Are solvents dangerous in the floors we have in our homes?
We have had a few customers ring up and ask me, “how do you install your wood floors?”. I answer them honestly; we use a glue down method as we find this is the best way to install them for stability and generally we have had no issues with this method.
This can lead to questions and concerns about the toxins in glues used for floors.
This is when we explore the other option- the secret nail method, which is a perfectly acceptable way of installing a wood floor and equally has no stability issues but it can take longer therefore the costs are typically higher. I do not typically showcase this method first as it depends upon whether budget or sustainability is your priority.
Key points to note when considering this are;
We use Mono Standard Performance Glue this is solvent free;
Solvent based glues are actually classified as ‘poison’ and are illegal in Europe;
Solvent based glues are dangerous to our health, the environment and its important we recognise this and continue to question the toxins used in our homes;
Laminate flooring has toxins due to chemicals in its bonding adhesives; it is not the best flooring material when considering toxins; and
Hardwood flooring using the secret nail down method is the safest floor to use when considering toxins concerns.
Here at Huscroft Flooring we recommend either our glue down method or a secret nail method to install hardwood flooring, we then finish this off with a natural oil.
Check out this video which shows the above method perfectly!
By Lucy Huscroft