Off Gassing Laminated Flooring
 

I am 3 weeks away from the start of a huge addition to my house. The main floor will be hardwood and tiles. That is settled. The choices I had for the basement rooms are carpet...too much formaldehyde offgassing unless I choose wool carpeting which is too expensive. Or another choice is something rough like coir...not very comfy underfoot...or cork which although excellent for the environment is rather ugly...OR engineered flooring which costs a fortune. What I had hoped to use is laminated flooring but it is made with formaldehyde glues just like melamine and this has been proven to be unsafe. I want to follow the Ei, European standards but don't know if I can find a laminated floor that is made with some other glue (latex?) rather than formol/formaldehyde. Does anyone have any idea which company might make such a product? I have written to Kronatek and am waiting for an answer but I don't know that they are suppliers of such a product. THanks for any help.

Off Gassing Laminated Flooring
 

On Thu, 22 Mar 2007 02:42:42 +0000, Robin Michetti
wrote:


I am 3 weeks away from the start of a huge addition to my house. The
main floor will be hardwood and tiles. That is settled. The choices I
had for the basement rooms are carpet...too much formaldehyde offgassing
unless I choose wool carpeting which is too expensive. Or another
choice is something rough like coir...not very comfy underfoot...or
cork which although excellent for the environment is rather ugly...OR
engineered flooring which costs a fortune. What I had hoped to use is
laminated flooring but it is made with formaldehyde glues just like
melamine and this has been proven to be unsafe. I want to follow the
Ei, European standards but don't know if I can find a laminated floor
that is made with some other glue (latex?) rather than
formol/formaldehyde.

So, why are you worried? If it is smell- our install didn't smell a
bit. If it is paranoya, I can't help you.

Off Gassing Laminated Flooring
 

We replaced the vinyl floor in my parent's sunroom with Monsanto laminate 4
years ago. The vinyl still smelled even though it was 8 years old when the
sun from the windows was on it. Monsanto laminate has no outgassing smell
whats so ever.



"Robin Michetti" wrote in message
...

I am 3 weeks away from the start of a huge addition to my house. The
main floor will be hardwood and tiles. That is settled. The choices I
had for the basement rooms are carpet...too much formaldehyde offgassing
unless I choose wool carpeting which is too expensive. Or another
choice is something rough like coir...not very comfy underfoot...or
cork which although excellent for the environment is rather ugly...OR
engineered flooring which costs a fortune. What I had hoped to use is
laminated flooring but it is made with formaldehyde glues just like
melamine and this has been proven to be unsafe. I want to follow the
Ei, European standards but don't know if I can find a laminated floor
that is made with some other glue (latex?) rather than
formol/formaldehyde. Does anyone have any idea which company might
make such a product? I have written to Kronatek and am waiting for an
answer but I don't know that they are suppliers of such a product.
THanks for any help.




--
Robin Michetti

I won't need to be paranoid if I don't use off-gassing, carcinogenic materials in the construction of my house. Read up on formaldehyde and you may become paranoid about laminated floors and most IKEA furniture which gives off toxic emissions. Smell is the least of my worries. It is the offgassing of these materials including the adhesives and press that are used in their manufacture of them that are cause for concern.
"Formaldehyde is classified as a human carcinogen and has been linked to nasal and lung cancer, and with possible links to brain cancer and leukemia. Short-term exposure to formaldehyde can be fatal. Long-term exposure to low levels of formaldehyde may cause respiratory difficulty, eczema, and sensitization." If I can avoid exposing my family to these serious health hazards, I want to do it...but it is not easy to find a solution.

Off Gassing Laminated Flooring
 

On Mar 22, 11:02 am, Chris Hill wrote:
On Thu, 22 Mar 2007 02:42:42 +0000, Robin Michetti
wrote:

[snip]

What I had hoped to use is
laminated flooring but it is made with formaldehyde glues just like
melamine and this has been proven to be unsafe.

[snip]

So, why are you worried? If it is smell- our install didn't smell a
bit. If it is paranoya, I can't help you.

It would appear that the original poster is concerned about the health
effects of out-gassing formaldehyde-based adhesives, rather than the
smell as such. If that strikes you as paranoid, then I think you're
right that you can't help.

