But that’s not the case with Chinese-made laminate flooring sold by Lumber Liquidators, as has been made known to the pubic thanks to a recent 60 Minutes report. With testing proving that some of its laminate flooring contained 20 times the level allowed to be sold in the state of California, Lumber Liquidators was illegally selling flooring that the state of California deemed dangerous. These levels were so high, in fact, that lab technicians questioned whether their machines were acting faulty.

They weren’t. The laminate from Lumber Liquidators really did (and does) contain that much formaldehyde.

It’s not just a California problem

California has a CARB2 standard that prohibits the sale of flooring containing a certain (and dangerous) level of formaldehyde. But that standard will soon be enacted on a national scale, once Congress enacts their Formaldehyde Standards Act later this year (which was modeled after CARB2).

Its existing CARB2 law is what helped bring to light this toxic issue with Lumber Liquidators, but as 60 Minutes discovered, the problem doesn’t just reside in the Golden State. Thirty-one boxes of Lumber Liquidators Chinese-made laminate flooring were purchased from stores in Florida, New York, Illinois, Texas and Virginia. Of the 31 tested for formaldehyde, only one was compliant with CARB2 standards, meaning the other 30 contained flooring that could be harmful to your health.

Thirty-one boxes may not seem like a lot, but consider how widespread Lumber Liquidators is: 360 stores in 46 states, with sales that exceed $1 billion. Hundreds of thousands of homes in the country contain these Chinese-made laminates right now, and these homeowners have no idea their health is at risk.

You can’t trust the label

The formaldehyde-high products are found only in Chinese-made flooring, not the flooring made in the US and sold by Lumber Liquidators. What 60 Minutes discovered is that workers from the 3 mills in China that supply this laminate knowingly mislabel their laminate as CARB2, despite the formaldehyde percentage exceeding the allotted amount.

Low-cost flooring is often-times low-cost for a reason

As Anderson Cooper reported, Lumber Liquidators can reduce its manufacturing costs from 10 – 15% by using a higher percentage of formaldehyde in its laminate flooring. For a multi-billion-dollar company, 10 – 15% equates to millions saved each year.

That millions saved also allows the company to offer customers a cheaper-priced product. But with that reduced cost comes increased health risks, including:

• Cancer
• Respiratory issues
• Eye, nose and throat irritation

Formaldehyde is often found in flooring, particularly in Chinese factories. It’s used in the glues that bind wood particles, which end up becoming the core board found within the laminate. Certain levels of formaldehyde are deemed not harmful, because the chemical is trapped within the laminate. But when the percentage of formaldehyde reaches a certain point, the air you breathe becomes toxic.

With levels as high as what was tested on Lumber Liquidators’ Chinese-made laminate flooring, there is reason to be concerned.

Be sure to find laminate flooring that’s affordable and safe

Lumber Liquidators is an attractive option for many homeowners out there because of its affordability. That’s why it rakes in billions of dollars in sales each year.

But that low price does come at a cost. Most other companies that use respectable and healthy manufacturing processes sell their flooring for more than Lumber Liquidators, and now you know why: Lumber Liquidators’ laminate flooring contains dangerous levels of formaldehyde, which saves them money in operational costs, but can cause you long-term health issues.

At Catalfamo Gallery, we take special care to ensure that the laminate flooring we offer to our customers is made safely and does not contain harmful levels of toxins that can cause health issues to you and your family. Visit our online inventory today to see all of your options for a safer, healthier, family-friendly laminate flooring that you can trust.

Should you choose a less expensive laminate flooring, you can expect it to start showing wear and tear at about the three to five year mark. Since the laminate floor will be installed in areas that will be highly trafficked, you will want to make the investment and go with a high end laminate floor to get the most life out of your floor. Lower quality laminate flooring also do not come with water resistant cores and joints, so they are not suitable for any areas that get exposed to water, such as entryways, bathrooms, and kitchens.

Laminate flooring is also easy to install, which is why many people decide to purchase it. If you are a do-it-yourselfer, this is one project that you may be able to do in one weekend – if you are experienced. Laminate flooring is certainly easier to install than wood flooring, which can be both expensive and time-consuming.

In fact, you can find many laminate flooring options that look just like wood, if that’s the look that you are after. Laminate flooring has many different patterns and colors that you can choose from.

