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THE INSIDE SCOOP
GREEN BUILDER RECOMMENDS

If you’re especially sensitive to indoor air pollutants, don’t expect to walk into Home Depot and buy inexpensive wood cabinets off the shelf. Use your nose. If you get a whiff of formaldehyde from the demo model, that won’t change when it’s assembled in your house. In fact, the off gassing could last for years. Instead, do your homework. Ask hard questions. Choose a company that uses non-polluting finishes and sustainably harvested wood for all of its products, not just for one special “green” line.

 

Some points are sound—such as the 5 points awarded under ESP for “reviewing the environmental practices and policies of its key vendors and contractors,” although reviewing it should be noted, does not guarantee any changes. Unfortunately, other point criteria act as loopholes that weaken the program. For example, a company can earn 10 points in Air Quality if “75% of finished products are finished domestically and finishes used emit no greater HAPs (hazardous air pollutants) than allowed by local plant operating permits.” We’d call that simply playing by the rules. They also can earn 5 Community Relations points for not getting any citations “from any federal, state, or local environmental regulatory agency in the previous 12 months.” Again, they can rack up points simply for staying on the right side of regulations.

Our point is not to bash the KCMA, but to urge their many members to think much bigger about what it means to be green. You’ll notice we’ve included some ESP-certified cabinet brands with this article. We know these companies, and they’ve indicated that they want to get real about sustainability. We believe they’re sincere.

Homeowners and builders have been frustrated too long by the lack of readily available green cabinetry and shelving. It’s time to give them more options. For people with asthma, chemical sensitivity, or infants in the house, the only alternative in the past has been to take matters into their own hands, to have their cabinets custom built and finished with low-VOC paints, or to seal in VOCs and formaldehyde with surface sealing paints. They shouldn’t have to work so hard.

A few brands are pointing the way by offering Low-VOC water-borne finishes and safer adhesives, along with straw core shelves and wood for both door faces and veneers that is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council. We believe these are the cabinet makers of the future.

 

GLOSSARY OF TERMS
KNOW THE LINGO

> Particleboard
Wood chips bonded together with resins that frequently contain air pollutants such as formaldehyde.

> Medium Density Fiberboard (MDF)
An engineered wood often used in cabinet door construction. MDF may also contain volatile air pollutants.

> Veneer
Thin layer of wood typically glued to a less valuable substrate. Both the adhesive and the substrate can contribute to indoor air pollution, depending on the glues used.

> Substrate
A panel that’s used underneath higher value finish materials. In cabinetry, substrates typically are made of plywood, particle board, or other engineered wood products.

> Surface Seal Paint
Some coatings, such as AFM Safecoat Hard Seal, have a low enough permeability that they can be used to prevent or slow the release of air pollutants from particle board and other resin-bonded materials.

 

KRAFTMAID RECYCLED CONTENT CABINETS
An ESP-certified Masco company, KraftMaid is moving toward more sustainable offerings. It recently began offering “recycled content” cabinets, which although not formaldehyde free, include 100% recycled fibers in certain components. www.kraftmaid.com

RAINTREE CABINETS
This small company based in Vancouver, British Columbia, has a big environmental vision. They use only wood products that contain zero formaldehyde, and finish all cabinets with low-or no-VOC paints and coatings. www.raintreecabinets.com

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