How Well Does Laminate Flooring Stack Up?

A Reader Asks The Green Guide:

Please advise me on laminated wood flooring...are they made from non-toxic materials? Can you recommend non-toxic laminated flooring...or is hardwood a better choice?

The Green Guide Responds:

Since its appearance in the U.S. market in 1994, laminated flooring continues to grow in popularity here, just as it has in Europe. Laminate wood flooring, which mimics the appearance of a hardwood floor, offers many new possibilities for consumers looking for do-it-yourself flooring with the durability and look of hard wood, but which can be more easily installed; most laminate wood floors come in planks and are glued together to form a "floating floor" above the existing sub floor. The process is relatively quick, without several days of sanding, stain and polyurethane coating, and laminate floors can be walked on almost immediately after installation, once the glue has dried. Laminate flooring also offers a wide variety of surface colors and textures, in some cases, floor borders or the appearance of natural stone: it's not just a wood look-alike anymore.

With recent EPA studies which suggest that household carpeting may contain some toxic chemicals, including the pesticide permethrin to decrease dust mites, many consumers look to wood flooring and laminate options to provide a living environment with fewer allergens. Hardwood and laminate flooring offer smooth surfaces, which are easy to clean, and which don't provide breeding conditions for dust mites.

However, air quality is also important when considering flooring choices. Even natural hardwood flooring does offgas some formaldehyde or VOCs (volatile organic compounds), especially in the first few weeks after installation when the majority of fumes from stains and sealants are being released. Laminate flooring emissions come in well below the permissible emission levels for formaldehyde and VOCs, Also, many of the adhesives and coatings used in the manufacture of laminate flooring are water-based products, and laminate flooring comes free of solvents and wood preservatives, other chemicals that could agitate allergies or asthma. For these reasons, many people may look to laminate flooring as a healthier choice than hardwoods, if only because the chemical process of offgas emission is decreased, especially in the first few weeks after installation.

However there are still some environmental concerns for consumers thinking about laminate flooring. Few products are made with Forest Stewardhip Council-certified wood, which would ensure sustainability of the wood. KronoSwiss does offer a few types of laminate flooring with all FSC wood materials. There are, however, several other flooring options, such as cork flooring, which ensures a harvest law of no less than 9 years downtime for the recovery of the cork trees, or bamboo, which is a fast-growing plant which quickly replenishes. Cork floors, like laminate wood floors, float above the surface of the sub-floor without being glued down. Bamboo flooring, also known as Plyboo, offers a convincing hard wood appearance. While both cork flooring and bamboo flooring are roughly as expensive as hard wood alternatives, many laminate flooring choices are slightly less expensive. In addition to these alternatives, there are a wide variety of engineered wood products on the market which utilize reclaimed wood; look for theSmartWood Rediscovered label.

Alex Wilson, the editor at BuildingGreen.com, offers some final tips on choosing laminate flooring: Look for products assembled with non-formaldehyde or non-urea-formaldehyde binders, and this will help decrease emissions of formaldehyde into the air; Polyurethane binders, such as MDI or PMDI are better alternative. Also, look for low VOC adhesives to adhere products to the floor, or choose floating options. For products without glue or floor adhesive, see Unilin Quick-Step (www.quick-step.com) or Pergo Presto (www.pergo.com) which snap together. Also KronoSwiss Crystal Clic is glueless and uses FSC-certified materials (www.kronoswiss.com).

Other Flooring Products

Smith & Fong (bamboo), 866-835-9859; www.plyboo.com

ContempoCork, 201-986-7915

Globus Cork, 718-742-7264;www.corkfloor.com

No- and Low-VOC Glues, Grouts, Sealers, Finishes

Safecoat Safe Seal (low-VOC sealer); MexeSeal, Paver Seal and WaterShield (water- and stain-proofing), 800-239-0321; www.afmsafecoat.com

OS Hardwax Oil (finish); www.environmentalhomecenter.com

EnviroTech adhesive; 800-238-5008;www.environproducts.com

Titebond Solvent Free Construction Adhesive, www.environmentalhomecenter.com