Hello!
We are renovating our old house and have removed unhealthy old carpets and PVC wallpapers, and thought it would be toxin-free and healthy at home. But unknown to us, we have now laid regular chipboard flooring as subflooring in our three bedrooms (Kronospan novopan Spaandex K-golv P6). Then we read in several places that you should avoid chipboard flooring due to emissions. Are there any tests on how much emissions the chipboards release? If chipboard flooring is not recommended, is there any form of natural emission barrier to place on the chipboard (under the parquet), that is not too expensive?
It's costly for us to tear down and rebuild with new materials..
Grateful for any answers!
We are renovating our old house and have removed unhealthy old carpets and PVC wallpapers, and thought it would be toxin-free and healthy at home. But unknown to us, we have now laid regular chipboard flooring as subflooring in our three bedrooms (Kronospan novopan Spaandex K-golv P6). Then we read in several places that you should avoid chipboard flooring due to emissions. Are there any tests on how much emissions the chipboards release? If chipboard flooring is not recommended, is there any form of natural emission barrier to place on the chipboard (under the parquet), that is not too expensive?
It's costly for us to tear down and rebuild with new materials..
Grateful for any answers!
By tests, do you mean reading up on it or testing it yourself with some meter? If it's the latter, you should (?) be able to measure VOC (volatile organic compounds) with an Airthings wave mini.
All shavings sold in Sweden must have approved levels of volatile substances. It is stated in the material declaration. Whether you personally think it's good enough or not is another matter. I'm not a fan of shavings, partly because of the emissions, even if they are small. The alternative is solid wood, but it's more work and there's a risk of creaking. It depends on what you value as important. It might be possible to paint with some "barrier paint," but regardless of how you try to block it, the barrier itself will certainly emit emissions, probably worse than the floor shavings themselves. Moreover, it wouldn't be surprising if the parquet emits more emissions than the floor shavings... So, to conclude, a laid floor stays. Just continue. Every other source of questionable emissions you remove makes the total less. If you really want to minimize the dose of questionable emissions, finish everything quickly, including any new furniture, and then take a world trip for 1-5 years. By then, the worst will have subsided. 