Question from Debra’s Answer:
I am looking to buy a baby crib.
The solid wood cribs are phenomenally expensive and not in my budget.
I have managed to find the Ikea Sniglar crib, which is unfinished and solid wood, except it has a fiberboard mattress support. I am going to view this crib in a few days to see if it is possible to remove the fiberboard and replace it with slats (I am handy).
So I have two questions:
1) If the fiberboard cannot be removed, would AFM Safeseal do the trick? And then wrapping the fibreboard in food grade polyethelene after the Safeseal has cured? I have both.
2) I’d like the crib to be mahogany color. I see that AFM makes a stain called Duroseal in mahogany that is low-voc. Usually I try to buy NO-voc, but AFM is well know for their non toxic products. Is this safe to use in a sleep environment for a baby or is there a better option?
Debra’s Answer
I’ve seen the Sniglar crib at IKEA and think it is a good choice.
There is a type of fiberboard that is used in the bottom of drawers that has no formaldehyde–it’s just pressed fibers that are steamed together. If this is the type of fiberboard used, it’s fine as is.
If you think you should remove it and cannot, yes AFM Safeseal would do the trick. You wouldn’t need to wrap it in food grade polyethylene too. One or the other would be fine. Foil would also be fine.
I haven’t used the AFM stains, but from the description it should be fine, especially with a six week cure and especially if you put it outdoors in the sun.
However, let me just give you the super-caution. Babies are extremely vulnerable to toxics even in very small amounts. If it were me, I would just leave the wood unfinished and take no chances at all. I can’t stress this enough. Exposures early in life can cause problems later in life. I can’t tell you for sure what is in these products, so better safe than sorry. Yes they are less toxic, but baby-safe? I don’t know.
