Flooring & Indoor Air Quality
Any recommendations for quality, affordable (< $4 / sqr ft) wood or laminate flooring that does not compromise indoor air quality? Few more specific questions: 1. Are California / “FloorScore” standards good enough? 2. “GreenGuard” appears to be more stringent – true? I’m fine with laminate or engineered wood, click install / floating is fine. My criteria, in order, are: – “not toxic”. i.e. low/no formaldehyde / VOCs – quality: looks good, doesn’t squeak or cause more noise than a more expensive product, durable for kids/pets, etc. I’ve seen cheap (<$2 / sqr ft) GreenGuard certified products, but the reviews are mixed… Appreciate any leads. Thanks, Matt
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Replies
Matt,
I trust the analysis of BuildingGreen (publisher of Environmental Building News). Here is what BuildingGreen has concluded:
"For hard-surface flooring products (as opposed to carpet), FloorScore is almost identical to Indoor Advantage Gold—except that for adhesives, the program adds a VOC content requirement. This addition means FloorScore-certified products automatically align with the LEED v4 Low-Emitting Materials credit. This credit requires wet-applied products to meet criteria for both VOC emissions and VOC content (see VOCs in LEED v4 and Other Rating Systems and Why “Zero VOC” Was Never Enough).
"For carpet, Green Label Plus adheres to the CDPH Standard Method, for the most part, but it’s designed to be more protective. The Carpet and Rug Institute (CRI) has worked with the Green Label Plus certifying body, UL, to identify a group of compounds that are commonly emitted from carpet products but aren’t benchmarked in the CDPH Standard Method. (Under CDPH rules, labs must identify all the measurable VOCs, but in order to pass the CDPH Standard Method, the product only needs to meet benchmarks for these 35.) So Green Label Plus has a list of 12 extra allowable VOC levels to benchmark against in addition to the 35 target VOCs from the CDPH Standard Method.
"CRI worked with NSF International on a multi-attribute standard, NSF 140, that incorporates the Green Label Plus certification. Many manufacturers go for the full sustainability label rather than just trying to achieve Green Label Plus, which only covers VOC emissions.
"BuildingGreen’s take: Look for hard-surface flooring products that meet FloorScore in addition to other sustainability benchmarks. The exception is rubber flooring; here, look for Greenguard Gold. For carpet, Green Label Plus is acceptable if you’re only considering emissions, but we look to NSF 140 Platinum for overall carpet sustainability, including IAQ."
If you go with solid wood flooring, the only concern is the finish that you get to specify. If you live in a region with a local timber industry, you might be able to find a local mill where you can get excellent prices and find out what it plentiful and perhaps underutilized in your region. Even if you don't, hardwood can be had for under $4/sq foot unfinished and pine for substantially less.
Thanks, Martin and Charlie!