Category Archives: Flooring

A healthier home

One of the major requirements for our home was that the large surface areas (painted areas and floors) be”low VOC” or “no VOC”.

For the flooring we have chosen Mosowood bamboo flooring, it has both low VOC and low formaldehyde levels. The colour is Australian 1. We discovered this product a couple of years ago through Bamboo and Timber. Unfortunately they no longer have a showroom in Melbourne, but you can have samples sent out.

Paint was a bit harder to specify. There are many low VOC paints for interiors available, but not so many for exteriors. The big paint companies – Wattyl, Dulux, etc. – don’t make them, but there are several small boutique manufacturers. We have chosen to use eColour, which is a zero VOC paint manufactured in Australia.

We also found a low VOC two-pack for the kitchen cabinets polyurethane for the bench top but the cabinet maker’s painters have used them before and don’t recommend them. They are looking for alternatives for us.

The floor is on

The floor has been installed (well, the base boards for the floor to be laid on) with under floor insulation.  The ducting for the central heating and the plumbing has been fitted underneath the house, although there seem to be a few missing plumbing points – something to confirm with the builder.

It’s almost time for the frame to go up!

Cork Tiles

Ever wondered what happens to those wine corks that groups collect for fundraising? Well apparently they are used to make cork tiles, such as those made by Comcork.  We have given up on the idea of carpet for the upstairs attic.  This area is likely to be a TV room initially and the only carpets we can “safely” use for Oscar will not be very soft, so not great for lounging around on the floor.  Hubby came up with the great idea of Cork tiles.  They tick all the boxes:

  • Low VOC and Low Toxicity (depending on the manufacturing process) – Comcork look OK.
  • It has good insulating properties
  • It’s fire retardant
  • It’s a good sound barrier, so great for 2nd stories
  • It’s hypo allergenic
  • It’s soft and warm
  • It bounces back after impact
  • It’s impermeable to gases and liquids, so doesn’t rot