Enviroment friendly home or office fitouts

To improve the air quality of your home Crafted Green cabinetry is constructed from plywood that is manufactured using sustainably sourced natural timbers & natural plant-based adhesives. This means it is truly formaldehyde free. All paints or coatings used in a Crafted Green kitchen are free from harmful synthetic VOC’s. The average person spends 85% of their time indoors. With more of us spending increasing amounts of time indoors it is becoming very important that we choose to create our homes & work spaces from materials that will improve the air quality & not adversely affect our health. You may hear doctors, health care professionals & health concious architects & designers suggesting the use of formaldehyde free & VOC free products building or renovating. Formaldehyde free refers to products that do not contain urea formaldehyde resins. Formaldehyde resins are commonly used in adhesives such as those used to create typical “Whiteboard box” kitchen cabinetry, but also in MDF & plywood, & in many other products not related to the cabinetry industry. In Australia the most common materials for the construction of kitchen cabinets have a rating of E1 or E0, meaning they have less than 1ppm (parts per million) formaldehyde. These are not truly formaldehyde free, & low cost imported boards may have higher levels. Formaldehyde has been listed by many prominent international bodies as a known carcinogen, linked to several cancers including nasopharyngeal cancer & leukaemia. Breathing the vapour can also irritate the nerves in the eyes & nose, causing itching, burning sensations & soreness. Those suffering from Asthma or prone to dermatitis can find their conditions become worse by continued exposure to formaldehyde. VOC’s, or Volatile Organic Compounds have a high vapour pressure at ordinary room temperature. Formaldehyde is an example of a VOC. They can be synthetic or natural, however synthetic VOC’s pose the greatest threat to human health. They are found in products such as adhesives, varnishes & paints. Carcinogenic chemicals are released into the air as the product dries & in many products the chemicals continue to be released over many years.