Your floor holds some heavy responsibilities: Stand up to the wear and tear, spills and stains of everyday life. Clean up easily. Look good. And promote your family’s well-being.
Floors are more than a backdrop to life – they play a role in your family living well. Whether you’re concerned about improving the quality of air inside your home, avoiding harsh cleaners, or picking safe products for the kids, the right floors can make a difference. Whether you’re in the market now for new floors or collecting ideas for the future, your family should consider resilient floors.
First things first: Defining “resilient floors”
Resilient flooring is a category of flooring products, just like hardwood or carpet. You might not have heard the category name, but you’ve probably heard of luxury vinyl tile, rubber, linoleum, and cork. Those are just a few of the popular floors in this category.
Resilient flooring gets its name from its ability to “give” under the impact of footsteps and then spring back into shape. It’s built to endure whatever challenges life throws at it – including helping you care for your family.
Breathe easy: Certified to indoor air standards
Now more than ever, families are thinking about the air they breathe – and what might be in it. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, poor indoor air quality can be a factor in headaches, dizziness, breathing problems, and other effects. While dust and allergens can decrease the quality of your indoor air, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are the more concerning culprit. VOCs are released from many common home goods, furnishings, paints, and varnishes.
That means you have the power to choose products that don’t come with high levels of VOCs – and third-party certifications make this simple for you to do.
Specifically, the FloorScore® IAQ Certification lets you know when flooring products are certified to promote cleaner indoor air quality (IAQ) due to reduced VOC content. FloorScore® makes it easy to know whether the floor you choose contributes to good indoor air quality – no guessing or anxiety involved.
Following the lead of a California building code referred to as “Section 01350,” FloorScore® sets strict limits on the types and amounts of VOCs that can be emitted by non-carpet flooring products. Hundreds of resilient flooring materials and their adhesives have met the standards and earned the FloorScore® label.
FloorScore® is available for other types of hard flooring products as well, but this unique thirdparty certification originated within the resilient flooring category. The Resilient Floor Covering Institute, a trade organization, developed the FloorScore® standards in partnership with SCS Global Services, an internationally recognized third-party certification firm.
Live with confidence: Harsh chemicals aren’t at home here
When you choose resilient flooring, you say “no” to harsh chemical substances coming into close contact with your family.
First, cleaning resilient flooring only requires sweeping and occasional damp mopping using pH neutral cleaners. It’s designed with advanced wear layers that make it easy to clean and maintain without the need for chemical applications or harsh cleaners.
Second, there’s the content of the resilient flooring itself. Whether you have small children, pets, or both spending their time on the floor, resilient flooring products are good options. Mindful manufacturers have designed their resilient flooring products with your family’s well-being in mind, and they have a track record of proactively assessing ingredients and removing those of concern.
In fact, their dedication to quality and well-being led to the launch of the ASSURE CERTIFIED™ label in 2020. This third-party certification from the Resilient Floor Covering Institute and SCS Global Services targets rigid core luxury vinyl flooring, which is the fast-growing segment of resilient flooring in North America.
To carry the label, flooring products must meet requirements for indoor air quality, excellent performance, and being free of heavy metals and ortho-phthalate plasticizers. The end goal is simple: give homeowners, architects, and designers confidence in the floor they choose.
In line with your priorities
The benefits of resilient flooring don’t stop there. Some types increase acoustic comfort by damping the noise of foot traffic and reducing how much sound travels between floors. Other types of resilient flooring can be installed without raised, disruptive transitions between rooms in order to improve access for those with limited mobility.
There’s a good chance resilient flooring is the right choice for your family. It’s durable, affordable, sustainable, and stylish. Most importantly, it’s designed to help you create a home that supports your family’s well-being. That’s the real beauty of it.
