Products & Certifications

17 Feb

Posted at 09:06h in Featured Stories, Home & Real Estate, Products & Certifications
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Onsite, UV-cured hardwood floor finishes are starting to beam BulldogWe talk a lot about low-VOC (Volatile Organic Compound) floor finishes, and the scientific advancements that have produced less-toxic polyurethanes and natural oil floor coatings.  But the truth is that our search for the perfect people-and planet friendly option continues daily. “Water-based” and “waterborne” now are second only to “low-VOC” on the list of buzzwords that put our minds at ease. But when you consider that zero-VOC paints are readily available, the VOC content in floor coatings can seem high, in addition to other chemicals that some formulas use. This reality has made the ultra-violent curing machine the latest proven weapon in our arsenal of remedies for unhealthful indoor air. It stops chemical emissions by instantly curing the finish that would ordinarily take days to weeks to completely dry and stop off-gassing. In addition, waterborne polyurethanes with VOC content as low as 17 grams per liter are now available.

08 Jan

Posted at 10:04h in Design & Décor, Products & Certifications
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Custom design in cork gives light and warmth to dark kitchen Laura cork 2IMG_0037Laura wasn’t kidding when she said her new kitchen floor had to create a warmer, brighter space than the brown vinyl that once covered the floor in this room with very little natural light. Something natural that was indoor-air friendly would also be a plus, Laura thought as she began to research different floors.  Tile was her first choice. But the cement board  required as an underlayment would have raised the kitchen floor much higher than the adjoining rooms of carpet, hardwood and slate. She found a design – in cork flooring tiles – that she liked online, and selected colors for her own custom look. 

10 Oct

Posted at 18:30h in Design & Décor, Featured Stories, Products & Certifications
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Managing flooring heights and ensuring floors contain no urea formaldehyde mean extra work on this job 012I made myself very clear on this project: All products would be proven to contain no added urea formaldehyde, and there would be no transitions. The homeowner had selected three styles of cork flooring that were almost ½-inch in thickness; prefinished solid hardwood that was ¾-inch; and the tile, the first flooring to go in, was sitting at 1-1/16th inches in height once installed. To complicate the job further, the cork was a floating floor, meaning that it does not get glued or nailed to the subfloor, which typically requires transitions, such as T-molding, where it meets up with other floors like tile and hardwood. So, we decided on a modified transition.

29 Sep

Posted at 18:31h in Design & Décor, Featured Stories, Products & Certifications
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Air conditioning gets installed in the nick of time to achieve proper moisture levels 003“The relative humidity is still reading 65 percent. Should we open or close the windows?” In preparing to install hardwood flooring, we have been monitoring moisture levels at this new construction site for weeks. It’s part of our normal preparation for installing hardwood and cork floors. “Don’t leave the windows open overnight or we’ll be sabotaged by night-time condensation,” our quality-control manager says. “The air conditioning is being installed tomorrow, and as long as that happens, we should be fine.” Tomorrow will be just 24 hours before all the flooring is delivered to acclimate in the home for three days prior to installation. The moisture content in the subfloors has been measured and was fine, but the relative humidity has been climbing since the walls were painted.

17 Jul

Posted at 14:53h in Products & Certifications
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How can a floor that was supposed to be more stable start curling?

VGN-swatchQ: I have a vertical grain bamboo floor that I was told would be stronger and more stable than hardwood. After it was in for a few weeks, some of the boards started curling upward at the ends. I was told there was too much humidity in my home, so I turned off the humidifier.

Now, the boards are shrinking and leaving gaps. I am very disappointed because I did my research and purchased a brand that was supposed to be the leader in quality. Can you shed any light on whether this is a common problem or an isolated incident?

A: You are not alone. While I would not call your situation a common problem, it is not an isolated incident.

04 Jun

Posted at 12:16h in Home & Real Estate, Products & Certifications
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Carpet padding can now be held to the same standard as carpet for indoor-air quality

green-labelAt last, a moment many of us have been waiting for has arrived.  A testing program is now available for carpet padding that will actually ensure it does not emit unhealthful levels of chemicals.

A lot of people think we already have this through the CRI Green Label program for testing pad.  But the CRI Green Label Plus program that is used for carpet is far more stringent, and soon, we will be able to look for this label on carpet padding, too.

The Carpet & Rug Institute (CRI) and the Carpet Cushion Council announced earlier this week that the Green Label Plus program is being opened up to pad manufacturers.

 "This offers cushion manufacturers the opportunity to qualify their products according to these more stringent standards and provide additional assurance for consumers concerned about indoor-air quality or potential VOC emissions," a CRI spokesman told TalkFloor.

19 Dec

Posted at 12:18h in Design & Décor, Products & Certifications
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009For some homeowners, the perfect porcelain tile doesn’t look like tile at all At first glance, this floor looks like hardwood. It does on second glance, too, which often is not the case with vinyl wood-look products. Even upon third inspection, most people don’t imagine that this floor is porcelain tile. This look is increasing interest in a product that already was popular because of its durability and ease of care and maintenance.

04 Nov

Posted at 12:22h in Design & Décor, Products & Certifications
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Gray or brown, this hardwood floor blends seamlessly with home’s bold natural colors 018The color of this stained Maple floor is called “Jellybean.” When you look at it in natural daylight, it is gray. Put it under artificial light, and it takes on a deep brown. But no matter where you look in Brittany’s new  Milford, OH, home, this floor from Mirage Hardwood is the perfect background for her sky blue and terracotta walls, and her kitchen backsplash tiles that look like they were painted with watercolors. These colors are just spot-on.

19 Oct

Posted at 08:41h in Lifestyle, Products & Certifications
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Long-term recycling solution for polyester carpet becomes pressing with increased sales, but national director says: “The glass is half-full” Mohawk Plastic BottlesIt has been observed throughout history: Cleaning up one mess often creates another mess. To clean up a mess, carpet manufacturers have been recycling billions of discarded plastic bottles into polyester (PET) carpet every year. But discarded PET carpet is not recyclable. And it now accounts for 30 percent -- up from 4 percent in 2007 -- of the used carpet headed for landfills. Because 35 percent of the residential carpet market is now PET, which is cheaper but not as durable as recyclable nylon carpet, carpet manufacturer Mohawk has announced Continuum – it new, proprietary PET carpet. The proprietary process results in a more durable, cleaner PET carpet, the company says.

22 Jul

Posted at 11:29h in Products & Certifications
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Medical problems caused by negligent hardwood flooring manufacturer put focus on compliance with California Air Resource Board (CARB) standards Carb II CompliantConsumer complaints of severe allergic reactions to flooring -- followed by news that one of the nation’s largest flooring retailers was importing floors that exceeded limits for formaldehyde -- should call our attention to the term, CARB Compliant. Small amounts of formaldehyde occur naturally. But excessive amounts can be emitted from certain glues. Excessive amounts of formaldehyde are carcinogenic.  Flooring manufacturers who are supposed to comply with California Air Resource Board (CARB) standards, should no longer be using adhesives that exceed standards. But how are consumers supposed to know?