Is laminate flooring harmful?
A laminated board, or simply laminate, is one of the most common floor coverings. However, there are many speculations, myths and legends that this coating is harmful to health. This article answers the question: “Is laminate flooring harmful?” And is dedicated to people who doubt the environmental safety of this material. Maybe the above review will help you decide on the choice of a coating that is safe for these specific conditions.
to contents ↑What are laminated panels made of?
In order to determine whether a laminate is harmful to health, you need to know what components it consists of, how toxic these same components are.
Chipboard
Chipboard is the basis of flooring. This is a waste from woodworking: sawdust, shavings and chips connected by a special compound. Naturally, wood waste is 100% safe. In addition, the composition of the chipboard as a connecting element includes synthetic resins, which are used in furniture production.
External coating
As the external coating of the laminated panels, resins are used - acrylic and melamine. Melamine is devoid of astringent properties, so it is combined with a composition containing formaldehyde, and this is a very toxic substance.
Important! Formaldehyde, or formalin, is an extremely hazardous substance. At the same time, it can be truly dangerous if its concentration in the room atmosphere is high enough. The risk of a sharp increase in formalin concentration in air can arise only with a significant increase in air temperature (much more than those values that correspond to “room temperature”).
Thus, most of the components of the laminate (more than 90%) are natural and environmentally friendly. To be sure of the safety of the material, it is necessary to know the classification of the material and the corresponding marking classes.
to contents ↑Important! Depending on the class and characteristics of the material, it is necessary to properly learn how to care for the finished coating so that there are no problems such as blisters, cracks, chips, color loss. And this is easy to do if you use the following sets of rules and reviews:
Sustainability of the laminate - the main classes
According to the standards in force in Europe, the material is divided into classes according to the degree of safety:
- E1. The material of this class is completely safe and can not cause any harm to health. Most of the products from the best European companies belong to this category. The formaldehyde concentration is minimal.
- E2, E3. Compared with the previous category, the content of harmful substances is 3 and 6 times higher than the same indicator for product E1. Products belonging to this category in residential premises are undesirable.
- E0. This is an environmentally friendly laminate with an almost zero concentration of formaldehyde. However, the cost of such products is very high and far from accessible to everyone.
The question immediately arises: is there any demand for products with emission class E2 and E3? In principle, the use of these materials is permissible provided that formaldehyde is no longer present in any materials.But since this substance is part of furniture and many wallpapers, it is better not to risk using the E2 and E3-class flooring.
to contents ↑Important! When purchasing floor material for a particular room, do not forget to carefully review the instructions. An undoubted plus if the products you purchase have a quality certificate.
Also on our site you will find useful tips for choosing and ideas for using this material not only for flooring:
Laminate in the children's room
The answer to this question depends on product quality. Unfortunately, individual manufacturers do not care about the compliance of their products with the internationally accepted sanitary standards and quality standards.
Important! In order not to accidentally purchase low-quality goods, ask the seller to present a quality certificate. It is better not to experiment with a non-certified product.
Another guarantee of quality is the purchase of building materials in companies that are the official dealer of world famous companies. The EPLF marking on the packaging is another indicator of good quality and safety. This marking indicates that the manufacturing company belongs to the European Association of Laminate Flooring Companies. Naturally, for the nursery you need to choose E1 class flooring, or even better - E0. This guarantees the baby safety.
to contents ↑Stock footage
Thus, a laminated board used as a floor covering, purchased from trusted manufacturers and certified, cannot harm a person. Laminate damage - from the wrong choice and from the purchase of products from dubious companies “no name”.
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