Building Healthy Homes: An Open Database

Columbia Forest Product's PureBond hardwood plywood is formaldehyde-free, and is instead made with a soy-based binder. This North American-made product is also cost-competitive with standard plywood products, making it a fantastic healthier alternative. It contains 95% Biobased Content and has been awarded the USDA Certified Biobased Product Label in the BioPreferred® Program.

Classic Core® is a combination core panel construction where cross bands of thin MDF are utilized in place of veneer cross bands.

Classic Core® can be manufactured with bonded crossbands which do not contain added formaldehyde. PureBond Classic Core® may contribute to LEED® 2009 credit IEQ 4.4 and conforms to CARB II exempt emission requirements called for in LEED V4. It contains 95% Biobased Content and has been awarded the USDA Certified Biobased Product Label in the BioPreferred® Program.

Coldspring Granite Countertops are made from 100% natural granite. Stone is one of the most durable materials that you can use for any application - when specified and detailed correctly, these countertops can last for hundreds of years. Their long life results in granite countertops’ very low embodied energy levels. Coldspring is also committed to sustainable manufacturing practices that maximize the utilization of resources while minimizing energy use.

Linseed oil paint offers a healthy, durable alternative to acrylic products. Ottosson’s product is manufactured at their facility in Genarp, Sweden, which was established in the late 1980s. The technique used in making their paints, however, dates back to the 16th century. Cold-pressed raw linseed oil and natural pigments are ground in a triple-cylinder mixer, incorporating the pigments evenly into the linseed oil. The result is a linseed oil paint that creates a breathable, easy to maintain surface that doesn’t peel or bubble up.

*NOTE: Ottosson Linseed Oil Paints contain zinc oxide, a natural fungicide. It adds hardness to the paint finish and is a necessary additive in several North American climates. Zinc requires a warning label due to potential aquatic toxicity under Swedish law. When disposed of responsibly and used as directed, it poses no threat to the health of humans or the environment

(as reported by Earth and Flax https://www.earthandflax.com/)

Rubio Monocoat's Oil Finish is a healthy option for wood finishing. A single layer of this product will protect wood from water, heat, and daily wear and tear trough molecular binding with the wood fiber. It is great for use on hardwood flooring, wood furniture or any other wood product. This product creates a finish that is easy to maintain, and it is free of VOCs and solvents.

*Note: This product is sold in two components. Component A is the oil finish and Component B is an accelerator, which speeds the drying process. Although it helps with convenience, we recommend the product to be used without the accelerator as it contains isocyanates, listed as asthmagens and potential carcinogens by OSHA

Daltile’s Keystones Collection is a colorbody porcelain mosaic line, suitable for indoor and outdoor use on floors, walls, as well countertops. A multitude of patterns allow for many expressive, aesthetic choices. The majority of these tiles are produced in Gettysburg, PA making this best suited for projects in the Northeastern United States.

Ecologic™ LimeWash Platinum is a mineral coating which bonds as crystals form in the pores of the substrate. It is breathable and due to substrate and mineral joined together, water or salts cannot cause the surface to bubble or flake.

Limeworks are serious experts through their profound experience in masonry, historic restoration and working with Lime - Naturally Hydrated Lime (NHL).Due to substantially less energy usage during production with NHL, the release of CO2 into the atmosphere is reduced considerably. Furthermore, Natural Hydraulic Lime (NHL) reabsorbs most of the CO2 during the curing process, while cement reabsorbs none.

Hemp hurd is the tough woody interior of the hemp plant. It is harvested by decorticating - separating - the inner hurd material from the softer, fibrous exterior of the stalk.

The component silica (sand) in the plant prevents it from burning or rotting and with the immense strength of the hurd it makes Hemp Hurd a versatile building material - it is used in, e.g., insulation and wall systems.

Kanabat's hemp hurd is grown in France and distributed in the US via Americhanvre. According to the manufacturer, Kanabat is certified building grade by the Construire en Chanvre.

HempWood is a hardwood alternative composed of hemp, soy flour, and binders (without isocyanates). As an engineered flooring product, the base is Columbia Forest purebond plywood. HempWood is harder than oak, and a durable wood option that promotes the carbon sequestering hemp-growing industry. All hemp for this product is grown locally in the U.S. and the entire supply chain is within a 100-mile radius of Murray, Kentucky. It contains 98% Biobased Content and has been awarded the USDA Certified Biobased Product Label in the BioPreferred® Program. Hempwood has a Janka hardness rating of 2,750.

HempWood products are available either with a factory finish or unfinished. Wax or oil are suggested healthier options for unfinished floors. Check out Alternative Finishes in HML’s Healthier Design Alternatives.

Marmoleum Modular tiles are made from natural materials. The product has a low carbon footprint, and is free from toxic materials such as phthalates. The modular tiles allow you to mix and match to design a unique floor surface.

Per Forbo's product-specific EPDs, these Marmoleum flooring system meets HML's criteria for low embodied carbon. It contains 100% Biobased Content and has been awarded the USDA Certified Biobased Product Label in the BioPreferred® Program.

Milk Paint is a powdered paint made from milk protein, lime, clay, and earth pigments such as ochre, umber, iron oxide, lampblack. Milk paint creates a matte, velvet, chalky finish that sticks to a majority of surfaces without priming or sanding. This product is made from 100% organic materials and is free of VOCs.

Fireclay's Recycled Clay Body is made from 50% recycled content, including post-consumer recycled porcelain/glass and pre-consumer recycled granite dust. The tiles are handcrafted in Aromas, California and are 100% VOC free. All of the glazes are also lead-free.

Fireclay offsets their carbon footprint via Carbonfund.org.Fireclay is based in California making this product most suitable for projects in the western United States.