Is Polyurethane floor seal non-toxic?

In North America, polyurethane varnish is used almost exclusively as a wood floor finish, but the majority of them are high in VOC's which are detrimental tointerior air quality和健康。For this reasonnon-toxic wood floor finishing oils越来越受欢迎。涂了油的地板有很多好处，尤其是软木地板，它很容易被损坏——与清漆地板相比，涂了油的地板很容易被修补。

Environmental impacts and indoor air quality (IAQ)

无论您选择何种地板装饰，不同的产品将对您的家庭空气质量和地球产生不同的影响。Like paints, floor finishes will contain varying levels of VOCs (volatile organic compounds), or if you're a really shrewd shopper, none at all - see here foran article on zero VOC paint and the difference to low VOC paints.

While the smell may be gone in days or weeks, the effects won't be. It will take years before VOCs in any surface finishes stop polluting your air, which can cause or aggravate a multitude of health problems. And the production and disposal of these chemicals have a similar effect on the health of our planet.

Water based vs oil based polyurethane varnish:

Water based:

  • There is an option of gloss or satin
  • It dries quicker than oil based
  • It isn't flammable or explosive
  • It usually contains less than half the VOCs of oil based products (though this is still bad).
  • In the past they were not nearly as durable, but product improvements have made that difference negligible.
  • Cleanup of applicators involves only soap and water

每罐水基聚氨酯含有约200克的挥发性有机化合物;相比之下，低VOC涂料的含量约为50克，或零VOC涂料的含量为……等待它…零!(如果单独着色，可能不包括较低的着色水平。)

Oil based floor finishes & varnish are high in VOC's:

If there is a 'pro' to oil based varnishes, it is that they can bring out a bit more colour from woods, and leave your floor a bit warmer looking in colour. As mentioned above, oil has a reputation as being far more durable than water based. But since that isn't the case anymore, any additional durability hardly seems worth the added health, safety and environmental risks.

缺点是干燥时间长，每罐挥发性有机化合物约450克。清洁工作不那么愉快，而且需要溶剂，导致更多的化学品生产和处理。而油基清漆只有在光滑的完成。

Natural oils (linseed or tung oil)

天然油剂来自可再生资源，如亚麻籽和桐树坚果。地坪油一般不像聚氨酯饰面那么耐用，但随着老化看起来更自然，而且更容易修复。由于缺乏聚氨酯的硬化涂层，这些地板的耐水性可能会下降，更容易出现凹痕。

Whatever finish you choose, it is pretty much a given that a softwood floor will get damaged unless you rope it off and only look at it. Scuff marks and dents on an oiled floor are arguably not nearly as offensive as those on varnish, so I'd still score a point here for oil.

Most commercial brands contain and release far less VOCs than varnishes, so for both environmental and health reasons, finishing wooden floors with natural floor oils is the winner - especially if theproducts are specifically formulated from natural oils and pigments for treating and staining floors. Aside from that, it could be argued that additional benefits include aesthetics and maintenance.

Pine floor finished with natural oil © Brian Blak

Rather than stripping your home of all furnishings then stripping the floor and re-applying a finish, you can do a quick sanding of damaged or high traffic areas, rub on a bit more oil and be done with it. As for aesthetics, in this writer's opinion there is no comparison. An oiled floor looks and feels so much more natural.

Both consumer demand and government regulations have led to a heavy drop in the amount of VOCs found in both paints and floor finishes. So ask a lot of questions when you shop, and let us know if you find a great new product.

Tolearn how to make your own DIY non-toxic VOC free natural paint see here, from theEcoHome Green Building Guides