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Opting for Eco Tiles? Get to Know These Tips

Are you having thoughts of remodeling your bathroom or kitchen? Some of the items you would most likely have to purchase for such spaces are floor and wall tiles. If you have started exploring you might be amazed by the great variety of options, colors shapes, and textures. You want to be sure that you are making the right choices to have a great looking space that you would enjoy for some time without having to remodel again.

If you happen to be a conscious consumer, you will also want to be sure that you acquire a product that is eco-friendly and will promote a healthy environment for the family. But, can you really have the best everything in terms of tiles that are beautiful and eco-friendly? The answer is yes, you can by choosing eco tiles

Eco Tiles Tips

Recycled content

Imagine that the tiles you are considering are comprised of recycled materials. If such is the situation, how much percentage? Tiles that come with high recycled content are helpful in avoiding precious virgin materials that are obtained from nature while repurposing used materials that would otherwise be dispatched to landfill. One example of tiles that have high recycled content is terrazzo tiles. These are composed of pre-consumer recycled waste acquired from scraps of the marble/stone industry. One more example is glass tiles that are made from discarded glass bottles. Alternatively, you may also look for salvaged tiles that in practice will be equivalent to 100% recycled content.

Renewable materials

Verify if tiles are comprised of renewable materials. Meaning, although new materials are obtained from nature, they could easily be replaced so the impact of using them would be very low. For example, bamboo tiles look beautiful in bathrooms and since bamboo grows at an amazing speed, it is deemed as a sustainable material. Just be careful, however, and check that the bamboo tiles do not have formaldehyde, which is a toxic chemical.

eco friendly tiles

Non-toxic

There are some materials that are composed of unpleasant chemicals that are utilized as adhesives/binders in the assembly or production of the tiles. A ceramic tile is a mineral product so by their nature, it does not contain any VOCs. But some tiles that are made with artificial materials might do. Be sure to check that your chosen tiles and adhesives do not contain any VOCs or other types of toxic chemicals, as that could be unhealthy for you and your family.

The energy utilized in the manufacture

One more aspect of environment-friendly tiles is the low energy used during production. In fact, some of them can be cured, instead of fired like encaustic or hydraulic tiles. These are often made of different colors of cement or clay and created by hand with the use of a hydraulic press and mold.

Green business practices

Verify that the producers apply sustainable business practices like delivering carbon-free or making use of electric vehicles that would not pollute the air. Some of them would use energy from renewables during the manufacturing process, recycle, and responsibly dispose of waste.

Selecting tiles to transform your home is never an easy task. There are a lot of options to choose from and if you opt to buy eco-friendly products, be sure to read the small print and check out their characteristics.