DIY Home Improvement Forum banner

Hardwood flooring finish with "nano-particles".

2K views 3 replies 4 participants last post by  lazzlazz 
#1 ·
I am currently shopping for hardwood flooring and much to my surprise have found out that a lot has changed with these products. It now comes with many coats of aluminum-oxide to protect from UV and also wear and tear.

This is great but I have also found from my reading that hardwood flooring companies use nano-particles to achieve this protecting finish. Nano-particles are extremely tiny (< 100nm) and the long term potential health risks are still unknown for such materials.

I was wondering if anyone here on the forum has any information regarding the safety of these finishes used on hardwood flooring.

I am also considering to go with unfinished flooring and simply seal it myself but that would be a huge job compared to the finished product. Are there hardwood flooring products out there that do not use these nano-particle based finishes?
 
#2 ·
I am currently shopping for hardwood flooring and much to my surprise have found out that a lot has changed with these products. It now comes with many coats of aluminum-oxide to protect from UV and also wear and tear.

This is great but I have also found from my reading that hardwood flooring companies use nano-particles to achieve this protecting finish. Nano-particles are extremely tiny (< 100nm) and the long term potential health risks are still unknown for such materials.

I was wondering if anyone here on the forum has any information regarding the safety of these finishes used on hardwood flooring.

I am also considering to go with unfinished flooring and simply seal it myself but that would be a huge job compared to the finished product. Are there hardwood flooring products out there that do not use these nano-particle based finishes?


It's only dangerous in powder form,before it's combined with the polyurathane,and if you plan on refinishing your floors yourself you'll need a respirator,otherwise leave it to the pro's.
 
#3 ·
If you are concerned with toxins maybe consider Rubio Monocoat. It is a 100% non toxic plant based hard wax oil. It's available in about 40 colors and it goes on with one easy application. They also have some other custom finishing products including fuming, smoking, and precoloring products that offer some really cool possibilities including white washed looks, black and gray floors, textured looks, aged looks and much more.. Here is a link http://www.rubiomonocoatonline.com
 
#4 ·
I read somewhere that most things advertised as "nano" are not actually as small as they would have to be to really be "nano". Nonetheless, follow the manufacturer's instructions for mask/respirator, even when cutting laminate. AlOx will also dull any circular saw blade (even carbide) really fast. I used a NALFA certified laminate which ensures that formaldehyde offgasing (which can go on for years and is equally as serious of a thing to worry about) is very low or non-existent. The NALFA website lists manufacturers meeting their standards (all of Mohawk products do).
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top