Finishing First

Editor’s Note: Some slight changes have been made to this program. Click here to see the final line-up.

Schumacher & Co. Custom Hardwood Floors launches first Natural Interiors® Floor Finishing Program

Today’s emphasis on measuring indoor-air quality relies heavily on the terms Low- and Zero-VOC (Volatile Organic Compound). But the EPA’s regulation of VOCs – which we cite routinely when we discuss interior products – has little to do with interior products or human health.

Instead, the EPA set limits on VOCs in an effort to reduce smog. There are a number of solvents that can be present in interior products. Some are not regulated because they do not promote the formation of smog.

So, Schumacher & Co. Custom Hardwood Floors in Milford, OH, is teaming with Natural Interiors® to offer low- and zero- VOC products that are designed to stop emitting chemical fumes once dry or contain only natural ingredients, with no known adverse health effects.

“Our Natural Interiors® Floor Finishing Program will provide this range, so we can offer a product that meets the individual needs of each customer, including those who do not want to detect any chemical odor in their homes,” says Roy Young, Schumacher & Co.’s quality control manager.

Schumacher & Co. finished this floor with Osmo hard wax oil.

With 80 years of hardwood floor finishing and installation experience, and an ongoing commitment to testing cutting-edge products, Schumacher & Co. is uniquely positioned to launch the Natural Interiors®  Floor Finishing Program.

Schumacher & Co.’s Natural Interiors® Floor Finishing program will offer the following options:

Waterborne polyurethane finishes that have GREENGUARD Indoor Air Quality Certification, VOC levels as low as 210 grams per liter, and are formulated not to release chemicals once they are dry.

Ohio’s legal limit for VOCs in floor coatings is 350 grams per liter. The most stringent state limit of 275 grams per liter has been set in the state of California.

Polyurethane forms a protective coating on top of the wood’s surface.  Wear over time is repaired by recoating or sanding and refinishing.

Osmo Hard wax Oil, which contains solvents but is low-VOC.  This oil penetrates and protects wood, developing a rich patina over time.  Solvents, which help harden the product and extend shelf-life, are non-toxic after the product has dried. At 50 grams of VOCs per liter, this product is well under Ohio’s legal limit of 350 grams per liter.

UV-Cured waterborne polyurethane, which uses a waterborne base coat with a light amber tint, meant to replicate the aesthetic created by oil-based polyurethane. The VOC content of this base coat is less than 225 grams per liter.  The waterborne top coat used in this process contains less than 180 grams of VOCs per liter. There is virtually no odor from these products and our ultra-violent curing machine instantly cures the finish, creating a diamond-hard finish that is impervious to chemicals and abrasion.

Beeswax finish, considered low-VOC at less than 100 grams per liter, but the VOC in the product  is natural citrus.

Plant-based oil, which forms a molecular bond with the surface of the wood. This product contains a modified solvent that emits no chemical odor or VOCs. Worn or damaged surfaces can be spot-repaired by applying more of the oil to those areas without sanding or recoating the entire floor. This oil is available as a clear coat or in one of more than 30 tinted colors.

Solvent-free, plant-based oil that penetrates into the wood. The primary ingredients in this finish are Tung and linseed oils that emit no chemical odor and contain no VOCs. The oil absorbs into the wood, protects it and develops a rich patina over time. Through routine recoating, worn and damaged areas are repaired without re-sanding or having to recoat the entire floor at once.

Schumacher & Co.’s  Natural Interiors® Floor Finishing program also focuses on minimizing dust.

“Our floor sanding equipment is used in conjunction with dust containment systems that are designed to remove about 98 percent of airborne dust and particles,” Young says. ©

For more information, contact Schumacher & Co. Custom Hardwood Floors at (513) 831-5000 or through www.schumacherco.com.

You might also be interested in Oil on Wood, Part I, Part II and Part III.

– Nancy Kibbee is editor at www.naturalinteriors.com