Green is the new standard for wood flooring in Boulder County

By L.L. Charles

The “greening” of our homes can seem a bit complicated at times, with talk of “high R’s” and “low e’s” and such.

But mostly, it’s about making simple changes in how we live in our homes. Want an example? It’s right under your feet. It’s your floor.

“Wood flooring brings an aesthetic plus to your home,” says Clarence Harrison, owner of WoodWise Hardwood Floors in Boulder, who has been installing and refinishing Front Range floors for more than 20 years. “A wood floor is easy to maintain and has a long life.” But choosing the wood, installation methods and finishes each has an impact, he explains, and an opportunity to do the Right Thing.

Actually, several right things, it turns out. “Most wood flooring is derived from hardwood trees. When we use hardwood purchased domestically, this helps stimulate the economy where it is locally harvested and it is milled,” Harrison explains. “Oak is the most plentifully farmed hardwood in the nation, and we use it in over half of all our installations. It has the integrity and beauty that makes it a favorite.

“We also install reclaimed wood flooring, which helps conservation by returning re-milled, salvaged timbers to use and keeps materials out of the waste stream. Plus, it has zero impact on living trees.”

We know we want sustainably harvested wood, right? But what does that mean, and how can we be sure? “Look for the FSC stamp on wood products,” Harrison advises. “The Forest Stewardship Council is a professional organization that uses stringent chain of custody rules on wood products to ensure they are properly sourced. Wood producers must meet 57 different criteria, including protection of wildlife and minimal use of pesticides. Of all the green flooring certifications, FSC is the gold standard.”

But there’s more, Harrison cautions. “Even sustainable products like bamboo and cork have to be shipped long distances, from Asia, Central and South America. That creates a huge carbon footprint. We feel that choosing domestically harvested, FSC-certified wood flooring is the most environmentally responsible approach. It’s the one we take at WoodWise.”

Bamboo flooring has become very popular, and because it is a fast-growing wood source, it is considered by many to be “sustainable.” But, in addition to its transportation footprint, some of the sources for bamboo do not pass FSC scrutiny, Harrison cautions.

OK, we’ve chosen properly sourced wood, and we’re ready to bring it all home. Let’s look at how the installation and care of your floor impact your personal space.

As you might expect, installing a wood floor can create a lot of dust and sawdust. Most installers leave a “brown cloud” behind – suspended particulates that can take days to settle, and never get completely cleaned from your home.
WoodWise uses a unique dustless process that captures the dust right away at ground level, keeping it out of your home’s nooks and crannies. “This is an important advantage we offer,” Harrison says. “We keep 99 percent of the dust from reaching your home’s surface areas. You don’t want all the dust in your air, or in the duct work. I’m a runner, and I don’t want that stuff in my lungs – or yours!”

Finishing your floor is another area where WoodWise reduces the environmental impact. Few wood finishes are truly environmentally friendly, and the solvents used in most products can give off toxic fumes for months after application. “Natural oils look great, but they don’t hold up,” Harrison explains. “For most applications, water-based finishes are the best way to go. They have really improved in terms of ease of application and durability, and there aren’t any toxic ingredients. I think oil-based finishes may be phased out as more viable ecological alternatives come to market.”

Harrison also pays attention to what happens with leftover materials from a WoodWise installation. Smaller pieces of desirable hardwoods are snapped up by a craftsman who turns them into even more desirable artisan boxes. “We have a guy that comes in once a month and picks up dust and scraps. He mixes this with ground-up pallets to make pellet fuel for wood stoves.”

Step up to a green floor! Contact WoodWise Hardwood Floors at 303.442.7777 or visit www.WoodWiseBoulder.com.

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Boulder Creek Life and Home

 

 

 “A long time ago, we made a commitment to build all of our homes to Built Green standards,” recalls company principal David Gregg, who guides the architecture, project development and community planning. “As we analyzed the requirements, we discovered that in many instances, we were already building to those standards. We tweaked some of our construction specifications, and created some new efficiencies in our methods. Overall, going green was a pretty easy transition for us.”

To understand the full impact of Boulder Creek’s commitment to green building, consider this: every home it builds meets or exceeds Built Green standards. And Boulder Creek is doing this in six different Front Range communities, every day, across every price point.

“What we do is utilize proven and practical green building techniques and materials, bringing them into the mainstream to create homes that deliver high value and lower energy costs,” explains David Sinkey, vice president and co-owner. “This allows us to do more with each home, and to do more of them.”

Gregg says it all comes down to the details. “The insulation we use, the type of windows, the framing techniques and the way we seal the homes to prevent air leakage, it all requires strong field coordination and the willingness to follow through, to make sure that all the steps are done right.”

Low-E glazed windows and blown-in cellulose insulation make your home easy to heat and a breeze to cool, lowering your annual cost for heating and cooling your home year in and year out. Two-by-six framing is standard instead of the two-by-fours you’ll find elsewhere, creating sturdier, deeper walls that hold more insulation and are more soundproof.

At two points during each home’s construction, an independent third-party construction observation company inspects each home to ensure it is being built to code and to Boulder Creek standards, Gregg says. “They conduct a pre-drywall inspection, checking the ducts, caulking and sealing.”

This dedication to quality construction and design earned Boulder Creek Life and Home nationwide recognition in 2008 when the National Association of Home Builders recognized the Blue Vista community in Longmont with a Development of the Year Award for “excellence in green residential design and construction practices, and outstanding green advocacy efforts.”

Me? Buy a home? Don’t miss the “My First Home Expo” on Saturday, Feb. 27

Are you considering your first home purchase? Boulder Creek invites you to an exciting and informative event, designed to help you get the information you need to make an informed home buying decision. Attend free seminars on financial planning, lending practices, tax credits  and organizing your first home – each presented by professionals who are recognized experts in their field. 

Enjoy a free barbecue lunch and refreshments, and watch the home energy efficiency demonstrations by Home Performance Solutions (complete with a blower door test and thermal imaging). Register to win one of several iPod Nanos. And you’ll be helping a good cause just by attending, since the event sponsors will donate $20 to the Emergency Family Assistance Association for every registered attendee.

Expo sponsors include Boulder Creek Life and Home, Taylor Moving Company, County Line Lumber Company and Advantage Bank.

 

My First Home Expo will be held at Kingsbridge Townhomes, 1656 Venice Lane, Longmont. For more information and directions, call 303.502.5338 or e-mail info@LiveKingsbridge.com.

 

 

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