Debra,

I noticed your comment about having your own kitchen cabinets made from a local cabinetmaker using solid wood. I cannot imagine how that is possible. Virtually all cabinetry I know of is made from either particleboard, MDF or plywood for the cases and drawer boxes. Even solid wood drawer boxes have a plywood bottom. Of course, the doors, drawer faces and face frames can be made from solid lumber but that constitutes a very small portion of the actual assembled cabinet.

In order to eliminate the maximum amount of formaldehyde off-gassing, I would suggest finding cabinets made from agriboard having no added formaldehyde. Several companies are now producing such boards and research continues to develop even better applications. For example, recently a soy protein based resin has been patented by Oregon State University. This resin is all natural and has ZERO off-gassing. It has subsequently been licensed out to a wood manufacturer and plywood and veneers are now being made with this new product very successfully.

During the assembly process of cabinetry, water based low VOC glues and adhesives are also now available. To round out the sustainable/healthy equation, FSC certified lumber for the solid wood parts are now available in most species.

Our cabinet maker was told that I needed a counter top made from plywood due to the off-gassing of osb board. When our kithen was installed the counter tops were made with marine grade osb. Is this any better than the regular osb or do I need to get another counter top? Since the kitchen has been installed my eyes begin to burn when I enter into the new kitchen.

Hi,
I have posted a few questions about the cabinets I painted with oil-based paint.

We have decided to remove the oil based paint with soy gel paint remover and are almost done with this task. By we, I mean my boyfriend. I cannot go home at the moment.

Now, I am scared to put anything on them for fear I will recontaminate my home.

Here are my questions:

1. If we remove the paint with soy gel paint remover and clean them with AFM's Safe Clean, can we just leave them bare (not pretty but I could go home), OR would minute vocs or chems still leach from the unfinished once painted wood?

2. If we need to cover them to conceal in existing VOCs or chems left on wood, wood AFMs Acrylaq be a good choice. It has 106 grams per liter of VOCs and is meant to seal in existing vocs from other products.

Is there a better option?

If this does not work, we will tear them out but do not have money to replace them, so I want to make the best decision.

Thanks,
Lisa

RE: Lisa's comment about oil based paint removed from cabinets w/soy gel product.

You may need to do a sanding on the cabinets after the paint is removed in order to get rid of all of the chemicals from the paint.

Can you take them out of the house for awhile to get a baseline of how you feel in house w/o the cabinets?

If moving them back into the house exacerbates your symptoms, it would probably be best to get rid of them.

If you do okay with the unsealed cabinets you could take them out again and seal with a PRE-TESTED safer sealer.

If someone could apply several different kinds of safer sealers right now to the same type of boards that the cabinets are made of, you would be ahead in the testing process.

Some EIs become sensitive to safer paints and sealers if they are exposed to them before they have had time to gas off.

Many people w/EI react to AFM paints and sealers. I certainly do.

Very best of luck.

My husband and I own a custom cabinetry business also. It is possible to purchase cabinetry that is entirely made from wood, with no artificial materials or outgassing. And yes, low voc glues are also available. Something that needs to be noted about the plywood often used, there ARE sealers available that can be applied at the shop when the cabinets are made and by the time they are installed, there is no more outgassing, or smell. We have investigated and researched all of this information as an increasing number of people want this option.

And all solid wood materials might be a bit more expensive, but you have to figure in the cost to your health, the fact that you are getting a higher quality product for very much the same price as if you were to go to Lowe's, Home Depot, etc. We've had a number of clients do both...and wish that they had us do all of it.

How about painting the stripped cupboards with milk paint? There is a brand called Old Fashioned Milk Paint that comes in a powder that you mix with water, and there are many colors from which to choose. I understand the longer this paint sets up the more durable it is, and it can even be used outdoors.