Laminate & Formaldehyde?!

[bus-bro]

Originally Posted by JackE

I'm afraid to even cross the border into California! I'm certain with half the things I do or eat or use in Nevada, as soon as I cross that state line I'm going to be filled with cancer!

Gee, if you think California's bad try living in Western Washington. At least California's laid back. Washington's always a been a bit uptight.

[CHEESE_WAGON]

Originally Posted by FrugalFannie

the chemicals used in building anything these days is one of the reasons we decided to build our own skoolie. We were looking at new RVs, 5th wheels, etc. I would walk into a new unit and my eyes would start burning and I would have a hard time breathing. My aversion to these chemicals will dictate our choice of materials in our build.

This is why you don't buy new RVs or fifth wheels. The depreciation alone makes it a bad investment, but the smell of the chemicals used in their manufacturer is a good reason not to buy new.

[musigenesis]

Originally Posted by FrugalFannie

the chemicals used in building anything these days is one of the reasons we decided to build our own skoolie. We were looking at new RVs, 5th wheels, etc. I would walk into a new unit and my eyes would start burning and I would have a hard time breathing. My aversion to these chemicals will dictate our choice of materials in our build.

I think it's likely that the stuff you're exposed to when gutting and building a skoolie (welding gases, the solvents in paint and seam sealer, dust from paint and rust, phosphoric acid, spraying insulation etc.) is going to be a lot worse for you than any off-gassing from finished materials. PPE can help somewhat - if it's available, which right now it really isn't.

Even in the case of the vinyl flooring here, the biggest threat to health from formaldehyde is for the people in the factories making the stuff.

[Phatman]

Originally Posted by Joe45

So i just put in some vinyl flooring in the bus, and then i see all this stuff about Formaldehyde gassing, cancer, and especially in the Chinese made stuff.


I checked the box and yep, made in China.
I got the flooring at a Habitat For Humanity Restore and have no idea how long those boxes have been around. Also, they sat in a shed for a couple of months since purchase. It will be another couple of months before the bus is used to live in, though I work in it every day.
Don;t know if any of this even matters, because some accounts are this stuff leeches out for a decade.


Any input?


I'm now debating tearing out the laminate floor and using some other wood, maybe plywood cut into strips.


Attachment 44723

I'm a little confused. Is it vinyl or laminate? Maybe it's a dumb question.

[Joe45]

Lots of great points!
Thank you!
I'll see if I can track the manufacturing date down.

[Shrek (russel)]

If you have some still not installed buy a test kit 20 bucks on Amazon put in a bag tie it of and let it seat for a week then you will know.

[vintageracer]

Why should you be surprised about the Chinese flooring after all you bought salvage flooring from Habitat for Humanity of which about the only thing you know is it was CHEAP to purchase!

[Joe45]

Originally Posted by vintageracer

Why should you be surprised about the Chinese flooring after all you bought salvage flooring from Habitat for Humanity of which about the only thing you know is it was CHEAP to purchase!

Because it was what I heard was a good brand of flooring, and because Habitat For Humanity sells items that are discounted, not necessarily cheap. This was not salvage flooring, it was sealed in the original boxes.

I didn't notice or think that it was made in China.
And I had no idea about the formaldehyde BS until after purchasing the floor and having it stored for several months, when a friend mentioned it.

[unbentcrayfish]

You can buy laminate that is low/free of such chemicals. The stuff I got was CA approved or something like that, it had an odd smell for maybe two days at most.

[Joe45]

Originally Posted by unbentcrayfish

You can buy laminate that is low/free of such chemicals. The stuff I got was CA approved or something like that, it had an odd smell for maybe two days at most.

Thanks! Good to know!
Mine has zero smell. Don;t know if that really means anything. It probably sat a while in a warehouse, and it sat for several months in my shed. I have been leaving all the windows and the cieling hatch opn on my bus for about two weeks now.