When Green Products Don't Perform

It's an interesting conundrum -- you want to choose items that are "green", but some simply don't hold up well. I have seen this with bamboo flooring. I have a few clients who have it who don't like it. Maybe it is the low end stuff, maybe it wasn't installed properly. Since it was already in the homes when they moved in, I have no way of knowing.

An interesting article from Interior Design
about under performing products.

I found this point to be especially interesting, relating to my own experience in the field:

"Bamboo flooring has been criticized of late for not holding up well as some had expected, but it's the budget brands that are failing. Higher end bamboo flooring wears pretty much like hardwood, the material it is often replacing, and is susceptible to the same damages. Designer Kim K. Del Rance of Gould Evans, who installed bamboo in her own home, remarks that "Yes, it marks just like any wood. I'm sure the thickness of the acrylic coating varies from manufacturer to manufacturer so it's not fair to say 'all bamboo floors are...' anything. We took care when we moved heavy furniture across it, but that was just common sense. Concrete can get marked up as well and so can terrazzo."

Another interesting point related is the recent interest in compact florescent light bulbs. The quality of light they emit is just not that pleasing to people in their homes, so I usually suggest people to put them in halls, basements and exterior areas. Bathrooms? Egad.

I am all for green -- it is also my favorite color -- but has to be applied with intelligence and thought. Items that end up in a landfill no matter how environmentally friendly to start can end up not being green in the long run.