Question from petercsantoro@yahoo.com
I am currently trying to find less toxic furniture, particularly a dining table and chairs. I did find a teak table which was natural, untreated wood; however, the chairs were a beechwood with a water-based white paint and polyurethane finish. I cannot seem to find chairs without a polyurethane finish unless I spend more and purchase teak chairs as well. Do you recommend avoiding the polyurethane finished wood as much as possible? Is it possible to coat the chairs with a Safecoat sealer or something? Thank you!
Debra’s Answer
It’s not necessary to avoid polyurethane finish. It’s the solvents in the polyurethane finish that are toxic, not the polyurethane itself. Right at the moment, I am sitting at a desk with a polyurethane finish. As long as the finish is cured enough that it is no longer outgassing VOCs, a polyurethane finish is fine.
I am looking at a Pacific Rim bed frame that has a finished wood option. The coating has a verathane that contains polyurethane. What do you think about this type of finish? Do you think it may be safe and/or offgass?
Thank you
COMMENT FROM DEBRA:
I don’t have any personal experience with this finish, however, this furniture is widely recommended by many natural websites. Polyurethane varies in toxicity depending on the solvent used. Just because something contains polyurethane does not mean it is toxic.