Use only solvent-free adhesives or 100 percent silicone. Refer to the section on wood adhesives in Division 6.
Finishes for Wood Flooring When finishing or refinishing a wood floor onsite, it is advisable to specify “dustless” sanding, as explained above. This technique will help lower the amount of dust generated, but a thorough vacuuming with a true HEPA (high efficiency particulate air) vacuum will still be required.
A wide variety of floor-finishing products are available, some with very toxic ingredients. Because the floor is usually one of the last things to be finished, these emissions can be readily absorbed into other porous finishes and may continue to outgas for weeks or months before the finish is fully cured. It is therefore important to apply a product that is free of harsh, solvent-based chemicals.
Water-Based Sealers for Wood Flooring
• AFM Safecoat Hard Seal over AFM Safe — coat Lock-In New Wood Sealer for medium gloss
• AFM Safecoat Polyureseal BP over AFM Safecoat Lock-In New Wood Sealer
• Bonakemi Mega Polyurethane: An oxygen crosslinking, waterborne polyurethane wood finish
• Zip-Guard Environmental Wood Finish:
A clear finish
Natural Sealers, Waxes, and Oils for Wood Flooring A naturally finished wood floor often will require more maintenance than one that is sealed with a synthetic finish, but it will have a nicer feel underfoot. It will not have the electrostatic buildup associated with synthetics and will maintain its “breathability.” From a Building Biology standpoint, natural options are preferred. Most naturally derived products have a scent associated with them that many people find to be pleasant but that may be intolerable to sensitive individuals. It is important to test the following natural finishes prior to application:
• AFM Naturals Oil Wax Finish: Plant — based hardener and sealer for unfinished wood
• Auro Floor and Furniture Wax Finish No. 171: Dirt-repellent, solvent-free wax paste for wooden floors
• Auro European Furniture Wax No. 173:
High-coverage, dirt-repellent wax paste for wooden floors
• BioShield Penetrating Sealer #5: Use by
itself, as an undercoat with BioShield Hard Oil #9, or as an undercoat with a topcoat of BioShield Resin Floor Finish #4
• Livos Ardvos Wood Oil or Livos Meldos Hard Oil: Medium to high gloss
• Livos Bilo Floor Wax or Livos Glievo Liquid Wax: Plant chemistry or beeswax products
• OS Color Hard Wax/Oil: A satin matt oil or wax finish
• Trip Trap oils: A range of wood surface flooring treatment oils imported from Denmark and designed to maintain and clean hardwood or engineered wood flooring
Bamboo flooring has now become a cost competitive and aesthetic rival to wood flooring. The bamboo used for flooring can grow to a height of 40 feet in five years and a bamboo forest will continually renew itself. The bamboo is split into strips and then kiln dried. Bamboo is more dimensionally stable than wood flooring and is 12 percent harder than rock maple. Bamboo flooring is available through the following sources:
• Bamboo Flooring Directory: Internet directory of bamboo flooring manufacturers.
• Bamboo Hardwoods: Engineered prefinished bamboo floors, sustainably harvested, with a 50-year warranty on finish.
• Duro Design: Bamboo flooring supplier.
• EcoTimber: Supplier of bamboo flooring, floating floor padding, and sustainably harvested wood flooring.
• Plyboo: Hand harvested and grown in managed forests in Asia. Planks are 3-inchwide tongue-and-groove and come in natural or amber color. Accessories, paneling, and veneer are also available. Plyboo comes unfinished or with an acrylic polyurethane finish. Processing occurs in Asia and an MSDS is not available.
• Hanlite Bamboo, available through Sustainable Flooring: Claims to have the lowest formaldehyde in the industry. Sustainably harvested six-year-old bamboo with horizontal, vertical, or strand grain (the newest and most stable bamboo construction), unfinished or finished, 4У2 inches wide, 20-year nondelamination warranty. Also extensive line of bamboo millwork.
• Teragren: Available unfinished in vertical or flat grain in 12-inch-wide panels or 4-inch-wide tongue-and-groove planks for flooring. A variety of milled trim accessories are also available. Sustainably harvested and grown without the use of pesticides, fertilizers, or irrigation. Available with a very durable German-made UV — catalyzed factory-applied urethane finish.
