There exists a wider selection of flooring materials today than ever before. The most common include wood, bamboo, tile, vinyl, linoleum, and carpeting. When it comes to building green, not all of these materials are equal. For instance, vinyl flooring, like other PVC products, is made of petroleum, is not recyclable, and tends to off-gas harmful chemicals. Most carpeting is currently made from nylon, another petroleum-based product. Neither vinyl nor nylon is biodegradable. Stone flooring is durable but nonrenewable and requires a large amount of energy for extraction, transport, and installation. In other cases, the material itself may be renewable, such as bamboo or cork, but the products used to finish the floor may contain volatile organic compounds (VOCs), a health hazard.

There exists a wider selection of flooring materials today than ever before. The most common include wood, bamboo, tile, vinyl, linoleum, and carpeting. When it comes to building green, not all of these materials are equal. For instance, vinyl flooring, like other PVC products, is made of petroleum, is not recyclable, and tends to off-gas harmful chemicals. Most carpeting is currently made from nylon, another petroleum-based product. Neither vinyl nor nylon is biodegradable. Stone flooring is durable but nonrenewable and requires a large amount of energy for extraction, transport, and installation. In other cases, the material itself may be renewable, such as bamboo or cork, but the products used to finish the floor may contain volatile organic compounds (VOCs), a health hazard.