New Selling Point for Wood Floor: Reflectivity, Says Armstrong

Add reflectivity to the laundry list of wood floor selling points.

Surfaces that reflect light improve building sustainability, budget and user productivity, according to a white paper issued by Armstrong Floor Products (Lancaster, Pa.).

Although daylighting is normally associated with the placement of windows, the white paper describes argues that reflective surfaces, such as natural or light-stained wood floors, make a valuable contribution to the practice.

Capturing more daylight means less reliance on carbon-based fuels. With decreasing dependence on carbon-based fuels comes decreased expenditures on generating electricity. More natural light has also been shown to increase academic performance in classrooms, according to the white paper.

Reflective surfaces are promising enough that the newest version of LEED rewards high light reflective flooring within the IEQ Lighting Quality Credit.

“It is an issue that most facility managers are just beginning to think about,” said Amy Costello, sustainability manager for Armstrong, in a statement. “They realize that the flooring can have an effect on daylighting. It’s not the primary factor in daylighting, but it’s something to consider.”

The paper is online here.