Design Green 
Recent Posts
- Project H Gifting For Good party Friday in NY
- Attention LEED APs: Current and Wannabes
- Building Green's Top 10 Products of 2008
- Biomimicry online: Asknature.org
- Tidbits From The Expo
- Gilasi Recycled and Locally-sourced Surfaces
- The Costs and Paybacks of Green Buildings
- Must Go Event: Greener Gadgets 2009 in New York
- Must Go Event: Compostmodern 2009 in San Francisco
- Greenbuild Musings
Recent Comments
- wwydwtr on Lise Lefebvre's bearless bear rug
- wwydwtr on Vintage Belt Floor Mat
- P. Ghozali on The Costs and Paybacks of Green Buildings
- OutsideMyBrain on Tidbits From The Expo
- WENDY HOECHSTETTER on Greenbuild Musings
Most Commented On
- EcoDomo Recycled Leather Floor Tiles (5)
- Ecolect Sustainable Materials Library (4)
- Greenbuild Musings (3)
- Hard Or Soft - Water! (3)
- Vintage Belt Floor Mat (3)
Archives
Blog
Link This | Email this | Blog This | Comments (0)
Penny's Favs: Collins Pine FreeForm
I will, from time to time, highlight my favorite green building products, in no particular order, but I begin with one that’s near the top of my list – Collins Pine FreeForm particleboard.
Particleboard is ubiquitous - though often invisible - in buildings, hiding under floors, in furniture and behind veneers and paneling. Two environmental facts: particleboard is made from wood chips and sawdust reclaimed from the lumber industry – in other words, 100% post industrial content – that’s good.
However, the resins used as binders in particleboard contain urea formaldehyde, that nasty stuff that if found in high enough concentrations – above 0.3 parts per million – will make you sick. Formaldehyde emissions from most particleboard average 0.2 ppm. Combine that with other off-gassing interior wood products, adhesives, sealants and you’re looking at respiratory irritation.
FreeForm uses a melamine-based binder and is the only FSC-certified particleboard in North America that is produced with no added urea-formaldehyde. Other low emitting particleboard products use phenolic binders, which add a reddish color; the melamine binder in FreeForm is white so it’s lighter. Testing shows emissions from .09 to .13 ppm; Collins Pine hopes to bring those numbers down soon and eventually eliminate formaldehyde binders altogether.
FreeForm – a good choice for healthier forests and people.
Penny's Favs: Collins Pine FreeForm
July 9, 2008
I will, from time to time, highlight my favorite green building products, in no particular order, but I begin with one that’s near the top of my list – Collins Pine FreeForm particleboard. Particleboard is ubiquitous - though often invisible - in buildings, hiding under floors, in furniture and behind veneers and paneling. Two environmental facts: particleboard is made from wood chips and sawdust reclaimed from the lumber industry – in other words, 100% post industrial content – that’s good.
However, the resins used as binders in particleboard contain urea formaldehyde, that nasty stuff that if found in high enough concentrations – above 0.3 parts per million – will make you sick. Formaldehyde emissions from most particleboard average 0.2 ppm. Combine that with other off-gassing interior wood products, adhesives, sealants and you’re looking at respiratory irritation.
FreeForm uses a melamine-based binder and is the only FSC-certified particleboard in North America that is produced with no added urea-formaldehyde. Other low emitting particleboard products use phenolic binders, which add a reddish color; the melamine binder in FreeForm is white so it’s lighter. Testing shows emissions from .09 to .13 ppm; Collins Pine hopes to bring those numbers down soon and eventually eliminate formaldehyde binders altogether.
FreeForm – a good choice for healthier forests and people.
Posted by Penny Bonda on July 9, 2008 | Comments (0)
Advertisement
Advertisements
