Question from Brenda S
Hi Debra,
I was wondering also if anyone knows if there is such a thing as formaldehyde free plywood for sub-floors. I know there is a PureBond brand from Home Depot but they said that type of panel wasn’t suitable for sub-floors. I was also wondering if the plywood today is lower in formaldehyde than 30 years ago.
Brenda
Debra’s Answer
There is some info on different types of plywood at Q&A: Particleboard vs Plywood, but no info on which particular brands are suitable for subfloors. Readers, which formaldehyde-free plywoods have you used for subfloors?
The plywood today is lower in formaldehyde than 30 years ago.
Here are some links about formaldehyde-free plywood that might help you make a decision:
Formaldehyde-Free Plywood for Subfloors
FAQ About Formaldehyde-Free Plywood
maybe want to shellac it; make your own shellac or use some polywhey
i don’t know if the afm is really going to keep the odor out
use two coats of polywhey
check Vermont Natural Coatings
or shellac.net
I have googled cork board subflooring and there is a product out there.
I also found in an article in Vermont’s “Green Energy Times”, there are NU Green Zero products made without formaldehyde and Environ’s newsprint and soy waste bicomposite or Pfleiderer’s renewable wheat straw primeboard.
We used regular plywood under ecotimber in my kitchen. and had it painted with AfM softseal one side and hard seal on the other, as the softseal sometimes stays tacky. We also added a recommended foam water absorber beneath the ecotimber in case water leaked and puddled . It cost extra, but they said they couldn’t get formaldehyde freeplywood. Marine or exterior plywood is supposed be less toxic, but I think it is heavy.
isn’t mdi basically sawdust loaded up with glue chemicals?
COMMENT FROM DEBRA:
Yes
I spoke to a rep at Pure Bond and they said it can be used as a subfloor but you need to use boards that are either 3/4-1″ thick. I hope this is correct as I am planning on using it for this purpose. BTW: This product still smells really bad. Although it contains no added urea formadyhde it still has another form and I think somethig else called MDI? I wil try coating it with two coats of AFM Safe Seal to see if it makes a difference.
How did u feel about the outcome of your subfloor? We are looking for less toxic option & plan to use it temporarily without flooring on top
I became sensitive to formaldehyde in the early 80’s. Whenever I have had to use a plywood product I have always paid the slightly higher price for EXTERIOR grade plywood. I understand that the glues used in the exterior plywood are “phenol” which does not offgas like interior grade which is “urea”. Times have changed so this info may be out of date, however, it’s still worth checking on. I believe that exterior plywood floors are fine for subfloor use.
Columbia (Exterior Grade Plywood)