No VOC Floor Finish: A Continuance of Better Flooring Practices

Many have heard of the term VOCs or ‘no VOC flooring‘ but have no idea what it really means. VOCs stand for Volatile Organic Compounds which are emitted from some liquids or solids. Some of them have short as well as long–term adversarial health effects. Of the many examples are such things as varnishes, paints, stains, wood preservatives, solvents, glues and adhesives, all of which may be utilized on your floors in one concentration or another and at any time. The problem with VOCs is that they actually linger in the air you breathe, even long after you cease to notice them, or even when the particular activity that caused them is totally concluded.

VOCs can cause some tremendous problems in humans, the worst of which is that some actually cause cancer in humans. However, commonly found are also damage to the central nervous system, kidneys, and livers. VOCs also cause nausea, loss of coordination, headaches, as well as irritability of eyes, nose and irritation of the throat. Allergic skin reactions are also very common, as well as dizziness, fatigue, epistaxis (nose bleeds), emesis (vomiting) and dyspenea (breathlessness).

As you can plainly see, any product with VOCs is rather dangerous to utilize. Thus, because certain VOCs are also found in many of our cleaning as well as disinfecting chemicals, removing any VOCs from humans has become exceedingly important. You now see the importance of a no VOC floor finish.

You can probably also understand why certain companies play down their VOCs. They use words in their advertising such as “low VOCs,” and “may be slightly irritating!” This, is not truly creative advertising, but instead seems to be deceptive advertising. Thus rather than end up with a no VOC floor finish, you end up with one that has “low VOCs.” You should also pass up floor finishes that proclaim that all the VOCs are gone when the product is totally dry and emits no more odor. Chances are that these kinds of products will have small print suggesting that they not be used around the elderly, those who are immune deficient, nor around any pets or animals, or especially small children.

Should you be seeking a no VOC floor finish, you will find none better than Silikal. It absolutely, categorically has no VOCs. Silikal will always meet any current Federal and local regulations when it comes to VOCs. Who better to accredit our flooring as voc free than the United States Green Building Council? Yes, even the ever watchful eye of government has inspected our floors deeming them LEED certified, meaning our floors meet or exceed the very stringent requirements set forth in the standards of the USGBC. We are who we say we are, and our no VOC floor finish gives proof to our good word.