Dangers Of Aluminum Oxide Flooring

It s important to choose a non toxic finish when installing new flooring.

Dangers of aluminum oxide flooring. Cancer hazard while aluminum oxide has been tested it is not. About aluminum oxide floor finishes. Laminate flooring is a synthetic product made to look like real wood. And most pots and pans that we cook in have a surface of aluminum oxide.

New flooring has been found to contain a large number of different chemicals within its composition that when installed into an indoor environment like a home it will off gas and release these chemicals into the air of this enclosed area leading to a dangerous level of pollution in the air that could have long lasting effects on human health. Some common household cleaners can dissolve the coating making your hardwood floors appear dull and dingy. Most new product smells will have dissipated long before the flooring has been delivered for installation usually during the shipping and storage stage. Inhaling aluminum oxide can irritate the nose throat and lungs causing coughing wheezing and or shortness of breath.

Hardwood is not to be confused with laminate flooring which was called out in a 60 minutes story back in march 2015. Aluminum oxide is a naturally occurring element typically found in a crystal form and used as an abrasive for sandpaper. Take special care not to damage this coating when cleaning the floor. Usually prefinished hardwood floors will have a uv cured aluminum oxide finish so there shouldn t be cause for concern.

All types of flooring require a finish coating for protecting the underlying material from the wear and tear of foot traffic furniture marks pet toenails and other life events. It s also used as a fortifier for urethane imparting hardness and abrasion resistant qualities lacking in polyurethane. Aluminum oxide finished flooring it sounds scary and harmful but really it s both very safe and durable. When ground into a white powder it s used as a filler ingredient for paints plastics sunscreen and cosmetics.

Safety concerns regarding aluminum oxide finishes are understandable. Chronic health effects the following chronic long term health effects can occur at some time after exposure to aluminum oxide and can last for months or years. If you are looking for a floor that is safe and has great durability aluminum oxide finish should be your top choice. An aluminum oxide finish is most often uv cured.

True hardwood flooring is made from solid wood harvested from trees. Aluminum oxide coating increases the resistance durability and overall strength to polyurethane finished hardwood flooring. In regard to how sensitive people really are against aluminum it s difficult to say. Reasonable precautions to sensitivities should always be taken.

This is not to assert that laminate flooring is perfectly safe i don t know. Aluminum is the third most common element on earth and everywhere you walk on earth whether dirt rocks or sand you will be walking on aluminum oxide.