A
AndreasPlü15 Jan 2017 11:34Hello,
we are building a single-family house to KfW 70 standard with underfloor heating for hot water and controlled ventilation.
We want to install the floors in the children’s/bedrooms and office ourselves. We have considered everything: initially, we thought about laminate, then prefinished hardwood flooring, and finally settled on vinyl because of its better hygiene and greater resistance to water. However, I recently read in Ökotest that vinyl may not be free of contaminants like plasticizers.
Does anyone have suggestions for floor coverings that are as low in harmful substances but offer the same good qualities? It should be available in a good wood appearance and look attractive. What are your thoughts on PVC-free vinyl, and what is it actually made of?
we are building a single-family house to KfW 70 standard with underfloor heating for hot water and controlled ventilation.
We want to install the floors in the children’s/bedrooms and office ourselves. We have considered everything: initially, we thought about laminate, then prefinished hardwood flooring, and finally settled on vinyl because of its better hygiene and greater resistance to water. However, I recently read in Ökotest that vinyl may not be free of contaminants like plasticizers.
Does anyone have suggestions for floor coverings that are as low in harmful substances but offer the same good qualities? It should be available in a good wood appearance and look attractive. What are your thoughts on PVC-free vinyl, and what is it actually made of?
Hello "AndresaPlü".
The whole topic of “indoor toxins” has been sensationalized in the past just as much as it is today.
Everything, without exception, has a vapor pressure at temperatures above 0K (which is -273°C (-459°F)). Even metals.
For organic building materials like PVC, for example, this material is naturally very hard and therefore quite brittle. Completely unsuitable as flooring. This is also true for car dashboards, seats, and other interior parts. Solid wood furniture also emits substances.
About 15 years ago, the specter of “formaldehyde” was still a big concern and was immediately associated with all laminate flooring. Today, nobody talks about it anymore, even though one cigarette releases more formaldehyde per puff into the indoor air than a chipboard cabinet can emit in 2 years.
I have personally measured the exposure from cigarette smoke with suitable equipment.
No building material, and therefore no flooring, should be used indoors if the emitted substances pose a health risk to humans or animals.
PVC floor coverings, like the ones you mentioned, are installed even under much stricter emission requirements in public buildings such as schools. The requirements based on the AgBB principle are higher than those for usual living spaces in private homes.
Still, the emission criteria are met.
So, to conclude, there is no justified concern regarding emissions from floor coverings.
Regards, KlaRa
The whole topic of “indoor toxins” has been sensationalized in the past just as much as it is today.
Everything, without exception, has a vapor pressure at temperatures above 0K (which is -273°C (-459°F)). Even metals.
For organic building materials like PVC, for example, this material is naturally very hard and therefore quite brittle. Completely unsuitable as flooring. This is also true for car dashboards, seats, and other interior parts. Solid wood furniture also emits substances.
About 15 years ago, the specter of “formaldehyde” was still a big concern and was immediately associated with all laminate flooring. Today, nobody talks about it anymore, even though one cigarette releases more formaldehyde per puff into the indoor air than a chipboard cabinet can emit in 2 years.
I have personally measured the exposure from cigarette smoke with suitable equipment.
No building material, and therefore no flooring, should be used indoors if the emitted substances pose a health risk to humans or animals.
PVC floor coverings, like the ones you mentioned, are installed even under much stricter emission requirements in public buildings such as schools. The requirements based on the AgBB principle are higher than those for usual living spaces in private homes.
Still, the emission criteria are met.
So, to conclude, there is no justified concern regarding emissions from floor coverings.
Regards, KlaRa
Similar topics