Timber floors actually store carbon. It follows then that floor sanding and polishing of timber floors have distinct environmental advantages. Up to 50% of the weight of dried timber is carbon that has been absorbed from the atmosphere by the tree as it is growing. The advantage of this of course is that the result is a lowering of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. It follows that this is one of the most important things that we can do to reduce the damage associated with climate change.
Timber when used in housing construction results in the production of significantly fewer greenhouse emissions as a building material than other choices such as concrete, steel, ceramic tiles, brick, and aluminum. The carbon footprint of a timber floor surface is five times less than a ceramic tile floor. Additionally, the Australian forestry industry was measured in 2005 to be the only positive carbon industry in Australia.
Of course, timber floors and the floor sanding and polishing of timber floors have many advantages as can be seen by their prevalence in Brisbane homes, and environmental advantages are just one of these advantages.
