Wooden floors:is there an eco friendly option?

S

swordshead

Guest
I plan to put semi or solid walnut wooden floors in my apartment when i move in. The thing is i would really like to buy it from somewhere that could tell me where its been sourced from exactly i.e wherever i buy it from is it possible to find out what country the wood has come from and how it was harvested? I would really like it to come from somewhere where its harvested by doing minimal damage to the environment if that make sense. Does anyone have any info on this?
 
What you are looking for is FSC certified wood - wood that has been sourced according to the ethical guidelines of the Forestry Stewardship Council - an international not-for-profit organisation.
http://www.fsc.org

Nice to see that Coillte are now FSC certified, but since we don't grow much Walnut here, they don't have any to sell you!

These UK-based guys do FSC certified wood, including Walnut:-
http://www.urbaneliving.co.uk/
We got bamboo flooring from them - reasonable delivery charge, nice to deal with, fast delivery.

We would rather have gone with an Irish company, but when we rang around no-one seemed to know what the FSC was... But it is important to insist on it. Only if enough people insist, will the stockists start to pay attention...

If you are buying tropical hardwoods such as Walnut it is doubly important to insist on FSC, as there are very bad things happening in a lot of forested areas of the developing world - to farmers, to animals, to ecosystems.

If in doubt, check out the Friends Of The Earth's "Good Wood Guide":-
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Fantastic! Exactly what i was looking for thanks a million!
 
Rang Coillte..so nice! Theyre going to help me source some walnut with the FSC cert ..excellent! Probaby going to be ridiculously dear as i looked at the UK websites and theyre nearly €155/sqm:eek: .Why is being enironmentally friendly so epxensive?:rolleyes:
 
I know that it's fun to make fun out of hippies - but there is more to this than tofu and open toed sandals...

Just to give you one, personal, example:-

I was in Honduras recently and met with people from an anti illegal logging movement in the Olancho province called MAO (Environmental Movement of Olancho) They are trying to curb illegal logging which is causing soil erosion, interfering with species biodiversity, encouraging land-grabbing, fuelling a black market economy - essentially leading to lawlessness and depriving local farmers of their livelihoods. Their members are routinely executed by loggers who act with impunity. More about this situation here:-
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And while in the North of the country I met a guy who works with the Rainforest Action Network who are trying to stop illegal logging worldwide:-
http://ran.org/
Their work will give you a more international perspective on the issue.

The thing is - it's not just about trees - it's about the species, the ecosystems and the people who depend on the trees. It's cheap to cut down old forests with impunity, but the cost of species extinction, ecosytem destruction and mass destitution is incalculable.

And the amazing thing is that we here as consumers have the power to change all this - simply by refusing to purchase unsustainable wood. I mean, would you buy a rhino horn, or a turtle shell, or an elephant tusk? A plank sawn from an illegally logged tree is just as destructive as those, now anathema, objects.

When I was in Olancho, I promised the people there that I would explain their point of view to the people back in Europe, and I hope that you will take the time to think about their perspective and make an informed decision when next you purchase wood.
 
Good points simp, I would share many of your fears regarding the use and selection of certain timber species. As someone who works in construction I try and source FSC certified product when I can but that can be difficult by times.
 
Glad that you support the FSC perspective, Carpenter.

Carpenter said:
As someone who works in construction I try and source FSC certified product when I can but that can be difficult by times.
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I found the same thing when buying wood, which is why I (reluctantly) had to go to a UK supplier.

But the more people who demand FSC, the more suppliers will think about providing FSC. It starts with the consumer... It doesn't take much for us all to make a difference, if people are aware, determined, and act together.

And it's hardly a fringe concern - both Ikea and B&Q stock purely FSC certified woods! Which is proof that ethics and business are not mutually exclusive.
 
This debate doesn't just relate to "exotic" solid wood, flooring or furniture either- a lot of construction grade plywood is now coming in from China where environmental considerations are low on the agenda. Much of China's forestry is being logged to produce cheap ply destined for european markets.
 
Quite true - and massive deforestation in China is being blamed for alarming levels of desertification and increased flooding.
 
simp said:
both Ikea and B&Q stock purely FSC certified woods! Which is proof that ethics and business are not mutually exclusive.
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Thanks for your replies...it only reinforces what i already was thinking (and partially knew).
It is honestly more expensive though to do e.g. quote for walnut here ~€50/60 sqm...on the UK website quoted above it works out as ~€155/sqm...HUGE difference.
Just out of curiousity Simp why didnt you buy from Ikea or B&Q?
 
simp said:
If in doubt, check out the Friends Of The Earth's "Good Wood Guide":-
[broken link removed]
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A lad from coillte rang me back there...interesting stuff! They can get european walnut imported for me that would be as close to the FSC standard as possible, PEFC. He said american walnut wouldnt come close to being up to these standards, canadian is ok. Thanks for the tip lads..!
 
I can't explain the massive disparity in quotes - but the supplier I mentioned is a bit "boutique", so is bound to be pricier, but I can vouch for the quality.

Unfortunately many suppliers seem to be tagging a yuppie tax onto anything ethical, even though those products are not often significantly more expensive to make.

As for B&Q / Ikea - B&Q had bamboo, but the cost was comparable to the UK supplier and the quality was much greater from the latter - and Ikea only have a limited range of wooden flooring.

Good luck with your shopping around!
 
swordshead said:
A lad from coillte rang me back there...interesting stuff! They can get european walnut imported for me that would be as close to the FSC standard as possible, PEFC. He said american walnut wouldnt come close to being up to these standards, canadian is ok. Thanks for the tip lads..!
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Yes - of course - there is dodgy Walnut and there is exceptional Walnut, and a range of qualities in between. Hopefully you'll find the best one for your needs within your budget.

And don't be dismissive of engineered planks... Actually more environmentally sustainable than solid.

Anyhow, let us know how you get on....
 
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