Toxic Emissions By Hardwood Flooring

For the finish of wood floors natural oil sealers or shellac will be most non toxic and this is can be easily done with unfinished hardwood floors.

Toxic emissions by hardwood flooring.

Find out how engineered hardwood flooring can be toxic what to look for when selecting engineered hardwood and what non toxic engineered hardwood flooring options are available. Will epa s rule address laminate flooring featured in the 60 minutes story. Laminate flooring is a synthetic product made to look like real wood. True hardwood flooring is made from solid wood harvested from trees.

Engineered hardwood flooring can emit volatile organic compounds voc and some vocs can even cause cancer. The advantage of engineered hardwood is that it comes pre finished making it less labor intensive to install on site and it can be sanded and refinished at least once. Engineered hardwood flooring is made up of a top layer of real hardwood veneer adhered to a core of plywood or other wood material. Avoid urea formaldehyde adhesives.

Under the epa rule the flooring that was the subject of the 60 minutes story must be made with composite wood cores or platforms that are certified as compliant with the formaldehyde emission standards. How your floor is finished will make a big difference on how it is maintained and re finished. It s important to choose a non toxic finish when installing new flooring. In the old days floors were re sanded and refinished every 5 10 years.

The company which claims to be the largest specialty retailer of hardwood flooring in north america said it stopped selling the products last year. There are not that many pre finished solid hardwood with natural oil sealers available. Hardwood is not to be confused with laminate flooring which was called out in a 60 minutes story back in march 2015. There are many choices for non toxic flooring suitable for the chemically sensitive or the health conscious homeowner.

Airborne toxic control measure to. Modern aluminum oxide finishes which are on most hardwood and bamboo floors are so durable they rarely need refinishing. The best options are real hardwood polished concrete and tile. However this type of flooring could be toxic flooring in your home that will release toxic chemicals into the air.

But specific brands of natural linoleum carpet and engineered wood are excellent choices as well.