Once you have chosen your laminate floor and had it installed, you will want to keep up on regular maintenance and cleaning. Most manufacturers have their own cleaning instructions for how to clean your new floor. You can use a broom, dust mop, and vacuum to keep dirt up off of the surface. Damp mopping is recommended for ground in dirt, but you cannot leave a great deal of water standing on the surface, lest the floor absorb the water and peel.

For a durable but beautiful look, be sure to consider laminate flooring for all the highly-trafficked areas of your home.

To learn more about High End Laminate Flooring, please contact one of our design consultants at 1-800-764-1633.

For a foot-warming experience, select underfloor heating with your laminate floor purchase. However, note that when you purchase a underflooring heating unit that is of the reversible type (one that cools in the summer as well as warming in the winter), is incompatible with laminate flooring.

When choosing from the selection of Balterio Laminate Flooring, please know this type of flooring is best suited to areas that aren’t exposed to repeated water exposure, such as bathrooms and saunas. The permanent presence of humidity and/or steam increases the risk of the planks swelling, which causes damage to your floor. Additionally, do not leave water standing on any Balterio Laminate Flooring product.

If you already have a laminate flooring product laid and wish to install a Balterio Laminate Flooring product, no problem. As long as the surface is flat, clean, and a subfloor is laid under the new laminate, you will be fine. Note that if there is underfloor heating, there is a great chance that energy costs will be higher.

Maintenance of your Balterio Laminate Flooring product is easy. Clean the floor with a dry, microfiber cloth, and every once in a while, clean the floor with a slightly moist cloth to really make your floor shine. It is important that moisture and/or water never remains on the laminate floor.

If you wish, you can also clean the laminate floor with a vacuum cleaner – just use a parquet brush on your vacuum or switch the cleaner head to brush position. If you see a stain on your Balterio Laminate Flooring product, moisten a cloth with water or acetone and wipe the stain clean. If you find a grease stain, try using 2 mL of lemon juice or vinegar in a bucket of clean water and cleaning the laminate floor with a well-wrung cloth.

To learn more about Balterio Laminate Flooring, please contact one of our design consultants at 1-800-764-1633.

The latest collections at Witex promise to excite and titillate your senses. The collection lines include: “Schlafen,” “Wohnen,” “Arbeiten,” “Objekte,” and “Kuche/Bad.” (That’s “bad” for “bath,” not “not good.”) Each collection is then divided into color, and you may choose your pattern layout for each product (where applicable). Or, check out their new multi-layer flooring system – flooring to meet even the highest of standards. Witex also has an active wall collection, where they offer a multi-functional wall system that includes a wide range of options: filing, sorting, organization, decoration, and variation are all at your fingertips with this innovative wall choice.

Witex is Environmentally Conscious

Witex’s professionals know that without help, the environment won’t last forever. This fragile Earth is home and provider, but those who live here must take resources with care. That’s why Witex’s products consist of 90% wood (a renewable resource) and 10% environmentally friendly resin glue – sustainability is of great value to Witex. Since the wood they use is a renewable resource from sustainable forest management in Germany, they opt to never use only local wood where they can be a part of sustainable practices.

They study the process from manufacturing to disposal in order to make sure each process is environmentally sound. They are the first company to offer a take back system for its used laminate floors, which means a better conservation of resources and less landfill waste. Witex’s floors are returned through special retailers and craftsmen after use, and are re-processed in combined heat and power plants. This is the ultimate in recycling! Witex is leading the way in finding alternate uses for retired laminate; currently, they have found a way to produce electricity with the re-processing cycle.

To learn more about Witex, please contact one of our design consultants at 1-800-764-1633.

Quickstyle Industries is committed to the environment, and the demonstrate it by manufacturing all of their laminate floors. The core of their laminate floors are made up of 90% of recycled wood fibers, typically from the byproducts of their other products, like sawdust, shavings, and other wood products. They’re bonded under a high-heat with a biodegradable resin.

When it comes to hardwood floors, Quickstyle also uses materials that are heavily monitored by the Forest Stewardship Council, an industry watchdog group that makes sure companies are complying with sustainable flooring best practices.

Quickstyle carries a number of different environmental products, including:

• Bamboo: one of the most environmentally sustainable flooring choices available today.
• Cork: used as a flooring product for over 100 years. Comfortable underfoot and dampens sounds.

Quickstyle’s flooring products are great for the environmentally conscious who also want a good looking floor at a reasonable price.

To learn more about Quickstyle, please contact one of our design consultants at 1-800-764-1633.