Remodeling Basics: Windows, Floors, Walls
By Debra Lynn Dadd
To create the greenest home environment, choose sustainable, nontoxic materials instead of synthetics, which pollute indoor air. In addition, the windows you select can reduce your energy bills while boosting your home’s comfort level.
Windows 101
Gorgeous windows are more than a major design feature; most feature technology that makes them more energy efficient than older styles. Though expensive, they ultimately pay for themselves in energy savings. (Although energy-efficient vinyl windows are inexpensive and widely available, Natural Home can’t recommend them because vinyl manufacturing is extremely toxic.) Choose materials and energy-efficiency features appropriate for your geographical area. Certification programs, Internet research, and local advisors can help you pick the best.
Floor Primer
Because new flooring can be costly in terms of money and resources, don’t replace it until it’s worn beyond repair. As an alternative, refinish wood floors and replace only damaged portions. Carpets can be renewed with a deep cleaning. If a floor is in good condition but you just can’t stand it anymore, remove it carefully and take it to a salvage yard to be reclaimed.
Make indoor air quality your number one flooring concern. Consider both the basic material and any special finishes or maintenance a new floor might require.
Intro to Walls
If you’re building walls during a major renovation, standard gypsum board is fine to use—it’s nontoxic and made from recycled materials. The more important concern is what you put on those walls. Vinyl wallpaper and oil-based paint can outgas toxic fumes for months. Most major paint manufacturers now make low-VOC, water-based paints, and there are also natural paints made from plant resins (see “A Paint Primer,” page 72). You might also consider wood paneling or ceramic wall tiles.
On the Walls
by Misty McNally
From sisal and bamboo to rice and parchment, there’s an environmentally friendly wallcovering
with a price to fit any pocketbook.
Once upon a time, wallpaper was simply that—printed paper—applied to walls with a flour-based paste. In the mid-twentieth century, manufacturers added so-called improvements: vinyl and PVC, formaldehyde, chemical dyes, fungicides, and powerful adhesives. The “paper” went up with less effort, lasted longer, and even peeled off easier. The unfortunate byproduct, though, was volatile organic compounds (VOCs), toxic vapors from the solvents, plastics, paints, and glues that may cause headaches, dizziness, visual disorders, memory impairment, respiratory illness, and even liver or kidney damage, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
Happily, a few manufacturers are coming full circle, eliminating the chemical additives and offering an array of natural or recycled materials and less toxic adhesives that offer wall-to-wall beauty.
ALL-NATURAL WALL Renewable resources such as rice, sisal, bamboo, linen, grasses, wood, and cork are just a few of the beautiful options that create rich, diverse textures and are mostly biodegradable. If you choose wood, select a product that’s been certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (www.FSC.org).
WALL “PAPER” Handmade paper, parchment, and rice paper are available in every pattern and color imaginable. Newer, greener options tout water-based inks without formaldehyde, heavy metals, PVC, or vinyl backing. (Avoid using paper-type wallcoverings in moist areas where mildew and mold can develop.)
RECYCLED Polyester, cloth, and phone books are just two of the post-consumer materials being reused in innovative wallcoverings. Though not “natural,” they keep waste out of the landfill. Check with the manufacturer to ensure low VOC emissions and odors.
Stay Away From…
• vinyl backings and coatings, which emit VOCs
• mildew and insect repellents (except for boric acid)
CRAFT A WALL
Handcrafted wall decorating is back in vogue and ever so resourceful when you use scraps (see “Try This,” page 36). If you’re not ready to commit to an entire room, try a border, a contrast stripe, or one wall. Do a test run on a scrap board or the inside of a closet to watch for colorfastness and adhesion. Then check again for durability and fastness when dry.
Try these:
• newspapers and comics
• wallpaper samples and scraps
• torn paper sacks, applied in a patchwork (looks like leather)
• cloth and ribbons (stapled, draped, or held in place with molding; batting underneath makes a great sound muffler)
• copies of old photos
• bark
• pages from an old book
• botanical prints
OFF THE WALL
These innovative wallcoverings may sway future trends.
• DialTones wallpaper (by Pallas) is made from recycled Japanese phone books. Mixed with natural tints, it comes in several hues (www.PallasTextiles.com/dialtones.asp).
•New York University students have created solar-powered wallpaper from electroluminescent materials that responds to a room’s natural lighting needs and can be manually adjusted with the help of a solar-powered battery.
• Johns Manville’s Textra might be called “glass wallpaper” because it’s made from abundant resources: sand, lime, and clay. Textra covers everything from outdated paneling to cracked plaster, and it’s low VOC, mold repellent, and super durable (www.JM.com).