Natural flooring – healthy & sustainable living!

Sustainability and health are becoming increasingly important in nutrition, lifestyle and fashion. But ecological standards are also becoming increasingly important when it comes to furnishings, house construction and renovation. Last but not least, the call for naturalness is getting louder and louder - not only from an ethical but also a physical and psychological perspective: handmade unique pieces from small manufacturers instead of mass production, self-made and upcycling projects instead of constantly new purchases. Natural flooring fits in perfectly with a sustainable, prudent and, above all, decelerated lifestyle!

In this article, we explain what makes natural flooring so popular and provide guidance on which floor coverings are available to you if you want to live naturally and healthily!

Sustainability & health in flats and houses

Housing and house-building projects are becoming more sustainable nowadays. Of course, this is primarily about preserving our planet and a future worth living. But health is also playing an increasingly important role in the renovation, refurbishment and new build projects. And this also includes mental health. Healthy living concepts are therefore not just about low pollution, but also about slowing down and feeling good and comfortable.

As in many other areas of life, we are attaching more and more importance to the careful manufacture of floor coverings and a long service life. Having to replace flooring every 5 years is neither environmentally friendly nor good for our wallets. Natural flooring can also increase the sense of well-being in a room and thus ensure both mental and physical health in the long term.

A natural floor covering made from renewable raw materials can promote well-being.

Natural flooring - which floors are suitable?

Natural flooring is all well and good, but which floors are suitable for healthy and sustainable living? In principle, the most suitable floors for environmentally friendly living concepts. The natural floorings are made from renewable raw materials. One can consider resilient and textile floor coverings as well as hard floor coverings.

Vinyl without vinyl - how does that work?

As the call for natural flooring becomes ever louder, vinyl flooring manufacturers are responding and developing so-called "vinyl without vinyl". These are designer floors that combine the practical properties of vinyl flooring with naturalness and health. Vinyl or PVC does not have the best ecological footprint, even if well-known manufacturers are increasingly focusing on environmentally friendly production. High-quality vinyl flooring is free of harmful plasticisers.

You can assume that every vinyl floor is a design floor, but not every design floor is a vinyl floor. Many manufacturers develop natural floor coverings and call them design floors. "Natural design flooring" is an alternative name. Manufacturer uses wood, linseed oil and mineral substances to make these natural flooring. There will certainly be a lot more to come in this area in the future, as flooring manufacturers will never tire of developing natural flooring that combines design strength, durability and naturalness.

Design flooring with Blue Angel certification!

As an eco-label of the German government, the Blue Angel provides guidance when buying environmentally friendly products. And floor coverings can also bear the label. Many people are looking for vinyl flooring with Blue Angel certification, but this is a real rarity, as the vinyl itself does not have a particularly good eco-balance.

As an eco-label of the German government, the Blue Angel provides guidance when buying environmentally friendly products. And floor coverings can also bear the label. Many people are looking for vinyl flooring with Blue Angel certification, but this is a real rarity, as the vinyl itself does not have a particularly good eco-balance.

Ecuran flooring - natural floor covering made from bio-polyurethane

One speciality is a natural floor covering made from Ecuran. Ecuran, also known as bio-polyurethane, has chemical components. People have replaced it with natural oils. The name "high-performance composite material" does Ecuran flooring full justice, as the natural material offers a similar level of durability to vinyl flooring and is very resilient and long-lasting.

Components of these natural floors are, for example, castor or rapeseed oil. There are just as few solvents and plasticisers here as on a parquet floor. Ecuran flooring is also comparable to vinyl design flooring in terms of appearance. If you want Ecuran flooring as a natural floor covering, you can opt for Wineo organic flooring or Meister Design Flooring Pro, for example.

Natural fibre carpeting - sustainability meets comfort!

In addition to modern designer flooring, textile floor coverings such as carpets and carpet tiles are also environmentally friendly solutions for living areas. A carpet made from natural fibres such as wool, goat's hair or sisal not only has a good environmental balance, but the natural floor covering also increases the comfort in the room and raises the perceived temperature. This can save up to 12% on heating costs.

