Natural earth, compacted with straw or other fibers and stabilized with natural oils, can be formed into eco-friendly flooring. The floors can be installed over most sub-flooring and are finished with a drying oil such as linseed or hemp.

These Hands LLC, located in Portland, Ore., offers earthen floor installation in a variety of textures, colors, and materials. Coming in at around $7 per square foot, it is even one of the cheaper flooring methods, conventional or green. Add to that the fact that it is easy to clean and earthen floors may be the next big thing in environmental building. It is however, labor intensive to install and there are only few places that can help you if you decide to go that route.

According to These Hands' Web site, earthen floors weather well as long as they are cared for properly and they require the same maintenance -- sweeping and mopping -- as other floors. Many fear that earthen floors will create dust. But not, so, according to These Hands. They say that if properly sealed earthen floors should not create dust at all. High traffic areas may need additional seals. On the downside, earthen floors do tend to scratch easier than wood or tile.

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