The term "eco–friendly" is an abbreviation of "ecologically friendly." It encompasses a wide variety of choices in materials including flooring. With the frightening impact of global warming, the world body is alarmingly aware of the importance of eco–friendly materials in our lifestyle. The construction industry, in keeping pace with this philosophy, is striving towards the use of alternative materials, especially different green flooring types.

Eco–friendly flooring is one such aspect. There exists a vast choice in raw materials for green floor choices including bamboo and cork. Two of the best green flooring options are:

Bamboo – a woody grass which has a rapid growth cycle. Bamboo renews itself every five years instead of thirty years or so for normal hardwood. Bamboo flooring typically comes in planks that are made of split bamboo that is flattened, dried, compressed and bonded under high–pressure with glue. The grain orientation of bamboo floor planks is either vertical or horizontal. The interlocking type is the easiest type of bamboo flooring to install. Here adjacent planks click precisely with each other through interlocking joints. The two commonest colors of bamboo floors are natural, like beech, or the slightly darker carbonized, similar to oak.

Cork – harvested from the bark of the cork oak tree. Cork trees have a life of 200 years with the bark regenerating once a decade, making cork an incredible renewable resource. Cork flooring is usually stained and colored but is also available in the natural state where the user can stain the floor according to choice. Other options are a wax finish which leaves the cork floor with a natural look and makes it dirt resistant. Cork flooring is sometimes specially treated for additional properties. Resin reinforcing offers a protective layer to the surface shine. Vinyl impregnated cork flooring comes in a variety of colors with moisture–resistant properties that makes it perfect for bathrooms and kitchens.