Flooring: Some types of flooring like carpet and linoleum can emit significant amounts of VOCs – Volatile Organic Compounds – and can include formaldehyde and perfluorinated compounds plus forever chemicals like PFAS. Even the underlayment product can emit hazardous vapors.

Careful research into the carpet and underlayment products you are interested in is a very good idea. Regarding underlayments, there are quite a few to choose from: solid wood planking, plywood, oriented strand board (OSB), concrete impregnated wood, and poured or prestressed concrete.

If you decide not to use carpet for your floors then there are many products available: solid wood flooring, laminates, bamboo, ceramic tile, quarry tile, stone tile, colored concrete, linoleum, cork, and natural woven fibers, just to name a few. The GBDKit can help you understand and answer these flooring decisions.