Our friend is in the final throes
of a big construction project. We think her experience last weekend is a good example of what it takes -- and how it feels -- to try to go green.
The story begins with the friendly, responsible contractor suggesting that the roofing on the roof deck would last longer if it were protected by something like astroturf.
Our friend hops on her computer and discovers FLOR's version of Astroturf, which is called Green Acres. There's just one problem: like we said, she's in the final throes of the project, and she's out of money. $10 a tile does seem pretty steep for Astroturf.
So the contractor again comes to the rescue and suggests our friend go back to the local flooring dealer where she got carpet for the stairs made of recycled soda bottles. Our friend drives across town, finds carpet she likes, orders the samples herself -- which leads us to wonder what, exactly, salespeople do these days -- and finds something she likes.
And then she discovers the price she's been quoted, $4, is per square foot, not per square yard. At that price, she realizes the FLOR tiles are actually less expensive.
So defeated, our heroine sets off for Home Depot.
There, she finds an array of "indoor-outdoor" carpet for prices that are significantly less. In the mood to get it done, she buys the carpet on the spot, even though she's a bit confused by the salesman, who points to another style and says "well, this one's the only one that's really outdoor-outdoor."
The reason for that becomes all too clear when our exhausted friend returns with the heavy roll of carpet hanging out of the back of the car. The contractor takes one look at the backing and says, "oh, this has jute in it. That will rot out."
We asked if she was aware that FLOR would take the tiles back at the end of their life for recycling, and she was not. It seems to us that's a big selling point, and a good reason for a higher price. We think FLOR should try harder to communicate this point, even if it's not so glamorous; it's buried on their website and not front-and-center.
Will Home Depot take the carpet back? No, because cut goods can not be returned, and the carpet was marked indoor-outdoor. So this leaves our friend in a bit of a green quandary. If she installs the carpet, it will likely have to be removed and replaced in a few years. She can't return it, so donating it would be another option. What would you do if you were her?
Why not sell it on Craigslist? She might take a loss, but certainly no more than the long-term replacement cost.
view CJL's profile
She should have checked out a product like SYNLawn for her roofdeck. Not sure how "green" it is, but would likely last longer than either the FLOR or outdoor carpet. We used it with our roofdeck.
I am confused though why she would need to cover decking with something. Isn't the point of a deck to be outdoors? You can see pictures of our synlawn here.
view darwin's profile
Home Depot sux in any event....Try Lowe's, at least the salesman would do a better job of explaining....
view hdtex's profile
Darwin,
Nice touch edging between the walkway and wall with the remnants! It looks nice, how is it holding up? Do you ever picnic on it, or anything?
And I agree with CJL, Craigslist that carpet. It's not the right product and HD is to be punished for poor info. It's a total headache, but given time she'll find the right (green) thing.
view redcloverstar's profile
It is holding up very well. They provide a 10 year guarantee against fading. I didn't use any adhesive or anything else to hold it to the roof, but it seems to stay in place pretty well. This also allows us to take it up in winter to cut down on the fading.
We have set up some sling chairs on it a few times and watch the moon! It really is pretty realistic looking and doesn't feel bad to walk around on in bare feet.
view darwin's profile