Help!! I am installing new wood floors in my old home and want to know what the best choice is for flooring. I want to know what will last the longest, cost the least and be the greenest option. I do understand that there is a balance to all of those but the cheapest, greenest, longest lasting option is what I am shooting for here.

There is so much to choose from. Do you have any local sources for reclaimed lumber. I know that there are some places you can still find old growth hardwoods reclaimed or taken out of older structures. I personally think this would be the best option.

They would last a long time, can be found at a steal of a price and doesn't require the destruction of existing forests.

I think the way to go is wood that has already been through the cycle once and you would be saving it from the landfill or incinerator. There is so much character in older wood too. I think the newer installed wood and the composites are just too cold and clean. I like the dents and scratches of time and history.

Where do I find sources for wood that has already been used? Would I need to prep the wood or does someone already do that?

I like the idea of using wood with history, especially if it still looks nice.

Just type in reclaimed wood into google and a whole bunch of resources will come up. My guess is that most of this stuff will require some milling, but if you can do that yourself, you would also save so much money.

Depending on where you live, there may also be a local source of reclaimed wood.

If you know of any construction demolition projects, that is also a good place to look. If they have wood, the demo contractor might be willing to sell you some at a discount price.

I know some of the contractors around me do this all the time.

Why do you need to replace the floors? Can't you keep the one's you have? If you do go through with this renovation, what will you be doing with the old flooring?

Too many people are consuming green goods and throwing out the old one's thinking they are doing what is best. They actually aren't. Keeping what you have may actually be the greenest option. If you are building new, different story. If you must replace something because it is worn out, broken or otherwise harmful, then you are in the right, but replacing one product with another simply because the new product is greener is like taking two steps forward and three steps back.

The old floors may be able to be salvaged, but not in my home. There aren't enough good boards left to cover the area I want covered. I just figured that I would take the good ones to the salvage store and mulch the rest. I don't know if that's safe though. I don't want to do this, but I have a little extra money and I figured if I can get this house ready, when the market recovers, I might be able to sell.

I would go with a somewhat darker wood. I would get some free samples from HD, who has various brands and as you may have seen, they are not all the same thickness or the same substrate. I like Bellawood 'engineered' (and not under 1/2 thick), which is real wood on top of wood composites. 'Laminate' wood flooring these days refers to totally fake wood grain look alikes, and although cheap (often on sale under $1) and maybe good for a kitchen, I like real wood. 'Hardwood,' although the 'engineered' are mostly hardwoods, refers to one solid wood through and through.