The Best Low-VOC Flooring Options (2024)

The Best Low-VOC Flooring Options (1)

Abagael Wiese

The Best Low-VOC Flooring Options (2)

Everyone wants a home in which they can feel safe and comfortable. One way to achieve that is to use healthy, nontoxic building materials in every room. That’s why homeowners and builders look for low-VOC flooring to ensure better air quality for the home. When it comes to nontoxic flooring, you have a few options. Each choice comes with its pros and cons, so it’s important to take your time to make an informed decision for your home. Add good health and good style to your home with one of these best low-VOC flooring options.

The Importance of Low-VOC Flooring

Volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, are chemicals that evaporate quickly at room temperature. This means their fumes enter the air and harm the air quality in a room. Breathing in these fumes can be detrimental to your health. Less severe exposure might result in a headache or irritation of the eyes, nose, and throat. Far more dangerous consequences include long-term damage to the kidneys, liver, or central nervous system. VOCs often show up in household products such as paints or disinfectant sprays. However, VOCs can also exist in building materials. That’s why homeowners and contractors must be careful when choosing a flooring option. Low-VOC flooring means fewer health risks and better air quality throughout the home.

The Best Low-VOC Flooring Options

Generally speaking, floors with a nontoxic seal or finish have the lowest VOC levels. These include solid hardwood floors, polished concrete, and tile. Keep in mind that every flooring option comes with a lot of variety. Take the time to consider the different materials and finishes available to you. Of course, no flooring option is perfect. That’s why research is key to finding the option that works best with your home’s needs and design.

Low-VOC Engineered Hardwood Flooring

Engineered wood flooring is another great option with low VOC levels. The plywood that makes up engineered hardwood’s core contains formaldehyde, but the material will be cured and harmless by the time it leaves the manufacturer and reaches your home. Furthermore, most engineered hardwood flooring options come with nontoxic finishes and stains that preserve the air quality in your home.

You and your family’s health matters. With American-made wood flooring on your side, you can outfit your home with materials that will keep each room fresh and stylish. If it’s time for an upgrade, don’t hesitate to check out the collections at From the Forest today.

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The Best Low-VOC Flooring Options (2024)

FAQs

The Best Low-VOC Flooring Options? ›

Specifically, vinyl plank and luxury vinyl plank or luxury vinyl tile flooring are low in VOCs and at low risk for off-gassing. Rolled vinyl flooring is typically higher in off-gassing risk levels.

What kind of flooring has the lowest VOC? ›

Hardwood flooring is perhaps the best low VOC flooring option as it is least likely to pass VOCs in its natural state. However, when it comes to the finish, it is vital that you use a water-based product compared to an oil-based product.

Which flooring is the least toxic? ›

Healthier flooring options include solid wood, natural linoleum, cork, bamboo, tile and stone. A key feature of all of these is that they are easily cleaned of dust and dirt.

Which is less toxic laminate or vinyl? ›

When it comes to environmental impact, laminate has a slight edge over vinyl thanks to its recycled wood core. However, the melamine wear layer on the surface is still made of plastic, which may off-gas VOCs (volatile organic compounds) that can be harmful to people and pets.

Is Mohawk vinyl flooring low VOC? ›

Mohawk embraces traditional and cutting-edge processes to produce products that do not contain volatile organic compounds or formaldehyde.

How long does vinyl flooring emit VOCs? ›

In reality, the off-gassing should be the strongest during the first two weeks and continue to off-gas for up to months after it is placed into your home.

Is vinyl better than laminate for VOCs? ›

Since it's made completely of synthetic materials, vinyl flooring is unrecyclable. It also won't decompose naturally in landfills. Since it's made completely from synthetic materials, it'll emit harmful VOCs after installation at a higher rate than laminate floors and contribute to indoor air pollution.

Is LVP bad for health? ›

Some phthalates are even known to be cancer-causing. Luxury vinyl flooring is known to emit these toxins. When it comes to smaller, less-ventilated areas of your home, the buildup of phthalates will be more severe due to the size of the space and the lack of ventilation.

Does laminate flooring give off VOCs? ›

Other floors, like vinyl and laminate – are also notorious for having high voc content. Torlys Smart Floors has invested time and research into developing eco friendly floors no matter what type of flooring you choose – cork, laminate, vinyl, engineered hardwood or even leather, which is made from recycled leather.

What is the best low VOC flooring for bathrooms? ›

It is important to select polyurethane that is a low VOCs emitter. Cork has many great features: it absorbs sound, is very comfortable to walk on, is easy to clean, and is durable. Cork is also naturally resistant to mildew, mold, and bacteria.

Does luxury vinyl plank emit VOCs? ›

Due to the materials used in the production process of vinyl, it will sometimes emit various levels of VOCs into the air for a short amount of time after installation. These toxic chemicals can be harmful to air quality of the immediate environment it's installed in and may cause respiratory problems over time.

What is the healthiest vinyl flooring? ›

Karndean floors are free from BPA, phthalates and formaldehyde making Karndean a safe vinyl floor covering for your home.

Does Pergo have VOCs? ›

But you can be totally sure that your beautiful floor is completely safe for you and your family. The VOC emissions from your vinyl floor are actually lower than the strict European norm, resulting in an A+ rating and M1 label for very low emissions.

Is Pergo vinyl low VOC? ›

Pergo only uses DOTP for their vinyl floors, the same kind of plasticizers that is allowed to be used for plastics in kids toys or for food packaging. VOCs are substances that affects indoor air quality. The total VOC emitted by a Pergo vinyl floor is 50 times lower than the most stringent EU norm in that respect.

How do you remove VOC from vinyl flooring? ›

If you have vinyl flooring, consider using an air purifier designed to remove VOCs like phthalates from your indoor air so you can breathe easier. Dust and vacuum frequently with a HEPA filter vacuum.

Is COREtec low VOC? ›

Breathe easy knowing our products promote good indoor air quality, emit low volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and are asthma and allergy friendly. Sorry, your browser doesn't support videos. All COREtec luxury vinyl floors are 100% waterproof, kidproof, petproof and designed for easy cleaning.

Is ceramic tile low VOC? ›

Do ceramic tiles emit any VOCs or pose indoor air quality risks? No. Both ceramic tile itself and the best low/no VOC installation materials give off negligible VOC emissions that could lower air purity or respiratory health. This helps spaces qualify for stringent indoor air quality programs like LEED.

Do hardwood floors emit VOCs? ›

Some of the lowest VOC-emitting building materials include solid wood products (such as hardwood flooring and wood paneling), natural stone (such as granite and marble), ceramic tile and glass. Choosing natural materials like these minimize potential for VOC emissions and help improve overall indoor air quality.

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