Armstrong Takes Formaldehyde-Free Cabinets Mainstream

‘Origins’ kitchen cabinets look like typical cabinetry but are made with formaldehyde-free plywood to keep dangerous gases out of the indoor environment.

Cost-neutral plywood that doesn’t use harmful urea-formaldehyde has been on the market since 2005 (see “Columbia Forest Products Launches a Revolution in Plywood Adhesives,” EBN June 2005), so it has been a long wait for an affordable, widely available line of cabinetry built with formaldehyde-free plywood. With Armstrong’s rollout of its Origins formaldehyde-free kitchen cabinets, the wait is over.

According to Armstrong, the Origins line, using PureBond plywood from Columbia Forest Products, meets LEED requirements with no added urea-formaldehyde (UF), and California Air Resources Board (CARB) Phase 2 requirements for very low formaldehyde concentrations. Armstrong spokeswoman Michele Zelman said Origins cabinets are available nationally and, given the wide variation in cabinet prices based on type and style, are relatively cost-competitive. Zelman said Origins cabinets cost about 20% more on average than typical particleboard cabinets, and about 15% more than Armstrong’s Genuine Allwood line (also made of plywood).

Mark Jupiter, president of prefab, designed-for-LEED homebuilder New World Homes, is thrilled with Origins and is using it exclusively. “It is difficult to find a company that constructs cabinets conforming to our need for a nontoxic indoor air environment,” Jupiter said. In the past, he said, New World relied on smaller companies, but “price points and availability were a problem.” Origins cabinets are available “when we need them, where we need them, and at the price we need them to be,” he said.

Jupiter also pointed out that the cabinets fit into New World’s “historically inspired” home designs, and have all the aesthetic and functional features his customers are looking for. “There are already a lot of options,” he said, although not as many as Armstrong typically provides in a cabinet line. But, argued Jupiter, if customers want more options in the future, they need to start buying what is already available. “People need to start making a choice for companies that take a leap of faith like this.”

According to Todd Vogelsinger, director of marketing at Columbia, PureBond turned out to be well suited to kitchen and bathroom cabinets. During product testing, the company found that it offers “dramatically improved moisture resistance” over conventional products.

Although PureBond can be specified with Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified content, Zelman said that Armstrong is not currently developing an FSC-certified cabinet option or offering it for Origins.

The PureBond adhesive itself is made with soy protein and a proprietary polymer, and was developed at Oregon State University in response to concerns about UF, still a component of most interior-grade particle-board, plywood, and fiberboard. UF emits formaldehyde, a known carcinogen that also causes respiratory problems, allergic reactions, and depression.

For contractors and do-it-yourselfers who want to build custom, Vogelsinger notes that they can always find PureBond plywood “at your neighborhood Home Depot.”

– Paula Melton

February 1, 2011

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Columbia Forest Products Launches a Revolution in Plywood Adhesives

EBN: Product Review - June 2005

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