A new report concluded that refinishing hardwood floors instead of replacing them can lead to a 78% carbon footprint reduction.
The study, conducted by IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute in collaboration with Bona, also concludes there is a 90% reduction in required resources, including transport, electricity, consumables and materials.
The study was conducted over a period of 12 months in Sweden, where 25 million square meters (269 million square feet) of hardwood and resilient flooring is replaced in public and commercial buildings every year.
“Sales of new flooring material is supported by the linear business model we have in the construction industry today, and refinishing is often perceived as more difficult,” stated Maria Ahlm, who authored the report. “However, our analysis and final roadmap support that in addition to the decrease in carbon footprint, floor refinishing is a viable alternative to increase resource efficiency in the Swedish flooring industry.”
The full study can be found here.
