Hardwood Floors August/September 2018

AT THE SITE

The Lowdown on Low VOC Finishes

regulations have required manufacturers of nishes to change formulations to become more VOC-compliant over the last few years. ese regulations vary from state-to-state and can be as high as 550g/L and as low as 275g/L. In order to achieve compliance, many manufacturers have had to substitute di erent components than what was traditionally used. e e ect has been that nishes have become more expensive to produce and, in some cases, the ease of application has been compromised. “There are a number of factors that contractors and end-users must consider before choosing any finish. The trick is to educate everyone involved as to what options are available in order to achieve the best balance between the look the end user wants, the suitability of the finish to their lifestyle, and the impact on indoor air quality.”

An increasing amount of information is available to the public on air quality issues, including the possible negative e ects of the o -gassing of volatile chemicals. Indoor air quality has become important to many designers and speci ers, including those that specify wood ooring. In construction, the maximum concentration of VOCs (volatile organic compounds) is o en speci ed by LEED, the U.S. Green Building Council, and many other federal and state/ provincial authorities. e maximum allowable limits for VOC emissions include all the materials that can give o VOCs including paints, carpets, millwork, etc., and may limit the type of nish that can be used on the oors so that it ts within the speci ed limits. VOCs are emi ed as gases from certain solids or liquids such as paints, varnishes, cleaning agents, cosmetics, degreasers, and hobby products. If the end-user has chosen safe indoor air quality as a priority, it is important to educate them about other potentially harmful products that they may be using already, and perhaps suggest more favorable options. Traditionally, the most popular nishes used in oor nishing contained VOC content as high as 750g/L. Government

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