Super Search
 

Question from Mira

Hi Debra,

My finances are such that I can afford a small condo but not a free-standing home. My HOA will not allow wood or tile floors in my 2nd floor unit (the 2nd floor is best for me because I have mold allergies and I’m further away from the ground). They will allow carpeting or cork. I’ve been testing 100% wool carpet samples, but I’ve reacted to them thus far. There is a cork company called WE Cork located in New Hampshire that makes cork flooring that looks like wood. The MSDS for this “Serenity Floating Floor” is here:

http://www.wecork.com/wp-content/forms/FloatingFloorHDF-MSDS.

My concern of course is the formaldehyde. When I talked with them they said the formaldehyde is in the high density particle board which is sandwiched between two layers of cork; there is also a top coat of water based polyurethane sealant that is applied in a heated state which increases its strength/hardness. There will also be a polyethylene moisture barrier laid on the subfloor before the cork is laid. There would be a 3/8″ gap between the floor boards and the walls to allow for swelling without buckling. They said I could use a water based polyurethene coating on these edges to completely seal anything I could be exposed to. If I did this, do you think it could be a “safe” floor? I would alert the installers to wear protective gear.

Another cork company is Wicanders who also make cork flooring to look like wood in their Woodcomfort Floating Floor collection. Their main offices are in Portugal and I can’t find an MSDS sheet on this product. 

After much searching I finally found something close to an MSDS sheet for Wicander’s.   I’m passing the link along to you in case it helps you answer my question.   It has some chemicals but is Greenguard certified.   I’d be grateful for your take on chemical safety for someone with MCS (me).  Of course I will test with samples, but I’d love your input as well.

http://construction-environment.com/download/CY1ad5db03X1410d356259XY5c2/EPD_AMO_2013111_E.pdf?ITServ=C1f827654X1451b8eb9e8XY2740

They list formaldehyde emission as E1.

I would appreciate your thoughts on both of these products.

Thanks so much!

Debra’s Answer

I’m reluctant to say that any flooring that emits formaldehyde in any amount could be safe.

All these emissions ratings for formaldehyde don’t mean “zero.” They are small amounts.

Have you tested samples of either of these corks?

Let’s examine the WE layers in order:

* top coat of water based polyurethane sealant that is applied in a heated state which increases its strength/hardness
* cork
* high density particle board
* cork
* polyethylene moisture barrier laid on the subfloor before the cork is laid

Cork would not block formaldehyde, but the polyurethane sealant might. And more layers of sealant would block more formaldehyde, especially if you used AFM Safe Seal which is designed to encapsulate formaldehyde. If you were to apply that as a topcoat over the flooring, I think it would be pretty safe. At least the best you could do given your choices under the circumstances.

In this document from Wicanders it says that the cork is attached to PVC and high density fiberboard (outgasses formaldehyde).

Cork is only 29%.

55% is high density fiberboard.

6% PVC.

Formaldehyde emissions are class E1. That means it’s emitting formaldehyde.

Greenguard certified doesn’t mean no emissions. It means the product has less than a stated limit of emissions. If that number were 10, some products certified have 9, some 8, some 7 etc, some 0.

Add Comment

ARE TOXIC PRODUCTS HIDDEN IN YOUR HOME?

Toxic Products Don’t Always Have Warning Labels. Find Out About 3 Hidden Toxic Products That You Can Remove From Your Home Right Now.