Question from Sammie
Debra, this is my first visit to your website and I am impressed!
We are confused as to the best type of flooring that is healthier — carpet, wood, or laminate?
We have a large single living area that is paneled with a browish Ash wood with hints of golden highlights and I have found it difficult to select a wooden floor that really blends well with the lliving area walls. We also have a concrete foundation and the dining area is white ceramic tile that would back up to the wooden flooring.
Health-wise, what type and brand of carpet is best?
Also, what brands of wooden flooring are healthiest? I’d appreciate it if you would mention some brand names of any healthier No-VOC or Low-VOC flooring.
Are there any particular brands of wooden or laminate flooring, or ceramic tile that qualify?
Debra’s Answer
Of all the types of flooring, ceramic tile is by far the healthiest. It is absolutely inert and easy to clean. Here in Florida, many houses have ceramic tile throughout because it also stays cool. You can find ceramic tile at every home improvement store and at specialty tile shops. But that’s not appropriate for all homes in every climate.
Next healthiest is hardwood flooring, IF it has a low-VOC finish. For more on wood flooring, see Types of Wood Flooring. There are many resources for low- and no-VOC flooring listed on Debra’s List. Just use the big purple SEARCH button on any page and type in “flooring” and you will get this list of flooring results which also includes other blog posts on flooring.
In general, laminate flooring is NOT healthy, as it uses adhesives that release VOCs. However, I just added one brand of laminate flooring that is certified low-VOC to Debra’s List–Wilsonart Flooring.
I don’t recommend carpet for a lot of reasons–toxicity of the carpet itself, but also toxicity of carpet shampoo, and the fact that they harbor dust, mold, and insects. But there are some natural and low-VOC carpets, which I have listed at Carpet on the Interior Decorating page of Debra’s List.
Sorry, I can’t answer questions about paint colors! How a color looks on your walls entirely depends on the light in the room. I recommend getting paint color swatches and taping them on the walls until you find the color you like. Also, you can now buy little test containers of paint colors that will give you a good patch of actual paint of that color on the wall.
When searching for paints…do not think that all VOC free paints are harmless. I have MCS and have had severe breathing issues from most
paints…regardless if they say LO or No Voc’s. The ONLY paint that I can tolerate is “Harmony” by Sherwyn Williams. It is considered NO Voc. And I only had to wait one week before I could exist in the room that had just been painted with this paint. I have rental properties and although most of my tenants do not have any reactions to paints, I still choose to use the “safest” materials in any project for everyone’s health.
I used to use Harmony. Loved it. Have no sense of smell, but COPD and allergies. Was happily painting away, all closed up, for hours. Husband came in and said you have to open some windows!
Surprise surprise! They changed the formula , no longer low odor!!! Say they have a professional grade that is low voc. Have not tried it.
Is “wood look” ceramic tile safe and healthy? It is just ceramic tile, correct? Or do they add other materials to it to make it look like wood?
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Daltile-Parkwood-Beige-7-in-x-20-in-Ceramic-Floor-and-Wall-Tile-10-89-sq-ft-case-PD12720HD1P2/204417090
To the best of my knowledge it’s just ceramic, like any other ceramic tile.
What do you think of this SDS?
http://www.marazziusa.com/sites/default/files/Knoxwood%20-%20SDS.pdf
To be more specific, I’m concerned about the section that says “contains less than 1 percent these elements…” I see mercury, lead, arsenic, etc.
Thank you!
First I want to say that I’ve never looked at an SDS before for any tile because when I started doing this work I was evaluating materials regarding whether or not they outgassed volatile toxic chemicals into the air. And no ceramic or porcelain tile I’ve ever seen outgasses into the air. So I’ve considered it to be a safe material.
So now you have sent me this SDS and I see that it says “This tile contains <1 percent by weight each of the following elements, which are SARA 313 Recordable: Antimony, Arsenic, Barium, Beryllium, Cadmium, Cobalt, Chromium, Copper, Manganese, Mercury, Nickel, Lead, Silver, Thallium, Tin, Titanium, Vanadium, and Zinc."
Please don't be alarmed by this.
First, these substances are bound into the tile and are unlikely to be released, and second, they are on the SDS for regulatory reasons. Note they are not listed under hazardous ingredients. They are present in very small amounts and are just part of the background environment.
I don't think you will find any tile that does not contain these metals. They are ubiquitous in the environment.
Hi. We just had a family room addition built using either no or low VOC products and formaldehyde free building materials. We used Eco Fusion engineered non toxic bamboo floor. Love it! Tons of compliments. Got it from Green Building Supply Co. Also used the no voc adhesive that was recommended