How to Find Non-toxic Flooring for Your Home?

There are different types of flooring on the market. In floor decoration, more and more users choose natural wooden flooring, since it is not easy to slip, and maintenance costs are low. It can be replaced by a single piece, and breaks the limitations of geothermal systems. The point is that it has a certain sound absorption and noise reduction effect. But some users often pay too much attention to the practicality of the wood floor and neglect the environmental protection of wood flooring. In order to let users have a more comprehensive and in-depth understanding for the wooden floor, here we will talk about the tips to find non-toxic flooring for your home.

At present, the wood floor on the market is mainly divided into solid wood floor, solid wood composite floor, and laminate floor. Solid wood flooring is made of natural wood through a series of processing. The texture of solid wood flooring is natural and it has a good foot feel. The important point is that the solid wood flooring is environmentally friendly and will not release harmful gases such as formaldehyde. Laminated wood flooring is made of wood that is cut into thin slices and then pressed and glued according to the horizontal and vertical of the wood texture. The requirements of laminate flooring for wood are not high, and this kind of floor also has a natural texture. Usually the surface of laminate floor is a wear-resistant layer, the bottom is a moisture-proof layer, and the middle is MDF. MDF is actually made of wood residue with glue inside, and glue still need to be used when paving. Of course, solid wood flooring is the most environmentally friendly and safest. However, since the materials of solid wood are limited, there are fewer solid wood floors comparatively on the market. Therefore, it can be said that the price of solid wood flooring is the most expensive among the many wood floors.

Check environmental testing report

It is well known that wood flooring will use adhesives in the production process, and ordinary adhesives will contain formaldehyde. Formaldehyde is the cause of many diseases such as respiratory diseases and skin diseases etc., and it is also carcinogenic. So, when users choose the decorating materials especially the wood flooring, they need to double check environmental testing reports of materials before purchasing. Usually the relevant national standards stipulate that the formaldehyde emission in artificial wood panels should be less than 0.124 mg/m³. With the improvement of technology, some oak laminate flooring on the market uses water-based polyurethane adhesives to replace ordinary adhesives, and uses water-based paints to replace oil-based paints, which is excellent in environmental protection and safety.

Except checking carefully environmental testing reports, the users had better to look for products made without vinyl, such as hardwood, ceramic tile and so on. A study found that most vinyl flooring contains some toxic substances if it is made of reprocessed plastic. That is why vinyl flooring is hazardous. So, the users need to select and inspect carefully when purchasing wood floorings for home.

Reference：

LORI POPKEWITZ ALPER, My Hunt for Non-Toxic Flooring