The photo isn't showing up for some reason. Here is the link. https://www.houzz.com/products/french-oak-prefinished-engineered-wood-floor-antique-white-1-box-prvw-vr~104602152

There is some confusion here. Debra is correct in saying that solid prefinished hardwood flooring is safe. If the solid flooring has been finished with UV cured acrylic, which is the current industry standard, they will not contain added formaldehyde and the finish will not emit VOCs because the light cured acrylic finish does not contain solvents like the traditional urethane finish.

However…. engineered hardwood flooring can also be very safe. As an example Eddie Bauer Floors line of engineered flooring and product from some other US manufacturers, does not contain any added formaldehyde glues. Get an engineered hardwood floor rather than laminate. Less glue in the assembly because good quality engineered hardwood uses a plywood backer and laminate uses a pressboard backer. Pick a product that has low or no added formaldehyde. Eddie Bauer Floors and some other good US manufactures offer this kind of product with no added formaldehyde glues and a UV cured acrylic matte finish which does not contain solvents and so does not emit VOCs.

OK... the "reality" for VOC free engineered hardwood is...there aren't any. Why not you ask? Because the GLUE they used to keep the layers STUCK together contains small amounts of VOC content. The factory finishes often have small traces of VOCs (some as low as 80g/L = super low) but they are still THERE.

Which means you will need to change your search to LOW VOC content wood. Even the European produced engineered hardwoods have traces of VOC content. Only the SUPER HIGH END stuff out of Switzerland (which bothers the Germans to NO END!) will get you the "Zero" you are looking for. And they start at $10/sf....and that's for the ugly stuff. The beautiful wide plank European Oak stuff hits $15/sf without blinking.

If you want NO VOC wood = solid unfinished hardwood. Done. You have your No VOC wood floor. A hardwax finish can be applied on site = NO VOC (Rubio Monocoat comes to mind).

So...with your low budget, you may need to modify your requirements. You can get the look you want with LOW VOC criteria....but not the width or the long length (the link indicates "short" lengths of 2ft - 4ft lengths are the MAJORITY).Or you can get the look+length you want with an INCREASE in budget.

Your limited budget means you must look at altering your requirements. I think LOW VOC is the start. Then the width of the product needs to change. And you will need to accept the shorter lengths.

But the easiest thing to do is to increase the budget. A 3500sf install is no small feat. This is a SIGNIFICANT amount of flooring. It is the surface that will take the MOST abuse! A budget of $28K for 3500sf is too lean. I would prefer to see $35K for 3500sf of flooring. That's a better price point. It will get you MUCH closer to where you want to be.

Going "cheap" on flooring is like going cheap on roofing. It isn't worth it in the end.

If the wood in the link is still available....I suggest you find contact the manufacturer/seller and get your order in. It looks to be a decent product for a decent price. But most likely made in China.

Thanks for the commentary. I do prefer the longer lengths indeed.

If you like the longer board lengths, then the product you listed is TOO SHORT (in the description the planks are 2ft - 4ft in length). The price shown for that material = $6.75/sf. That's a decent price for a European Oak floor in wide plank presentation.

If you want longer planks, you need to increase your budget to $8/sf - the installation is extra. That's where a wide plank with LONG LENGTHS will START. And that will push your budget PAST the $35,000 mark. It will end up CLOSER to $40,000.

Right now your budget is $28,000. Moving to $40,000 is appropriate for the LENGTH you want....but it may not be appropriate for YOUR BUDGET.

This is where you have to choose. Budget vs. "look". Can you handle the 45% increase in flooring budget? That is the REAL question.

hi there, i'm just checking to see if you made any flooring decisions and what you ultimately went with!

Unfortunately it feels like safety and budget aren't always aligned in the flooring business - i'm on a similar search myself and would love any suggestions and options you've discovered for no/low VOC engineered flooring.

thank you!

Getting closer. Been a lot of work. If you keep up the hunt, you can get close to your goal. Visit lots of local shops and talk to the owners and do a lot of due diligence that way. If you know the look you want, definitely shop around. I’ve had quotes vary for the same product up to $5/sq ft. I’ve spent a lot of time and soon will make a decision. Looking at Villagio, Go Haus, Bella Cera, Palladio and some others. Between $5-6. If you let me know what you’re interested in, and our interests overlap, I can give more specific suggestions.

@PJ: exactly. it is a LOT of leg work, nearly a full time job! I can live with a flooring that isn't my "dream coloring" or width if I can reliably track the safety of it. Our requirements are almost exactly the same = white oak, smoother texture, ideally wider planks. I've come across quite a few that fit that within the price range but with deep grooves which over time, will just darken and be incredibly difficult to clean. I'll check out some of the brands you've listed! I've been looking at Urban Floor but am still on the fence. All are CARB2 but very few take it further than that. More research.. would love to keep in touch and see what you end up going with!! Good luck (to us both!) and thanks for responding!!!

Yes. That’s the problem. The tracking. I’m going to call a few more places today to ask some specifics. So frustrating. Found a bunch of certificates on Palladio site. And made a more specific request last night for more detail.

Below are couple of our stocked engineered floors that are in line with your requirement: $5-6 price, low VOC, color, etc. Whisky has a UV oil finish while Pilsner has a matte lacquer finish. Let me know if I can help to answer more questions. Thank you!

Millennium Whisky

Cicerone Pilsner

Hi there - I'm hoping SJ McCarthy is still out there following this thread... can you comment on who the Swiss manufacturers you're referring to are? I'm looking to install rift cut white oak floors over radiant heat, and haven't been able to find anyone who will warranty solid hardwood over the radiant. So we're going to have to go with the engineered.

So we're looking for unfinished (so we can sand in place), engineered boards, all rift cut. We actually like the narrow ones - 3" wide is fine - and low to no VOCs or urea formaldehyde.

Any guidance you can provide would be much appreciated!