Where does formaldehyde in interior decoration mainly come from?
It mainly comes from the adhesives used in home decoration, wood-based panel furniture, coatings, floors, wallpapers, textiles and other decoration materials.
Among them, the most worrying thing is the most controllable artificial board. However, there are so many types of wood-based panels on the market that you can't count them all. I can't tell the difference between good and bad at all, let alone the difference, and I am attracted by the various gimmicks of the merchants if I don't pay attention. Today, let's learn about the correlation knowledge of the formaldehyde content of each type of board.
List of formaldehyde content in decorative panels
Although there are various names of planks on the market, it is actually far less complicated than it seems. To use a simple metaphor, furniture panels are actually equivalent to a dumpling. The finish of the board is equivalent to dumpling skin, while the inner base material is dumpling filling. Today, let’s introduce the most common boards on the market: MDF, ecological board, bagasse board, large core board, finger joint board , Solid wood furniture.
MDF (Fibreboard, MDF, E1 board, E0 board, MDF,)
Formaldehyde pollution level: medium to high (depending on level)
Density board is also called fiberboard and MDF. It is processed from wood fiber or plant fiber . After powder treatment, it is mixed with rubber, hardener, waterproofing agent, etc., and finally they are pressed into density board. Variability, general water resistance. Due to the finer particles inside, MDF lacks load-bearing and moisture-proof properties, but has outstanding modeling ability, so it can usually be used as showcases, paint cabinet doors, etc. Since most of the inside are fine particles, a large amount of glue is required to join them for bonding.
Bagasse board (particle board)
Formaldehyde pollution level: medium to high (depending on level)
Particle board is also called particle board and solid wood particle board. The wood is crushed and processed into particles of different sizes, which are then glued into boards. The thinner chips are used for the upper and lower surfaces of the board, and the middle layer is made of coarser chips. Inexpensive, anti-aging, can be painted and various veneers. Moisture-proof and load-bearing capacity are relatively balanced, suitable for cabinet body and cabinet door. The interior is mostly particles, and the glue content that needs to be used is relatively high.
Ecological board (composite board, zero formaldehyde board, environmental protection board)
Formaldehyde pollution level: low
Ecological board is also called plywood and plywood. It is made by cutting the log into thin wood chips and then bonding them with layers of glue (at this moment, you can brainstorm mille-feuille biscuits). Variety of thickness, soft and easy to bend. It is used for the backboard and bottom board of wooden products. At the same time, it can be used together with other solid wood materials, density boards, finger joint boards, etc. The production process of plywood can be understood as bonding layer by layer with glue, and the amount of glue used is less than that of density board and particle board.
Blockboard (large core board, wood core board, wood board)
Formaldehyde pollution level: low
Blockboard is also called large core board, wood core board, and woodworking board. There are small pieces of wood in the middle, which are bonded with the upper and lower layers of veneer to form plywood. Easy to process, sound absorption and heat insulation. It can be used as furniture, wooden doors, door and window covers, heating covers, curtain boxes, etc. In the production process, the middle layer of the board is spliced by small wooden strips. In the common production process, no glue is added between the wooden strips, and only the upper and lower two-layer surface panels are glued, so the amount of glue is relatively small.
Solid wood finger joint board (tooth joint board, solid wood integrated board)
Formaldehyde pollution index: low
Solid wood finger-jointed boards are also called tooth-jointed boards and solid wood integrated boards. They are made of multiple boards spliced together. The vertical boards use a jagged interface, similar to the fingers of two hands. Moisture-proof, waterproof, and long service life. Generally used for modeling or furniture frames, not suitable for wardrobes and cabinets. The amount of glue used is very small, mainly because the wooden boards rely on tooth-shaped interfaces to splice, abandoning the previous preparation process of using glue to bond the upper and lower boards.
solid wood furniture
Formaldehyde pollution index: low
In addition to artificial boards, customers with enough budget will also consider solid wood furniture. Of course, don't get into the misunderstanding, solid wood furniture is either zero formaldehyde. As long as the main structure of the furniture uses solid wood structure, even if the door panels and side panels do not use solid wood, it can also be called solid wood furniture. Such solid wood furniture must have a certain degree of formaldehyde pollution due to the use of various wood-based panels and composite panels. However, even if it is 100% solid wood furniture, in the furniture production process, wood, panels, glue, paint, leather, etc. all contain formaldehyde. No matter how good the wood is, as long as it is glued or painted, formaldehyde will be released. Therefore, according to the production process of modern furniture, it is impossible to achieve absolute "zero pollution" furniture. Of course, compared with furniture made of other boards, solid wood furniture uses the least formaldehyde-containing materials, and of course it is also the first choice for the lowest formaldehyde content.
The environmental protection of various materials does not exist that one is necessarily stronger than the other. The base material used, glue quality, and production process are different, and the formaldehyde emission of the same material will vary greatly. The most important thing is to ask the merchant to provide a guarantee that the board has been certified by the relevant authority when purchasing.
Safety standard line
E1 level is a mandatory "safety standard line", and the formaldehyde content of E1 level (less than 0.9mg/L) is a safe value. According to relevant data, the highest formaldehyde content in drinking water must be less than 0.9mg/L, which means that the formaldehyde content of the E1 standard reaches the drinking level.
The ecological board is made of wood, and it also contains a small amount of formaldehyde, but as long as you choose a brand with guaranteed quality, it is safe if the environmental protection level reaches E1. Compared with other boards, the ecological board has another advantage of being paint-free, which avoids the emission of harmful substances caused by paint. If you want to make baked lacquer for custom-made furniture, the formaldehyde content must exceed the standard by 100%.
E0/E1/E2 is an international safety standard (for formaldehyde content) revised by International Composite Board Emission Standards (ICBES). The new standard has canceled E2.
latest safety standards
In addition to canceling the E2 level, the new standard implemented on May 1, 2018 also changed the formaldehyde measurement standard to the "1m3 climate chamber method". After the formaldehyde release limit value is updated, the value of the E1 level is 0.124 mg/m3. E0 level material is the highest safety value up to European level.
Since E0 is the safest and most environmentally friendly export grade, the price is naturally more expensive (the factory director said it will be 20% more expensive than E1). Therefore, it is a matter of opinion whether to choose E0 or E1.
In life, in a newly renovated home, no matter what boards are used, there will still be formaldehyde. In addition to controlling the source of materials, opening windows for ventilation in newly renovated homes and avoiding closed spaces for a long time is a good auxiliary method for removing formaldehyde.