Guest Blogger: Saving the Earth with Green Bathroom Remodeling Ideas

Guest Blogger #443, Entry #1060, March 30, 2012

For the environmentally-conscious homeowner who wants to remodel their bathroom but reduce the impact of their home on the environment – these two goals don’t have to be mutually exclusive. It’s entirely possible to choose green yet attractive options for remodeling your bathroom. Keeping that in mind, here are some great tips for you to think about when you get ready to tackle a bathroom remodel.

Update your bathroom with bamboo – a green material

Image via: Luxury-Ideas

Tile:

Consider recycled ceramic or glass tiles – they are produced from recycled waste such as stone dust or glass reclaimed from old buildings and do not give off harmful emissions. Ceramic tiles in particular are excellent for flooring, while glass tiles can be very attractive for shower surrounds and walls. Other options for green flooring include cork or bamboo, which are both very durable, offer excellent resistance to water and are produced using sustainable harvesting methods. Lastly, concrete is another great choice for countertops and flooring since it can be produced from recycled waste, customized to give the appearance of natural stone and textured for a non-slip surface in the bathroom.

Cabinets:

Along with flooring, bamboo is also used to build some bathroom cabinets or you can look into cabinets constructed from strawboard and wheatboard, which are produced with straw or wheat chaff reclaimed from agricultural production. Unlike standard wood cabinets, environmentally-friendly cabinets are not manufactured with formaldehyde and other toxic chemicals, causing them to give off much lower amounts of harmful VOCs (volatile organic compounds) that can contribute to air pollution or health problems.

Glass tiles can make a beautiful addition to your bathroom

Paint:

Standard paints contain high levels of VOCs, which can contribute to the strong odor of freshly-applied paint as well as the associated health and environmental issues. Many leading paint manufacturers now offer green paints that are formulated to contain minimal amounts of VOCs, generally allow for the same range of color choices and will generally last as long as standard paints. Alternately, some smaller manufacturers such as Mythic offer paint manufactured with all-natural ingredients which do not contain any VOCs.

Lighting:

Consider replacing the incandescent or fluorescent fixtures in your bathroom with LEDs. While they are typically much more expensive, they consume very little energy while still outputting a comparable amount of light and will last for at least 10 years with normal use. Installing a skylight or solar light tube in the ceiling is another great option that can bring a good deal of natural light into the bathroom and reduce the need to turn on the lights every time you use the bathroom.

Choose water efficient plumbing fixtures

Fixtures:

Replacing your toilet with a dual-flush toilet can save a great deal of water per year since it allows you to choose how much water you want to use per flush, rather than using the same amount of water for both solids and liquids. Installing a low-flow showerhead is another excellent way to conserve water as it reduces the rate of flow to 1.5-2 gallons per minute as opposed to 2.5 gallons per minute for a standard showerhead.

Justin Krutz blogs on various topics including bathroom remodeling and kitchen remodeling for Palatin Remodeling, a Southern California-based home improvement company.

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