http://www.care2.com/greenliving/formaldehyde-free-kitchens.html
Formaldehyde-Free Kitchens
posted by Annie B. Bond Jan 8, 1999 10:34 am
By Annie B. Bond
Particle board is the base material used in most manufactured kitchen cabinets. The board is usually made of cellulose reconstituted with the use of urea formaldehyde resin, and made into panels that are cut into boards for constructing furniture and building products. Formaldehyde is a recognized carcinogen, and a sensitizer, meaning that exposure to formaldehyde can make a person more sensitive to other chemicals.
There are safer alternatives!
- Custom order solid wood cabinets made with sustainably harvested wood. One cabinetmaker in Oregon uses sustainable wood and low-VOC finishes; and another in Arkansas,
Second Life Furniture.
- Install metal cabinets.
- Search out salvage companies big enough to store kitchens. It is not farfetched that they might have used solid wood kitchen cabinets. Check your Yellow Pages under “Salvage.”
- Formaldehyde is banned from use in furniture products made in Europe, so investigate buying kitchen cabinets imported from there.
- Find a source for kitchen cabinets using PrimeBoard, a “particle board” made of wheat straw that reportedly is emission-free and exceeds industry standards for particle board.
Caution: Particle board can outgas formaldehyde for the life of the product. The outgassing is made worse when it is heated, such as when it is in the sun, or near a heater or oven.
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add your comment »I know of a cabinetmaker in north central arkansas, that makes great furniture and cabinetry without all the chemicals and formaldehyde. He can be found at www.healthycabinetmakers.com
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I've been researching green cabinets for RSI Kitchen & Bath in St. Louis and have written an article about green cabinets for GreenOptions.com found here.
I want to echo David Summer's sentiments on the wheatcore cabinets that Koch Cabinets makes in Kansas. Known as Humabuilt Cabinets, the combination of renewable resource and low-VOC (plus the proximity bonus for midwesterners) make these the most green-building-friendly cabinets around.
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this has been an issue here in the Netherlands and I am about to move. Had wanted to put triplex on the floor of my studio for making sculptures- now I need to really check out the safety of the wood in terms of gasses. Thanks for the reminder
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my new construction has cement wall with steel rebar in one of the bedrooms. is there anything i can do to mitigate unwanted voltage throughout the entire house?
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For our Midwest friends, we handle another Green cabinet line from Koch Cabinets. The cabinet and dovetailed drawer boxes are contructed of urea formaldehyde-free WheatBoard. Also a big plus in that the wheat is a rapidly renewable resource! Tha doors and drawer fronts are available in a number of styles, wood species, and low-or-no VOC stains and topcoats. Based in Chicago, we ship throughout the Midwest.
David Summer
KichenVillage Contractor Sales Manager
david AT kitchenvillage DOT com
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Another formaldehyde-free cabinet maker located in Los Angeles is Bradco Kitchens & Baths. www.bradcokitchen.com
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As a CKD, whose focus is on Green Kitchen & Bath Design, I have been searching for a manufacturer who uses; Formaldehyde-Free Plywood, water based finishes, wood from certified forests and whose business has environmental – eco friendly disciplines. I found, “Breathe Easy Cabinetry,” a cabinet manufactured in New Hyde Park, NY. While considering all aspects of “Green,” in my designs, which include; energy, sustainability, water, indoor air quality, and environmental impact, finding cabinetry had been a quest.
I recently took a trip to the factory in Long Island, NY to personally see the cabinet construction, the finishing process and the company’s ability to satisfy a seasoned kitchen designer such as myself. I was very impressed with their selection of woods such as; natural bamboo, caramelized bamboo, white stained bamboo, rift cut oak, rough sawn maple, cherry, and the opportunity at special request to get other materials which are only from Certified Forests. Their ľ” frameless plywood box, which includes a ľ” back and wall cabinets which are standard 12-3/4” depth proved to be a well engineered and constructed product. This highly competitive product is a winner in the need for going, “Green.”
I suggest you check out their website.. www.breatheeasycabinetry.com
David Linzer, CKD
VP South Florida Chapter of NKBA
Kitchens Baths & More, Delray Beach, FL
PH: 561.279.1344…. C: 954.775.5989
kitchendesigner@comcast.net
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You can also check out Executive Kitchens in Simpsonville SC. They have a line called EcoFriendly cabinetry. It is all zero VOC's, zero formaldehyde, waterborne stains, paints and coatings. Uses no MDF or Particleboard, EcoFriendly uses panels that carry the FSC Certification and qualifies for LEED building programs. They are a member of the US Green Building Council as well. You can see them at www.executivekitchens.com
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Taylor Made Cabinets in Leominster MA
builds Formaldehyde-Free Custom Kitchens...
Go to www.TMCabinets.com if your in the New England area!
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In addition to "primeboard" there are several other particle board/plywood substitutes (used to make the cabinet carcasses) that have little or no added formaldehyde. If you are building or remodeling, insist that whoever is specifying or building your cabinets builds a “green” box. If you need resources, look at Purebond, Skyblend and Medite sheet goods as viable alternatives. They are not significantly more expensive, and many of them are made of pre-consumer recycled content, which is a fancy way of saying waste from other manufacturing processes. If green cabinetry is not an option for you, thoroughly sealing the sheet goods (with a water based no-VOC finish of course) does arrest a lot of the outgassing, but you need to seal all the surfaces and the edges.
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