If you've tired of traditional types of wallpaper, and are looking for a new way to decorate your walls, consider unique specialty wallcoverings made of materials such as cork, hemp, and bamboo. More consumers are shopping for eco-friendly products than ever before, and are finding new and unique ways to incorporate sustainable materials into their homes. Eco-friendly wallcoverings are a great way to do just that. Unlike traditional vinyl wallcoverings, the alternative options we've listed below don't contain harmful glues or harsh chemical finishes.
Cork Wallcoverings
Cork is beautifully textured, adaptable to all home décor, and will be a trendy addition to any room. An additional benefit of using cork wallcoverings is it will help soundproof a room too. This makes cork a popular choice in home theaters, bedrooms, and basement rooms. It is available in a variety of colors, textures, and styles to suit every decorating style.
Bamboo Wallcoverings
Bamboo is one of the most eco-friendly materials on the planet. It grows quickly, never needs replanting, and is grown naturally, without the use of pesticides or fertilizers. It is absolutely stunning when used as a wallcovering, as it brings in natural colors and gorgeous texture that is difficult to find in other materials. Bamboo is extremely durable, easy to install, and fills any room with an exotic, tropical, atmosphere.
Hemp Wallcoverings
Like bamboo, hemp is a natural material that is easy to grow without the use of fertilizers and pesticides. Hemp specialty wallcoverings have a braided appearance that is beautifully textured and richly colored, suitable for any home decorating style or décor.
Natural Grass Cloth Wallcoverings
Before it was trendy to 'go green', grass cloth has was a high-demand specialty wallcovering for commercial buildings, offices, and high-traffic spaces. Grass cloth is thick, highly textured, and available in thousands of styles, colors, and patterns. Although this eco-friendly wallcovering is highly resistant to rips and tears, it should not be used in a room that sees a lot of moisture, such as a bathroom, or in an area that will need to be wiped down, as it cannot get wet.
Non-PVC Wallcoverings
In addition to the types of specialty wallcoverings mentioned above, there are also a host of non-PVC wallcoverings to decorate your walls with. PVC (polyvinyl chloride), also known as vinyl, is arguably one of the most harmful plastics on the planet, and is found in both vinyl coated and solid vinyl wallpaper. If you've ever gotten a headache after looking through a wallpaper book, or shopping for wallpaper, it was likely caused by the strong fumes of the wallpaper, often the result of PVC. The new non-PVC alternatives are eco-friendly in that they don't emit any of those harmful toxins.
More from Jennifer Wagner:
6 Green Gadgets that Lower Utility Costs
Create a Wall Pattern Without Using Wallpaper!
SOURCE:
Personal knowledge and experience
Jennifer Wagner - Yahoo! Contributor Network
