because your health matters!When building a new house or renovating your existing home you will have many choices to make. Choosing products that limit your exposure to harmful VOC's should be top of your list. VOC's (Volitile Organic Compounds) jeopardize your Indoor Air Quality and subsequently, you will be inhaling chemicals daily while you sleep and live in your home. Since your cabinetry takes up the larger square footage of your new kitchen space, this is a great opportunity for you to reduce the chemical off-gassing in your home by choosing a Non-Toxic cabinet with a completely water-based Non-Toxic finish.
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Do you or someone in your home already suffer from:
allergies, asthma or chronic headaches?
If the answer is yes, it is especially important for you to make "green" a priority when making your cabinet decision. Many cabinet lines on the market today off-gas VOC's into the homeowners body for weeks, to months, up to even years from the time of install.
Going green is not a fad, it's our responsibility, not just for our environment, but for our own daily health. When creating a new kitchen in your home, you are creating a new look, a new aesthetic, but you are also creating new storage solutions for your food, your cutlery, your dishes. You have the choice to purchase cabinets to store these items with or without being surrounded by harmful toxins and chemicals. This is a choice many people don't realize they have. You have the upper-hand, because you are now informed that you have this option.
Going green is not a fad, it's our responsibility, not just for our environment, but for our own daily health. When creating a new kitchen in your home, you are creating a new look, a new aesthetic, but you are also creating new storage solutions for your food, your cutlery, your dishes. You have the choice to purchase cabinets to store these items with or without being surrounded by harmful toxins and chemicals. This is a choice many people don't realize they have. You have the upper-hand, because you are now informed that you have this option.
what are the health risks?
Some startling short-term and long-term symptoms/health risks related to VOC emissions include:
Acute | Short-Term:
Acute | Short-Term:
- Eye, nose and throat irritation
- Headaches
- Nausea/vomiting
- Dizziness
- Asthma or worsening of symptoms
- Liver damage
- Kidney damage
- Nervous system damage
what are voc's?
Volatile Organic Compounds are carbon-based chemicals that easily evaporate and become airborne and are harmful to your health. Reducing VOCs is a critical component of a green kitchen. Our finishes lead the industry for VOC emissions, which means you will not be inhaling harmful toxins in your home.
Taking steps to reduce VOC emissions and thereby helping reduce the smog, will prove to be beneficial to such areas as: - Agriculture, Climate, Forestry and Human Health
Taking steps to reduce VOC emissions and thereby helping reduce the smog, will prove to be beneficial to such areas as: - Agriculture, Climate, Forestry and Human Health
WHAT MAKES A CABINET "GREEN"?
When purchasing green cabinetry for your home there are three main areas to consider:
1. Hardware:
Environmentally friendly hardware and drawer slides should be 100% recyclable and made completely of metal and polymers with no plastic components. This being said you do not have to compromise the durability or functionality of the convenient soft close of your doors and drawers.
2. Box/Case Material:
The core concern about the case material is the type and amount of formaldehyde (VOC) used. There are two types: urea, a high-emission formaldehyde and phenol, which is a low-emission formaldehyde. PureBond and Uniboard are the leaders in manufacturing low/zero-VOC plywood and particleboard sheets. We use the PureBond plywood that uses a soybased chemical to replace the traditional urea formaldehyde altogether and the NU Green particleboard that emits almost no VOCs, which is recycled and recyclable and is more resistant to water damage than traditional particleboard.
3. Finishes:
This is the pivotal factor in determining if the cabinet you choose is green enough for you and your home. Water-based finishes are the most safe and environmentally clean finishes available because they use pure water for dilution and cleaning instead of the more traditional toxic solvents. Don't be satisfied with companies that only use low/zero-VOC sealers. It isn't enough for a company to claim their finish is green because they seal their toxic finish with a water-base top-coat or sealer. The moment your door is drilled for your hardware and the moment you begin getting surface scratches on your doors, this seal is broken and the VOC's start making their way through your home. You should insist that the entire finishing process is VOC-Free, including all paints, stains, glazes and topcoats.
Our true quality European paints, stains, glazes and topcoats are all water-based finishes that have a harder surface than solvents, it's 5x more durable, easier to clean and maintains its beauty much longer.
1. Hardware:
Environmentally friendly hardware and drawer slides should be 100% recyclable and made completely of metal and polymers with no plastic components. This being said you do not have to compromise the durability or functionality of the convenient soft close of your doors and drawers.
2. Box/Case Material:
The core concern about the case material is the type and amount of formaldehyde (VOC) used. There are two types: urea, a high-emission formaldehyde and phenol, which is a low-emission formaldehyde. PureBond and Uniboard are the leaders in manufacturing low/zero-VOC plywood and particleboard sheets. We use the PureBond plywood that uses a soybased chemical to replace the traditional urea formaldehyde altogether and the NU Green particleboard that emits almost no VOCs, which is recycled and recyclable and is more resistant to water damage than traditional particleboard.
3. Finishes:
This is the pivotal factor in determining if the cabinet you choose is green enough for you and your home. Water-based finishes are the most safe and environmentally clean finishes available because they use pure water for dilution and cleaning instead of the more traditional toxic solvents. Don't be satisfied with companies that only use low/zero-VOC sealers. It isn't enough for a company to claim their finish is green because they seal their toxic finish with a water-base top-coat or sealer. The moment your door is drilled for your hardware and the moment you begin getting surface scratches on your doors, this seal is broken and the VOC's start making their way through your home. You should insist that the entire finishing process is VOC-Free, including all paints, stains, glazes and topcoats.
Our true quality European paints, stains, glazes and topcoats are all water-based finishes that have a harder surface than solvents, it's 5x more durable, easier to clean and maintains its beauty much longer.
green CABINET checklist: |
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You can use this checklist to ensure you receive the greenest, most environmentally friendly cabinets for your home.
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