wood Works
11729 Lime Creek Rd.
Leander, TX 78641
(888) 426-7978
www.flash.net/~ccwdwrks

South Texas Fine Woods
4326 Hwy. 90 East
Uvalde, TX 78801
(830) 278-1832

Texas Kiln Products Inc.
Rt. 2 Box 171D
Smithville, TX 78957
(512) 360-4385, (512) 237-2215
Texas wood supplier

Texas Woods Incorporated
1192 Hwy. 304
Bastrop, TX 78602
(800) 687-1779
www.texaswoods.com

WCW Mesquite
P. O. Box 636
Hondo, TX 78861
(830) 426-3000

Bamboo Flooring:

Bamboo 2000, LLC
3765 Motor Ave., #601
Los Angeles, CA 90034
(800) 331-1116
www.bamboo2000.com

Bamboo Flooring International
20950 Currier Rd.
Walnut, CA 91789
(800) 827-9261
www.bamboo-flooring.com

Bamboo Hardwoods, Inc.
510 S. Industrial Way
Seattle, WA 98108
(800) 783-0557
(206) 264-2414
www.barmboohardwoods.com

California Bamboo Flooring Company
Tan-Pri International, Inc.
134 Paul Dr., #102
San Rafael, CA 94903
(888) 548-7548
www.californiabamboo.com

Mintec Corp.
100 E. Pennsylvania Ave.
Towson, MD 21286
888-9MINTEC
www.bamtex.com

Plyboo America, Inc.
745 Chestnut Ridge Rd.
Kirkville, NY 13082
(800) 210-1719
(315) 687-3240
www.plyboo-america.com

Smith & Fong Company
Plyboo Bamboo Products
375 Oyster Point Blvd. #3
San Francisco, CA 94080
(866) 835-9859
(650) 872-1184
www.plyboo.com

Teragren LLC
12715 Miller Rd NE, #301
Bainbridge Island, WA 98110
(800) 929-6333
www.teragren.com

General Assistance:

Building Concerns
131 W. Blithedale Ave.
Mill Valley, CA 94941
(415) 389-8049
www.interiorconcerns.org

National Hardwood Lumber Association
P. O. Box 34518
Memphis, TN 38184-0518
(901) 377-1818
www.natlhardwood.org

National Oak Flooring Manufacturers Association
P. O. Box 3009
Memphis, TN 38173-0009
(901) 526-5016

National Wood Flooring Association
16388 Westwoods Business Park
Ellisville, MO 63021
www.woodfloors.org