Laminate Flooring Advice Needed - Please Help!

strendgirl

Two months ago, I had my carpets replaced by IKEA Tundra laminate flooring throughout my home -- living room, dining room, bedrooms, and hallway. $4000 later, it seems that I am allergic to the newly installed flooring. It turns out there may be formaldehyde emissions from the flooring that is making me sick, so I am looking for advice as to what to do next.

One suggestion I've heard is to close up all the windows and doors and turn up the heat in the house for a few days (and leave). The heat supposedly gets the formaldehyde fumes to release from the flooring quicker, so when you return and air out the house, the amount of fumes will be less. Has anyone got experience with something like this?

Another suggestion given to me was to coat the floor with 2-3 coats of a water-based sealant. This would reportedly trap the gases under the sealant, or at least force it to release the fumes slower. Has anybody ever sealed their laminate flooring, whether for this purpose or any other?

Sadly the idea was to replace the carpets to reduce my allergy symptoms, not increase them! Any help is greatly appreciated!

strendgirl

nxnw

Assuming this is your own house, you might look into an HRV (heat recovering ventilator). It is connected to a forced air furnace and is, sort of like having a window open all the time, without all of the heat getting out (or in, as the case may be).

jlcinc

Try asking your question here
http://forum.doityourself.com/forumd...esc&sort=views

It's sort of like the ehmac site but more in line with your problem. A lot of good people try to help.

John

mr.steevo

Hi,

I think if you seal the floor you would have to coat all sides and not just the top. Can you return it?

s.

nxnw

Anyway, I doubt it could be "sealed". The surface is laminate and it would probably just be ruined. Although I recall IKEA having a guarantee (years ago, anyway) that if you don't like it, you can tear it up and bring it back, it would be one hell of a pain and I suspect that any engineered floor is going to have off-gassing, because they all include particle board.

strendgirl

Thanks, I'll look into this! Hopefully the cost of installing and running the HRV won't up being more than the cost of another round of new floors. I've been running an air filter for the past 3 days, which seems to help slightly, but not enough.

lpkmckenna

what do women and floor tile have in common? (he he)

strendgirl

Yes, I talked to someone at a paint store today and they did not recommend sealing the floor because it would either ruin the floor or just make a big mess. I guess I'll check if IKEA will take back the Tundra flooring, though the material was a minor cost in comparison to the cost of labor to install it! Unfortunately the labor cannot be returned.

Yes, all laminate would probably have the same problem, though to different degrees depending on the manufacturer. I'm somewhat surprised that googling for additional information on the negative health effects of laminate floors didn't turn up much. I mostly find information on laminate flooring being *beneficial* for those with allergies.

rgray

Unfortunately most manufactured floor materials/coverings gives off formaldehyde. Everything off-gases to some degree.... Not only are you getting sick, but you may be becoming increasingly sensitive.

You may drive off a portion of the chemical, but you will drive much of it into your soft furnishings where it will be released later. Only a surprisingly small portion will be removed by this process.... The reduction in, say parts per minute, might be enough to provide some relief given your level of sensitivity, but then everything else in the place is, er, contaminated and the total chemical output may be very near the same tho' over a longer time. But exposed over a longer time may raise your sesitivity level. Chemicals like this leave on a half life basis - like the old math puzzle: if you half the distance to the goal line each trial, how many does it take to get there? Answer: you never get there! Once you get these chemicals into your house it is very hard to become entirely free of them...

The paint will have chemicals of its own... Water based sealer will not bond to the laminate surface - even if you cover every side the sealer will easily chip (heels, pet claws, kids toys...) and release the gas. Besides, the appearance that you paid for will be gone.

Carpet is notorious as source of formaldehyde. You need to get advice on low-allergic-impact decorating materials because this is going to be a ongoing issue for you. In the extreme, you may find that you only feel completely healthy with all natural material.....

strendgirl

Sadly, I fear this may be the case. I already had my fair share of allergies to begin with, but in the past 2 months I feel they have been dramatically heightened, particularly my food allergies and chemical sensitivities. In terms of pollens and pet dander, however, I don't feel any worse. Have you or someone you known experienced something like this before? I've been scouring the web this week but haven't seen any personal anecdotes from anyone who has experienced sensitivity to laminate flooring.

Thanks for pointing this out...this is downright scary!

I read today that cork flooring might be the way to go for highly sensitive people. Though for my particular situation, I may just sell my house and move. I was already considering moving for other reasons, but this is the last straw. Is there a way I can make things more bearable in the meantime?

Thanks for your input,
strendgirl