When it comes to building a new home, planning a renovation, or doing an updating project, priorities have traditionally centered on the quality, durability, and overall aesthetics of building materials. However, with an attention shift towards creating more holistic living environments, a number of new focuses have emerged. Some terms now surrounding a green building project might include renewable, salvaged, recycled content, toxicity levels, locally sourced, embodied energy, life cycle analysis, and social responsibility. Riva’s Eco Store requires the suppliers we work with to meet a certain criteria of quality with a mandate for creating the healthiest homes possible.
In conjunction with our comprehensive environmental and health focus, we also adhere to strict performance standards when sourcing building materials. This ensures that our customers not only receive the highest in overall quality, but also simultaneously support companies who are doing their part to create more a globally viable market place for building products through sustainable management and processing practices.
Riva’s Eco Store currently offers a range of home improvement options from flooring, countertops, tiles, paint, stains and finishes, to earthen plasters and sealers. Our current line up of products also extends to larger undertakings such as windows, insulation, and various lumber options. We are pleased to offer a number of options for customers with chemical sensitivities and other health concerns. Design planning and turnkey installation services are offered with all products. Consider greener building options on your next project!
WALLS
American Clay – American Clay Earth Plasters are a natural, environmentally friendly way to finish any interior. Non-toxic and made in the USA, these plasters are an alternative to cement and acrylic plasters, offering superior color, richness, texture and depth not found with other finishes. Beautiful and health-positive, American Clay is one of our favorite wall finishes.
Mythic Paint – Mythic Paint is a non-toxic, ultra low odor paint that provides the durability and coverage you expect from a premium paint without the off-gassing VOC’s and cancer-causing toxins that emit years after drying. Mythic is available in unlimited colors, all tinted wit h non-VOC pigments. Even our most chemically sensitive customers have been able to color their spaces with Mythic Paint.
AFM Safecoat – AFM safecoat is the leading provider of environmentally responsible, sustainable and non-polluting paints, stains, wood finishes, sealers and related green building products. For 30 years they have been pioneering products suitable for people with environmental sensitivities. Their wall products include zero-VOC latex paints, and their Naturals line, a beautiful finish made of entirely natural plant and mineral components.
Yolo Colorhouse – Dedicated to creating healthy paint with great colour, Yolo has established themselves as a unique option in the paint world. Their interior and exterior colors have seen extensive testing to ensure that your project will be beautiful. Yolo premium paints are free of any carcinogens, reproductive toxins, mutagens, air pollutants, ozone depleting compounds, formaldehyde, phthalates, or VOC’s.
FLOORS
Trestlewood – Trestlewood specializes in beautiful, distinctive wood with a history. Their impressive salvage operation scours North America to find unique sources of wood. Their range of wood is reclaimed from everything from old barns and buildings, to rail-cars and pickle vats. The salvaged wood is then milled into flooring with a variety of widths and surface treatments. If you are looking for a character floor, Trestlewood has many unique options.
DuChateau - DuChateau Floors recreate the same time-worn look that showcases the character and longevity of a true vintage hardwood floor. DuChateau makes top-quality, engineered wide-plank floors that are built to the highest European environmental standards. They are finished with natural, non-toxic hardwax oil is easy to maintain and is ideal for hard use, high-traffic areas and commercial spaces. Their wood is harvested from sustainably managed forests, and for every tree cut down, they make sure that two are re-planted.
Marmoleum – Marmoleum is a true traditional linoleum made from wood flour, pine resin, linseed oil and earth pigments. Available in both a floating ‘Click’ system and a roll down sheet system, Marmoleum brings comfort and durability, and is available in a range of colors. It is certified safe by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America and is widely used everywhere from children’s bedrooms to hospitals. The Click tiles can be arranged into all types of creative patterns.
Symmetry Bamboo – When done properly, Bamboo is a highly sustainable source for hard, durable floors. Symmetry Bamboo is a 3-layer engineered floor, making it extremely stable, and suitable for use in dry climates and for use over hydronic radiant heat systems. Symmetry Flooring uses innovative dying and finishing processes to create a variety of unique products.
