[Greenbuilding] off-gassing and what if anything to do about it?

Jason Holstine jason at amicusgreen.com
Wed Jul 22 11:31:57 CDT 2015


This is very common, we deal with it several times a week.

In short, AFM Safecoat (safecoat.com) offers several products that help to
seal in offgassing. Can¹t guarantee success, but we have an extremely high
success rate, even with chemically sensitive (MCS syndrome) clients. A
reasonable approach is to seal in surfaces as best as possible, then see if
you can isolate remaining offgassing culprits to seal again. Don¹t
necessarily need to sand the surfaces down to unfinished unless they are oil
based.  Last step is to replace‹which is a follow-up conversation we have on
appropriate replacements depending on the space, use, functionality,
durability, and personal design preferences. In any case, there¹s almost
always a healthy and green solution.  Summary rundown:
* for the carpets, can first try to seal with Safecoat¹s carpet trifecta:
shampoo, then Carpet Seal to seal the underside, then the Lockout to seal in
the carpet fibers (and provide stain protection).
* for cabinets and similar finished surfaces: coat with Safecoat Hard Seal,
which is a  gloss sealer specifically to seal in offgassing, or  coat with
Safecoat Acrylacq, which is a very nice furniture and trim finish that also
seals in offgassing. Probably 2 coats. Satin or gloss options. If existing
surface is glossy or a laminate, sand a little to break the skin first then
clean to give some grab to adhere to.
* for floors: coat with Safecoat Polyureseal, a very nice, durable
floor/wood finish that also seals in. if over an oil based finish probably
need to strip first (or at least scribe it) b/c oil and water don¹t mix.
* painted walls: repaint with Safecoat paints. Flat, pearl, eggshell, and
semigloss sheens. Can most likely match the same color that¹s already there,
and it¹s great paint plus it will also seal in the offgassing. May need to
first prime with a coat of Safecoat Transitional Primer.

Thanks,


Jason Holstine

Amicus Green Building Center
³Sustain Your Space²
e: jason at amicusgreen.com
w: www.amicusgreen.com
p: 301-571-8590
tf: 866-587-9140
f:  301-571-8597



On 7/22/15 10:57 AM, "Lynelle Hamilton" <lynelle at lahamilton.com> wrote:

>    I'd second Ron's comments.  The floor may well be the biggest culprit. A
> tougher issue is finish on hardwood and on wood trim, as well as cabinets.  It
> can off-gas horribly.  Had this happen a few years ago.  We had all ours
> sanded down and finished with a product from Sansin. Sadly, some trim was
> impossible to strip, so was replaced.  Cabinet finishes, I am told, can be
> sealed, but formaldehyde used in the frame construction may still off gas.
>  
>  Lynelle
>  
>  
> On 22/07/2015 9:28 AM, RON RANCOURT wrote:
>  
>  
>>  
>> I'd pull up the carpet and put in flooring that doesn't off-gas, starting
>> with the bedrooms.  If she wants the carpet, she should look into
>> post-disaster cleaning companies which may have a liquid solution to clean a
>> carpet with the goal of removing the smell.  But, this would only remove any
>> factory-dust.  I would think a sealer would at best push the problem down the
>> road, and at worst introduce more problems.
>> 
>>  
>>  
>> Ron
>>  
>>  
>> 
>>  
>> On Wed, Jul 22, 2015 at 1:54 AM, Reuben Deumling <9watts at gmail.com> wrote:
>>  
>>>  
>>>  
>>> A friend just bought a brand new house. Very efficient and also very full of
>>> nasty smells. 
>>>  
>>>  
>>>  Here is her question:
>>>  
>>>  
>>> We're dealing with a house with all new everything. Ick. It's green meaning
>>> super energy efficient - insulation etc. but I don't think that extends to
>>> the toxic ness of the things they use to make stuff. It smells awful when
>>> you walk in. So I'm trying to figure out what to do to reduce it. Do you
>>> know much about these matters or know anyone that does? For example, I'm
>>> thinking of using this Carpet sealer, but I'm not sure how to assess if it
>>> actually makes a difference. Flooring and paint are the other major things-
>>> I think.
>>>  
>>>  
>>>  
>>>  
>>> Any thoughts? I have no experience whatsoever with this sort of thing. An
>>> unexpected advantage of sourcing everything from the dumpster, I guess.
>>>  
>>>  
>>>  
>>> Thanks!
>>>  
>>>  
>>>  
>>>  
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>>  
>>  
>>  
>>  
>>   
>>  
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>  
>  
>  
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