Cabinet Off Gassing, Carb2 Compliance, and VOC’s. ⋆

This post was first published on September 9, 2019. The world of cabinets is full of confusing information about the gases that new cabinets can generate after they are installed.

Unfortunately, the cabinet industry is not policing beyond a certain level, and companies that claim to be better than industry standards are often less likely to be honest and trustworthy. Because their claims have not been verified by an independent lab, and even some certifications of labs, like GreenGuard, are better than whether test results are better than average. Because it is important to receive

Testing of formaldehyde gas emissions in kitchen cabinets began in California.

What is Curve 2?

CARB is an abbreviation for California Air Resources Board. This agency manages air quality and researches the causes and solutions of air pollution. Phase 2 of CARB’s Air Toxicity Control Measures (ATCM) went into effect in California in 2010. This regulation limits formaldehyde emissions from hardwood plywood (HWPW), medium density fiberboard (MDF), and particleboard (PB). So are household products and other finished products, including those products manufactured or sold in California. For many years CARB2 was the only test standard cabinet that could meet the test.

The federal government has created its own restrictions similar to CARB 2 and more detailed. These new rules went into effect across the United States this year.

After March 22, 2019. Composite wood products must be certified and labeled as TSCA Title VI compliant. This is done by an EPA-approved TPC (Third Party Certification Body). CARB-approved TPCs and products certified to CARB ATCM Phase II emission standards are no longer available. Only TSCA Title VI compliant panels and finished goods can be sourced.

Therefore, under new federal guidelines All cabinets manufactured by leading cabinet companies sold in the US now pass CARB2 emission levels.

Of course, individual carpenters making furniture are not tested.

Under old and new emissions regulations, plywood has always had lower levels of formaldehyde than particleboard and MDF. Therefore, the first step in reducing cabinet gassing is to purchase cabinets with all-plywood construction.

One of the most important things you can do to limit the amount of gas produced is to allow cabinets to automatically release gas before they are installed in your home.

This can be done in a warehouse or garage. Taking the cabinet out of the box works well. Significant reduction in volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in 4 weeks.

Even after installing the cabinet, you can still reduce your exposure. Just stay in another place for a few days. Then turn the thermostat up to 90 degrees and close all the windows in your house. This should bake out additional smoke. Be sure to ventilate the entire house and bring it back to normal temperature before moving again.

Cabinets over heating ducts or radiators are also not recommended if you are trying to limit VOCs.

One of the most misunderstood elements of this gassing dilemma is the perceived high level of gassing in imported furniture., And expensive custom cabinets have lower VOC levels.

This is because the 10 year old Chinese flooring hadn’t been tested and had very high formaldehyde levels. Currently, all cabinets sold by major brands are tested, so this cannot be guaranteed. Possible.

In fact, US companies importing door and cabinet parts allow additional time to off-gas the parts. This is due to import transit time and inventory cabinet parts being stored until assembled. More expensive custom cabinets are made specifically for individual customers. Usually ships within a few days after completion. Therefore, it can be especially important to be able to vent the more expensive custom cabinets.

Beware of very small custom furniture companies. No oven is used to bake the finish between coats. On large custom and semi-custom lines, the finish may be baked on, and in some cases, the door may be sprayed with a melted powder finish to create a more durable finish coat. Leading manufacturers use catalyzed varnishes that are less damaging and less gassing. This is one of the reasons we’re not fans of Amish furniture.read the link

The most vexing element of this problem is that when customers do their own research, they typically cannot assess the reliability of the search results they find.

Especially in the furniture industry you will not find reliable results. Additionally, the most trusted furniture brands and kitchen designers generally just tell people what they want to hear. As is often the case, those who profess to not know the definite answer are often not only the most honest, but also the most trustworthy.

A further test if you are particularly sensitive to chemical odors is to purchase a test cabinet from the complete cabinet design you plan to purchase. It’s better to wait a few weeks for the furniture to arrive than to tear down the kitchen and deliver an entire furniture order only to find yourself being overly sensitive to your choices.

Below is another post and podcast that discusses this topic.

Green and sustainable cabinets ⋆ (mainlinekitchendesign.com)