Click here to read the introduction to the Sourcing local wood building materials article

By Rob Whitten and Russ Tyson

Ash flooring at a home in Brunswick. Photo by Carol Liscovitz Photography. — Ash flooring at a home in Brunswick. Designer: Maines Design. Photo by Carol Liscovitz Photography.

Flooring is a big early decision in home construction, even though it goes in at the end. It has to work with the windows, the heating system, the intended use and the lifestyle of the occupants. It may seem that we ask flooring to do the impossible. It has to be beautiful AND it must withstand scuffing, scratching and spills.

Fortunately, one material works in almost every situation. It’s been a mainstay material forever and it’s gaining new cachet for its light carbon footprint. Before we extol the multiple benefits of wood flooring, let us consider other materials, many of which we have worked with and can recommend in certain situations.

VINYL

We have little good to say about vinyl. It’s an artificial product, masquerading as a naturalone. It never comes off very well. There are materials that age gracefully and materials that don’t. Vinyl only looks worse over time. In its favor, vinyl is inexpensive and comes in many grades and patterns. Traditionally, it’s a thin sheet that rolls out and is cut to fit the room. A more recent product is Luxury Vinyl Tile (or LVT), which is heavier in composition. The pieces snap into place tightly to create a water seal. Cheap in dollars, vinyl carries a high environmental cost. This is due not just to the manufacturing process, but also to its relatively short useful life, which means it contributes to the waste stream when it is ripped out and replaced.

CARPET

This is another material we avoid. It has some of the same attributes as vinyl – ridiculously cheap in dollars with a high environmental cost. Some carpets are made from recycled materials, which makes them a little less bad. Carpet has an additional drawback over vinyl: it is a wonderful germ factory. If you want something soft underfoot, we recommend area rugs.

STONE

Stone has very high durability. We recommend it in places that may get wet, such as a mudroom or in front of a porch door. We like indoor spaces that connect to the outdoors. Stone is getting popular with door systems that allow large openings to the outside. Stone can be cold underfoot, but you can use the thermal conductivity to your advantage as stone works well with radiant heating. On the downside, stone is unforgiving. It’s hard on the knees and joints. On the plus side, you can get locally quarried stone here in Maine. There are a whole bunch of indigenous materials – granite, quartzite, slate. And material from the region naturally makes the home feel more like it belongs. Stone is expensive, but slate and bluestone are more affordable.

TILE

Ceramic tile is almost as durable as stone, with many more options in color and texture. The content ranges widely from natural materials, such as terra cotta clay, to recycled ceramic to unknown materials and exotic glazes. Some tile is now available in very large sheets. We use tile in combination with other materials, and mostly as an accent. As a material processed under high heat, tile has a high embodied carbon content.

CORK

Cork is a wonderful flooring material with green credentials, although the green credentials bear some scrutiny. Its cachet comes from cork trees’ ability to withstand live harvesting of their bark, which naturally regrows with no lasting damage to the tree. Cork used in flooring is actually ground up residue mixed and compressed with a binder. Formaldehyde binders have been phased out and safer ones are now used. Cork’s shock-absorbing qualities translate into comfort underfoot, which makes it great in places where you spend long periods standing, such as the kitchen. We’ve done a few cork floors. We recommend it for adult spaces, not for kids. It’s water-resistant, but not waterproof. It’s durable but not that tough. It comes in tiles and planks.

BAMBOO

Bamboo is another renewable resource with green credentials. It’s actually a grass that grows incredibly quickly and, once harvested, will re-sprout from the roots without replanting. Processing bamboo involves kiln drying, boiling and often steaming. All of these processes are energy-intensive as is the shipping from Southeast Asia. Durability is variable, with strand bamboo similar to domestic hardwoods in hardness, while laminated bamboo is fairly soft. Bamboo, like cork, does require adhesives to hold fibers together — and some adhesives off-gas volatile organic compounds.

White oak flooring. Photo courtesy of Whitten Architects.

WOOD

Wood has been the go-to material for flooring in New England since colonial days. It’s still the best for most situations. It wears very well and has good character. Wood does swell during the summer months, which must be accommodated, but there is less swelling if the flooring is milled in a quarter-sawn orientation. A high-quality installer makes a difference. A good flooring installer gets all the wood together, culls out the bad stuff, puts the longer runs in more visible places and uses the other stuff in closets. That’s a real skill. It can be used with radiant heat, but shouldn’t be used on a concrete slab as humidity migrating through concrete can cause wood to swell and warp. We recommend a high-quality finish, something impregnated with a matte finish. You don’t want it shiny like the Boston Garden. There are newer, more sustainable finishes available.

WIDE PINE

Wide pine flooring evokes the colonial era and Maine’s moniker of “The pine tree state.” It’s not nearly as durable as hardwood, but the wear marks give a house character. Red pine is harder and less expensive than white pine and makes a better floor, but it has become scarce. If you’re building a traditional house or a summer camp, wide pine flooring is an excellent choice.

ENGINEERED WOOD FLOORING

This is becoming a very popular choice, combining the look of wood with the dimensional stability of tile. It comes in a host of styles and is usually prefinished, although we prefer finishing it after installation. It’s actually a veneer surface of hardwood attached to a composite or plywood substrate and won’t expand and contract through the seasons as wood strip flooring does. Because of its dimensional stability, it’s probably the first choice if you are installing radiant heating. We try to get engineered flooring with the wearing surface at least a quarter-inch thick so the floor can be refinished just as many times as the traditional tongue and groove wood flooring.

Rob Whitten is the founder of Whitten Architects, where he specializes in New England residential design. A member of The Portland Society for Architecture and the American Institute of Architects, Whitten believes that a well-designed home should fit its site and context and look like it’s always been there.

Russ Tyson is a principal of Whitten Architects, a member of the AIA and on the board of the Portland Society for Architecture. Russ has always enjoyed the spontaneity of sketching and design and believes that good architecture begins with good listening.

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