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Are luxury vinyl floors today less toxic?

5 years ago

Are there valid Heath concerns related to vinyl floors and laminates?

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Comments (2)

SJ McCarthy
5 years ago
It all depends. Sigh. I know. Not what you are wanting to hear but it is the truth. A low-end laminate at $0.79/sf out of the worst factory in China is going to have issues. A high-end vinyl out of the best materials with a price of $7.99/sf is going to have very few, if any issues.

With laminate, the worry is formaldehyde and other VOC products used in the adhesives. The particle board of laminates can be made with extremely dangerous adhesives (illegal in 11 states in the USA...the other 39 states have to take their chances) or they can have eco friendly materials out of Switzerland that are so healthy you could EAT them.

With vinyl, you are looking out for phthalates. These are not normally found in the VOC content readings. They are particles that come off of low-end PVC products - especially if they have recycled content. In the "health" world, recycled plastics are unhealthy. The virgin PVC products are the healthiest because the manufacturers have to spend the money to have TIGHT control of the product.

It sounds counter intuitive, but you want VIRGIN PVC content in your vinyl products. The post-consumer recycling is not a human-healthy choice. The phthalates are what you are watching for.

And remember: you get what you pay for. A high-end laminate out of Switzerland will get you one of the healthiest "man made" floors on the market. It will also be more expensive than some entry-level solid hardwoods from Home Depot.

The high-end vinyls out of Korea are some of the most advanced products we have for man-made floor coversings. They too will be more expensive than a MID-RANGE solid hardwood from a hardwood flooring company.

Pick your price range and go for the highest quality product in that price range. Ignore the laminate/vinyl concept. Go with the highest priced product in that range.
Dory
4 years ago
Can you provide some brand names for the “healthier” floors?

We’re redoing aspects of our 1942 kitchen. I want a “no-care” floor--obviously, clean spills and clean once in a while, but no waxing/sealing required.
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