Wool rugs have great properties by nature. The natural floor covering ensures a pleasant indoor climate, as the wool can absorb and release moisture from the room air. The natural floor covering can also absorb odours. Wool carpets are also generally antistatic, making it easier to remove dirt. It is safe for people suffering allergy as dust is trapped during the installation of the carpet. You must clean the carpet regularly with a brush vacuum cleaner.

Carpet tiles - natural flooring made from Mongolian goat hair

Tretford carpet tiles are a very special natural floor covering. The natural fibre carpet from Tretford is made from a high-quality, renewable raw material. The wool of the Mongolian cashmere goat is processed in Germany into a high-quality natural product.

As a natural floor covering, the Tretford carpet tile offers an impeccable ecological balance and outstanding comfort. Animal welfare is also considered. As goats live outside all year round and are gently shorn by hand to obtain hard-wearing and dirt-repellent hair.

Parquet flooring - the classic among natural floor coverings

Of course, you can also simply opt for a wooden floor if you want a natural floor covering. Engineered wood flooring is considered to be very environmentally friendly, but of course, whole trees have to be felled for its production. Ideally, when choosing parquet flooring, you should look for FSC or PEFC certification to choose a product from responsible forestry.

Although parquet is largely made of wood, other components are also used in finished parquet, which are not always entirely sustainable. Nevertheless, a parquet is a very good choice in itself if a natural floor covering is required. As every single plank of parquet flooring is unique, the floor has a particularly natural and exclusive look. It's a way of bringing nature into your home!

Cork flooring - the trendy floor made from cork oak

Natural cork flooring is not only extremely comfortable and modern but also particularly sustainable. The reason: the cork oaks do not have to be felled or damaged to extract the cork. The raw material for the cork flooring is therefore obtained without the trees having to stop absorbing climate-damaging CO₂ from the atmosphere.

In some cases, adhesive and click cork floors are not only climate-neutral but even climate-positive, as the cork oaks bind more CO₂ than is produced during the manufacture of the natural floor covering.

In addition to the optimal ecological balance, a natural floor covering made of cork has many other advantages. The ergonomic properties are already familiar to sandals. The honeycomb structure of the cork protects the spine when walking and standing and creates a pleasant walking sensation. Cork flooring also absorbs impact sound and room noise, creating pleasant room acoustics.

It should not be forgotten that a natural floor covering should also look good. Cork parquet can also score points here, as the floor is available as a cork floor with a wood look and tile look as well as in original decor variants. Please note, however, that not all cork floor coverings are natural. In some cases, the decorative layer is made of vinyl.

PVC-free natural cork flooring awaits you in the Cortex Corknatura collection.

Natural flooring with a risk of confusion- Linoleum

Linoleum still has a rather bad reputation, but this is not the floor's fault. It is still often confused with PVC flooring. While PVC flooring is a vinyl floor by the metre, linoleum consists almost exclusively of natural and usually rapidly renewable raw materials. The main components are linseed oil, jute, cork, limestone and wood flour. Like PVC flooring, linoleum flooring is available in rolls.

We explain the difference between linoleum and vinyl in detail here: Linoleum or PVC - which floor covering is suitable for what?

From the contract sector to the living room - linoleum moves into the home

By nature, linoleum has properties that make it an ideal floor for healthcare and educational facilities in particular. As a natural floor covering, linoleum is particularly healthy to live on, but also impresses with its outstanding durability. For example, linoleum flooring can generally withstand heavy foot traffic in department stores, is easy to maintain and resistant to chemicals.

As linoleum by the metre is not so easy to lay and is very heavy, it is usually necessary to call in a specialist to lay it. Although linoleum is a natural floor covering, you can choose from a wide range of colours. The sustainable flooring usually has a subtle marbling, but there is now also linoleum in a wood look.

Although this natural floor covering is mostly used in the contract sector, linoleum flooring is now also finding its way into our living spaces. This is made possible by the renowned linoleum manufacturer Forbo with its Marmoleum Click collection. The click linoleum is available in numerous modern colours and is easy to lay yourself. The linoleum flooring is not only convincing as a natural floor covering in living rooms and children's rooms because the flooring also inspires in terms of design variety.