--Eric Smith
(The original poster may be better off asking a group that deals with
chemical sensitivities.)

Off Gassing Laminated Flooring
 

"Robin Michetti" wrote in message
If I can avoid exposing my
family to these serious health hazards, I want to do it...but it is not
easy to find a solution.


Sure it is. We all make choices. Your choice is to avoid certain potential
hazards so that means you don't use many man made products. Just use a
different flooring material.

I think that all of us who are interested in renovating our homes should consider using materials that are the absolute safest possible. If we live in a northern climate we spent a lot of time indoors likely in an airtight house. This is not a matter of allergies or sensitivities. Formaldehyde which is in pressed wood, MDF, melamine and laminated floors is a carcinogen plain and simple. Childhood cancer is on the increase...why?.. because children are exposed to more and more environmental toxins..formaldehyde being one of the most toxic. We put our babies down on carpeting and flooring that offgasses without realizing the serious impact it can have on their health. So I think that information about the kinds of safe materials we want to build our houses with is very important and should be included in DYI sites such as yours.

Off Gassing Laminated Flooring
 

Eric S. Smith: Left-Field Marshal wrote:

So, why are you worried? If it is smell- our install didn't smell a
bit. If it is paranoya, I can't help you.

It would appear that the original poster is concerned about the health
effects of out-gassing formaldehyde-based adhesives, rather than the
smell as such. If that strikes you as paranoid, then I think you're
right that you can't help.

--Eric Smith
(The original poster may be better off asking a group that deals with
chemical sensitivities.)

He's not sensitive to the smell. He's a hypochondriac.

...hopefully a healthy and living hypochondriac at least with no mutant offspring!

Off Gassing Laminated Flooring
 

On Mar 22, 10:19 pm, Robin Michetti Robin.Michetti.
wrote:

I think that all of us who are interested in renovating our homes
should consider using materials that are the absolute safest possible.
If we live in a northern climate we spent a lot of time indoors likely
in an airtight house. This is not a matter of allergies or
sensitivities. Formaldehyde which is in pressed wood, MDF, melamine and
laminated floors is a carcinogen plain and simple. Childhood cancer is
on the increase...why?.. because children are exposed to more and more
environmental toxins..formaldehyde being one of the most toxic. We put
our babies down on carpeting and flooring that offgasses without
realizing the serious impact it can have on their health. So I think
that information about the kinds of safe materials we want to build our
houses with is very important and should be included in DYI sites such
as yours.

First, let me say that I'm no more interested in breathing
formaldehyde than anyone else.

Not everybody has children. I consider childhood cancer
rates to be irrelevant in my flooring purchasing decisions.
It's not always about babies.

Cindy Hamilton

Off Gassing Laminated Flooring
 

"Cindy Hamilton" wrote in
oups.com:

On Mar 22, 10:19 pm, Robin Michetti Robin.Michetti.
wrote:



First, let me say that I'm no more interested in breathing
formaldehyde than anyone else.

Not everybody has children. I consider childhood cancer
rates to be irrelevant in my flooring purchasing decisions.
It's not always about babies.

Cindy Hamilton



And who gives a **** about the babies that may live in the house after
you sell it! Right?

M

Off Gassing Laminated Flooring
 

On Mar 23, 6:47 pm, Morvin Stayner wrote:
"Cindy Hamilton" wrote groups.com:

On Mar 22, 10:19 pm, Robin Michetti Robin.Michetti.
wrote:

First, let me say that I'm no more interested in breathing
formaldehyde than anyone else.

Not everybody has children. I consider childhood cancer
rates to be irrelevant in my flooring purchasing decisions.
It's not always about babies.

Cindy Hamilton

And who gives a **** about the babies that may live in the house after
you sell it! Right?

Not me. I expect my estate will sell the house. Probably not to
a family, as it's small and has only one bathroom. Despite the
fact that the original owners raised a family there, people
nowadays don't seem to think that one bathroom is sufficient.

However, I doubt I will replace the original red-oak hardwood
floors in my 60-year-old house, and certainly not with
laminate. Remember, I started off by saying I don't want
to breath formaldehyde.

And, no, I don't particularly give a **** about other people's
children. They're somebody else's problem.

Cindy Hamilton