Floors can be delivered to your home starting at $99, or picked up in-store for free! The flooring planks were likely sealed up to be shipped before the varnish smell could dissipate, and it just needs time to air out, much like a freshly-painted room. We’ve spoken a lot about the potential dangers to human health posed by emissions from bamboo flooring, so now let’s look at how your beautiful bamboo flooring can actually improve your health. Bamboo flooring battle. However, bamboo flooring has been installed worldwide for almost 25 years – in homes, offices, restaurants, schools, hotels, and many other environments. Because anyone who’s really done their research knows that high-quality bamboo floor brands have formaldehyde levels in their floors that are so low, they’re virtually undetectable, less than .02 parts per million. Joseph Lewitin is a flooring expert who contributed home improvement content for The Spruce for four years. This adhesive often contains urea-formaldehyde that can outgas into the air. It also leads to the growth of a fungus and mold, especially on the draft floor. These quantities are roughly equivalent to the levels used in household and office furniture and cleaning products. Wood Flooring. Can I Install Bamboo Flooring in a Basement? Because it is an organic material, bamboo can be affected by mold if water is present. Introducing "One Thing": A New Video Series. that bamboo flooring has ever resulted in sickness, or even that emissions from bamboo floors have ever tested at harmful levels to human (or kitty cat) health. Bamboo is a durable, versatile and abundant material making it an ideal floor covering. The first considerations should be … The laminate flooring emitted formaldehyde levels that were several times higher than California regulations allow. Formaldehyde is a naturally-occurring organic compound that exists in everything, including our breath and our cellular structure, so it’s hard to say anything is truly “formaldehyde-free.” However, when it comes to flooring, some products are so low in formaldehyde, they meet the “No Added Urea Formaldehyde (NAUF)” standard. Good luck and hope this helps! Installers who need to cut or sand bamboo flooring should wear a mask and clothing that protects the skin. Pet claws can also be a problem, especially if you have a large, rambunctious dog. Most bamboo flooring products are prefinished at the factory, but if not, the flooring needs to be sealed with a urethane product after installation. A very thin veneer of natural bamboo is glued to the backing layer. This is a premium form of bamboo flooring, available in many colors. Why is vinyl flooring hazardous? Some of those concerns include biodiversity, soil erosion, and chemical use. But the manufacturing process creates other environmental concerns. Then check out the Bamboo Flooring 101: A Beginner’s Guide to Bamboo Floors to learn everything you need to know. If so, you can click on the box below or call 866-710-7070 to speak to one of our flooring professionals. Your email address will not be published. Aluminum Oxide Finish and Your Health. Most high-quality bamboo flooring in the US meets this standard. As a flooring material, bamboo has many of the same benefits and drawbacks of hardwood flooring, Like wood flooring, bamboo is an attractive natural material that generally adds real estate value to a home. Or Are They Toxic or Dangerous? Unfortunately, these misleading articles have been copied and pasted as fact around the web. Required fields are marked *. Engineered bamboo flooring consists of a backing layer made from cross-laminated plywood or fiberboard. Vinyl flooring can last anywhere from 10 to 20 years. This form of flooring is available both as tongue-and-groove planks that are nailed down, as well as planks that float over the underlayment. We’re certain that you’ll realize that not only is bamboo flooring safe for human habitation, it’s also a safe investment that will boost the value of your home for years to come. Laminate Flooring Test Results - Health Issues and Solutions. This is the level at which the National Cancer Institute says emissions can start to affect people at the lower end of the scale (i.e., nausea, irritation to the ear, nose, and throat). This flooring is comparable to engineered hardwood and is installed in the same way—usually with click-lock planks that float over a foam underlayment. It can understandably worry anyone thinking of putting a certain type of floor in their home because their first thoughts will be for their family’s safety. Oh, and wear a facemask if you’re installing them so that the particles resulting from the cutting process aren’t inhaled – just like any other time you’re cutting building materials with a saw. Luxury vinyl tile (LVT) flooring has recently become popular due to its durability, price, and unique-looking surfaces. Your email address will not be published. This is why you’re advised to avoid smoking around children and open the windows when painting. There are many reasons why you shouldn’t worry if your bamboo floor has a chemical smell for the first few days. If you are a DIYer, be aware that there is no independent system for rating the quality of bamboo materials in the same way that hardwood is graded. But if this concerns you, look for bamboo products labeled as formaldehyde-free. The floors you choose really create the atmosphere in your home and give it its identity. It, too, is available both in nail-down planks and as floating floor planks. The reason for this includes contaminants often found indoors like mold and other pollutants, as well as emissions of VOCs or formaldehyde from furniture or furnishings, which is bad for overall health. Formaldehyde in floors has gotten a lot of press this year, but another flooring concern--phthalates, which makes plastics more pliant--has raised eyebrows because of these compounds' health … You should be able to get a good-quality bamboo installed for less than $10 per square foot, including materials and labor. Looking for Bamboo flooring? Environmental Concerns. Stranded bamboo is made by shredding the bamboo stalks into small strands, which are compressed into sheets using heat and resin binders, then cut into planks to use as building materials. Concerns Grow Over Laminate Flooring Once Sold by Lumber Liquidators . Bamboo takes in carbon dioxide and introduces 35% more oxygen into the atmosphere, lessening the number of greenhouse gases and the need for hardwood trees. Because formaldehyde is also a pungent-smelling gas, the stench alone can be unbearable. While the bamboo plant is a type of grass, not a tree, bamboo flooring behaves much like wood flooring—it can even be refinished in the same way. If you’ve recently purchased a bamboo floor and you’re worried about it being toxic because it smells a little funny, don’t panic. In Conclusion Formaldehyde is a naturally occurring, strong-smelling chemical that has been used in the production of many building materials and household items for decades while also serving as an industrial-strength disinfectant that can be used to preserve the dead in morgues and medical labs. By. Customers, too, can become ill from off-gassing–even long after installation. Unlike the hardwood lumber industry, where trees can take decades to mature, bamboo stalks grow so fast that there is little environmental liability to the harvest practices. So, take a deep breath and don’t let fear-mongering and scare tactics stop you from buying an eco-friendly and beautiful bamboo floor that can last for decades to come. Exposed to moisture for an extended period of time, bamboo flooring products can absorb moisture and weaken. Bamboo flooring fades over time and changes colour. Raw bamboo planks can also be stained before top-coating with a urethane sealer. Bamboo flooring has been safely used in homes across the world since the mid-90s. They can be naturally produced by plants, animals, and microbes but can also be human-made in the production of items like paints, varnishes, cleaning products, refrigerants, and cigarettes. Bamboo flooring is often made using urea-formaldehyde adhesives, which contain volatile organic compounds (VOCs) – toxic gases that are harmful to your health and the environment. In the 1980’s, asbestos was found in vinyl flooring. Bamboo floor planks are manufactured by slicing or shredding the stalks of bamboo grass plants and then compressing the pulp back together using heat, pressure, and a resin-based adhesive identical to those used in many other flooring products. Installation of nail-down or glue-down bamboo planks is usually handled by professionals. Either way, the entire floor rests over a thin layer of foam underlayment, with no permanent attachment to the subfloor. While the color can be very attractive, carbonized bamboo is softer than uncarbonized forms, and is more susceptible to scratching. This is cause for concern because most Americans spend the vast majority of their time indoors (i.e., in the office, at the gym, at home) and rarely get fresh air that isn’t being recirculated by an air conditioning unit. When compared to hardwood, bamboo is slightly more resistant to water damage.