Do you want to renovate the floors in your home and choose an ecological material for basement renovation Ottawa? Are you looking for the most natural and healthy material possible? There are several solutions depending on the nature of the existing floor, the room concerned, and the desired use. I have selected some ecological materials without VOCs for you to use as floor coverings in the renovation of your interior.
Floor coverings to use in bathrooms
Browse for basement renovation Ottawa near me and find Cashflow Construction for the best results. For damp basements or rooms subject to water splashes (bathroom, kitchen, laundry room), you must ensure that you have a waterproof and non-porous coating. For example, we will avoid linoleum, sisal, cement tiles, or parquet. However, you can use seagrass, OSB 3, cork, or porcelain stoneware.
Seagrass
Seagrass flooring is the result of weaving a solid and hydrophilic natural plant fiber. Several weaves are possible: twists, herringbones or mats, to obtain different decorative styles. This covering is installed in rolls, like a flexible floor, and in a glued installation (use solvent-free glue, such as Volvox glue ).
It is relatively thin, around 6mm, which allows you to install it on your old covering, provided that it is in good condition. Its natural and warm fiber will enable you to create cocooning, bohemian, or minimalist atmospheres.
OSB3 without formaldehyde
If you want a wooden floor in your bathrooms without buying exotic wood, OSB panels are an excellent alternative! They are easy to install and assemble, inexpensive, and easy to maintain. OSB panels offer the advantages of wood’s warmth and raw aesthetic, perfectly suited to natural, minimal, or industrial decor.
Like a classic wooden floor, the thickness varies from 12 to 22mm. A colorless stain or varnish will make it easier to maintain over time. Tip: Add a little natural white pigment to the varnish to lighten the wood and avoid an overly yellow tint.
Porcelain stoneware
Porcelain stoneware is a material composed of earth, feldspar, and pigments. It is fired at very high temperatures to obtain a resistant, rot-proof, and inert material. It can be enameled or mass-tinted and offers an infinite number of formats and colors. For a bathroom floor, select non-slip tiles (R10 standard).
This floor is extremely rigid; it does not tolerate variations well. If you have a heated floor or a wooden floor, choose small formats. In addition, it is a material that conducts heat as well as coolness. So, be sure to put a layer of insulation or a waterproofing mat underneath if your support is cold. Its thickness varies from 6mm to 1.2cm for the interior. Thin floors (6mm) are advantageous but fragile and expensive; study the nature of your support carefully before purchasing it.
Floor coverings to use in bedrooms
Many of us want soft, warm, and easy-to-maintain coverings for bedroom floors, which unfortunately often leads us to choose flexible PVC floors, which contain many VOCs and endocrine disruptors. Fortunately, solutions exist in healthy and ecological materials, like sisal, natural linoleum, parquet, or even cork.
Cork floors
Cork oak is a 100% natural material with astonishing properties. It is hot moldable and can be made into rolls of flooring slabs or parquet. It is a resistant, flexible, and warm covering. It does not fear humidity and is even waterproof, insulating, and antibacterial!
Several cork patterns and color variations are possible depending on the surface varnish used. Thanks to its foolproof resistance and soft surface, cork is particularly suitable for children’s rooms and basements! For all purposes, contact basement renovation contractors because it’s not a task for a single person.
The floor
Although there are many possible species of wood, we mainly use oak, spruce, chestnut, ash, or beech. We favor local wood from sustainably managed forests, if possible, from a local sawmill. Several natural parquet options are possible: solid (solid wood strip) or laminated (layer of solid wood glued to a more modest or medium wood core).
The first will be 100% organic, while the second will contain glue. Some laminated parquet floors contain glues with more or less formaldehyde, so pay attention to the composition. Thicknesses vary from 10 to 24 mm, and there are all types of formats and installations: rafters, wide planks, English planks, etc. Its assets are warmth and natural beauty. However, it must be oiled or varnished and taken care of regularly.
Cement tiles
Made from cement and pigments, cement tiles are dried in the open air and in the sun. Their artisanal manufacturing allows a great diversity of patterns and colors, reminiscent of the old floors of bourgeois houses. Due to its composition and thickness (20 mm), cement is a resistant material and very attractive if you want a vintage or even Art-deco style.
However, it is a porous material that needs to be protected regularly with a pore filler (provide a pore filler based on natural linseed oil). Therefore, it is strongly recommended not to use it in water rooms. Well maintained, it is a material that will delight you in the long term. Basement renovation Ottawa should be ecologically friendly.
Clay Concrete
Made from natural clay and sand, clay concrete is a solution for creating an ecological and healthy raw screed. With a thickness of 8 to 12 cm, you can leave it in a raw finish by simply protecting it with hard vegetable oil. With this type of floor, you will obtain a concrete slab-type finish, ideal for industrial or minimalist interiors—but this time without VOC!
This natural material also helps regulate humidity and clean the interior by increasing comfort. Its smooth surface allows large spaces to be created in one piece: the possibility of making 40m2 between the splitting joints. Maintenance is easy with natural products and vacuuming without scratches.
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