Eco Building Materials

A Green Guide For Your Home

Eco Building Materials - Each of the following articles looks at a particular material in detail. Full of resources and information on eco homes, whether you are renovating, refurbishing or redesigning your interior spaces.

Who says Going Green Has To Be Complicated!

Solid Srface Materials

Paperstone
The recycled content composite alternative to natural stone and synthetic hard/solid surface materials.

Building Materials

Recycled glass
An analysis of the eco properties of this material used in interior design and your home.

Concrete
There is a divide in the industry whether concrete is green or not. Durability versus extremely energy intensive manufacturing. Read the facts here.

Clay plaster
An alternative to gypsum plaster with lower levels of embodied energy & excellent eco properties.

Lime plaster
The natural more eco friendly alternative to gypsum plaster for your interior walls.

Natural Fibre Materials

Sisal
A durable natural fibre alternative for flooring and wall coverings

Seagrass
The sustainable natural fibre alternative for wall and floor coverings

Timber

Reusing old timber
Reclaimed, recycled, salvaged, second hand & waste timber.

Avoid: Imported timber, exotic timber, tropical timber, hardwood timber and softwood timber from non certified and non sustainably managed forests.

Timber Alternatives

Palmwood
Harvested from sterile coconut palms once nut production has stopped. An alternative to exotic hardwood timber.

Lyptus Wood
A hardwood alternative that is fast growing, renewable and sustainable.

Bamboo
Rapidly becoming the eco alternative material to replace traditional non sustainable timber products with a fast growing alternative

Cork
Rapidly becoming the eco choice of interior materials to replace traditional timber products with a sustainable alternative.

Timber Board Substitutes

Formaldehyde free & certified sustainable fibreboard
Fibreboard alternative (e.g. MDF) for use in your home benefiting your health and reducing destruction of natural forests. Not the 1st eco choice, but in the right direction to a healthier home.

Wheat/straw board
The eco alternative to timber particleboard

Kirei board
A plywood alternative found as a waste product of grain harvesting.

Flooring

Unhealthy flooring
Eco problems with synthetic carpet, timber, vinyl floor coverings and false claims of eco flooring.

Linoleum flooring
The durable and versatile eco manufactured flooring choice.

Wool carpet
The 100% healthy, natural, sustainable and renewable choice for carpets in your home.

Goat hair carpet
A natural carpet that is a more environmentally friendly alternative for your home.

Recycled carpet
Made from recycled PET and nylon creating less waste in landfill sites and lower VOCs.

Recycled leather tiles
Natural, warm, recycled floor and wall tile alternative to synthetic materials.

Reclaimed floor
Salvaged timber floor boards, floor tiles, floor bricks and recycled timber flooring. A great way to use post consumer waste materials in your home.

Carpet backing
An eco analysis of natural and synthetic floor backings

Floor underlay
Natural floor underlay & synthetic floor underlay – An eco analysis of various materials

Paint

Paint – Part 1
Looking at conventional & synthetic paints, your health and the environment.

Paint – Part 2
Why choose eco paints? The facts why natural paints are a better environmental choice.

Paint - Part 3
The different types of natural & eco friendly paint currently on the market.

Paint - Part 4
Looking at the different natural and non synthetic paints and stains for interior woodwork.

Paint - Part 5
Looking at less environmentally damaging alternatives for painting your metal work in the home.

Wallpaper

Eco guide to wallpaper
The alternatives to synthetic products.

Tiles

Tiles
The low down on tiles and the environment.

Fabric

Green Textiles
What to consider when choosing fabrics for your home furnishings.

Cotton
The difference between conventional & organic cotton from farming, processing to the consumer.

Sheep Wool
An eco perspective of this natural insulating animal fibre.

Silk
An environmental and ethical analysis of this natural fibre.

Linen
An eco evaluation of linen / flax fibre as a soft furnishings and interiors material.

Jute
The eco credentials for this natural renewable material.

Modal
The 100% natural alternative fibre made out of beech wood chippings.

Bamboo
An eco analysis of natural bamboo fibres for your home furnishings & textiles.

Camel hair
Animal hair, hand harvested during molting season to weave into textiles for your home.

For a deeper look at how to use eco building materials in the home, read the article series on Green guide to rooms

Eco Building Materials - Other Resources

Hemp Building Materials
Hemp is a very versatile fiber that can be manufactured into a variety of products such as fiberboard, wallboard, roofing tiles, insulation, paneling, and bricks.

Green Building Press
Information and publications to help you create healthy and ecological homes and buildings.

www.BuildingTradeSupplies.com
Building Trade Supplies.com is a one stop platform for all building equipment and products, shop online for your trade clothes, equipment and supplies.

www.okohaus.ie
Timber Frame Homes and Houses in Ireland.

Get Listed In the Green Directory.
The Green Directory lists environmentally friendly websites, individual products and resources on the Internet.