Nadurra Bamboo – To ensure their product meets health standards, Nadurra has their bamboo independently tested in a Canadian laboratory. They divide their range into Formaldehyde-free and Near-Zero lines. We appreciate their commitment to testing and transparency, not to mention the high-quality Bamboo flooring options they provide. Their Eco line is sourced from FSC certified bamboo forests.
Nature’s Carpet – Nature’s Carpet offers over 60 styles and colors of 100% wool carpets. Their product line balances the consistent and unshakable demand for a stylish, durable, high-quality flooring choice, with the increasing sensitivity of consumers to the sustainability of inputs and biodegradability of the final product. If you are looking for the comfort of carpeting under your feet, wool is the healthiest option available. The wool underlay is a great alternative to toxic foams, which not only off-gas chemicals, but can harbor dust-mites and allergens. For the health conscious, our highest recommendation is ‘Dark Green’ line, which is made of undyed wool, and guaranteed to have been sourced from pesticide free sheep.
Vida Cork – Cork is a time-tested flooring alternative that is soft and comfortable underfoot, yet able to withstand substantial wear. Harvested from the bark of the Cork Oak tree, cork is an extremely renewable resource. Vida Cork planks are manufactured on a Formaldehyde-free HDF core for easy installation. Their planks are pre-finished with a beautiful hard oil-wax finish that makes it easy to maintain the natural lustre.
Eurocork - The remarkable properties of cork create a warm, quiet and relaxing ambience. Cork has been used as a flooring material for more than one hundred years. It provides acoustical and thermal insulation, it cushions the feet, and it is resistant to moisture damage and decay. Eurocork is available in many contemporary patterns.
Coswick – Coswick is precisely milled European flooring made from sustainably forested hardwood. Manufactured from the most beautiful domestic and exotic species, Coswick is a top quality solid and engineered flooring offered in traditional Lacquer Aluminum Oxide and new Silk UV-Oil finishes and is available in a wide range of designer colors. Exceptional quality, durability and elegance of Coswick authentic hardwood floors will refine any home or cottage, office or condo.
TILE
Fireclay - Fireclay Tile’s mission is to produce the most beautiful, durable ceramic and glass products using sustainable manufacturing processes and recycled materials. Dedicated to artisan craft, old world techniques and high environmental standards, Fireclay tile products are unique in the industry. Their Debris series is a hand-glazed ceramic made up of over 70% recycled material. Debris is available in 112 glaze colors. Their Crush series is made of 100% recycled glass and available in 40 colors. With options to satisfy jobs of all sizes, from commercial to residential, Fireclay is sure to have a unique option to fit your design.
Eco-Terr – An elegant terrazzo using high-quality cements with aggregates from assorted recycled materials including glass, porcelain and stone. A highly resilient and durable floor tile with colors and textures to match any style.
STAINS AND FINISHES -
Osmo – Osmo makes some of Germany’s most popular wood finishing products. They conform to strict standards of health and purity, including being certified safe for children’s toys and furniture. Osmo makes products of pure natural plant oils and waxes that are suitable for interior and exterior applications including floors, furniture, toys, decks and siding. Our customers have enjoyed terrific results with Osmo stains, finishes and top-oil products.
Broda – BRODA Finishes protect wood, concrete, masonry and stone with water-borne formulas that are easy to use and outlast most all solvent-borne competitors. Broda Pro-tek-tor is a waterborne oil stain and finish system that penetrates deep into wood, and is increasingly popular due to it’s performance. When applied correctly to decks and siding Pro-tek-tor will not blister or peel, and does not require sanding when it is time for a maintenance coat. Pro-thane and Clarity are high-quality, non-toxic urethane and acrylic finishes for wood, masonry and concrete. Made in Vancouver, BC, Broda creates products designed specifically to handle the harsh western Canadian climate.
WINDOWS
Serious Windows – Hands down the best windows made in North America for both quality and energy performance. Serious Windows use an insulated fiberglass frame and a cutting-edge suspended film glass technology for full-frame energy performance that well exceeds energy efficiency ratings. Serious Windows are ideal for Passive Solar construction, LEED construction, energy-efficient renovations or any type of construction where comfort, energy savings and durability are a priority. Serious Windows are available in a variety of styles and colors to fit any project.