We've got half our house floored with bamboo flooring and the other half (which gets the most wear) covered in a cheap laminate flooring which is scratched, dented and slippery as hell.

I am looking for the most environmentally friendly way to replace this flooring and would be very grateful for any suggestions that you may have

shirleyb2002

Great question. Solid timber flooring is the most environmentally friendly in the end - so long as it is FSC certified.

This is because timber is one of the most sustainable building materials and its cultivation contributes to the vital carbon sink i.e. stuff that sucks up CO2 emissions.

Timber flooring in the home is also timeless and allows for easy repair and refurbishment - just think of all the timber floors I'm sure we've all seen in ancient buildings - they last for ever and look better with age.

Of course it's not cheap in the short term so you may want to go for an engineered floor which is like a more substantial laminate - it still means however that as and when you can sand off the top and recondition.

The Greenpeace website is a good start when it comes to sourcing green options.

As you'll be fitting the floor adjacent to existing Bamboo just make sure you get lots of samples in to check it will look good - one idea is to choose a finish which picks up the slightly darker knots in the bamboo.

Naomi Cleaver is the presenter of popular prime-time series on domestic design and decoration for Channel 4. Credits include 'Other People's Houses', 'Britain's Best Home' and Naomi's latest series for Channel 4, 'Honey, I Ruined the House'.

ivillage uk

Green alternatives to laminate flooring