Page 58 - The Homeowner's Handbook 2017

THE HOMEOWNER’S HANDBOOK EIGHTH EDITION

What Makes a Cabinet Green?

INSPIRATION FOR THIS IMAGE: CRYSTALCABINETS.COM KCMA Certification
The Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers Association has its own green certification
program called the Environmental Stewardship Program (ESP). As with any
Engineered Wood Veneer
industry self assessment, ESP certification should be used as a baseline to
As a surfacing option, thin wood veneer is identify green-minded companies, not a guarantee that a particular
considered green because it can be made from brand will meet all of your sustainability expectations. Keep in
younger growth trees or with leftover scraps mind that many companies that make sustainable
from furniture factories. cabinetry and shelving do not pursue
KCMA certification.

Low-Impact Paint
or Stain
To limit VOCs from paints Certified Wood
or stains, you have two Doors
options: If you’re set on a The lumber used in doors
hard, glossy enamel finish, and other parts of the
the best bet is to have it cabinet box should come
baked on at the factory, from companies certified
where it can fully offgass. by FSC, SFI or another
For cabinets finished credible certifying
onsite, low- or no-VOC, organization.
water-based stains or
paints should be specified.

Clean Core Materials
The formaldehyde-bonded particleboard and
Moisture-Proof Feet
plywood often used for shelving is bad for indoor
By putting metal or polymer feet on a cabinet, you keep it out air quality. New products include agrifiber panels
of harm’s way—more specifically, if a leak develops, moisture (typically straw based), that use low-VOC binders
wont have a chance to saturate the bottom panel, inviting to replace formaldehyde glues.
mold or mildew and shortening the life of the unit.

The Importance of Certified Wood

Wood is a renewable resource, but in many places it has been As of this year, 250 million acres in the
harvested faster than it can regenerate, with little concern for U.S. and Canada are certified to the SFI
the natural ecosystems or human communities impacted standard. The SFI manages standards
by the logging. However, you’ve probably heard of “certified for Forest Management, Fiber Sourcing
wood.” This refers to lumber or products that contain wood and Chain-of-Custody certification;
fiber from sustainably managed forests. Globally, the area these standards were updated this year.
of certified forests has been rising steadily. Read more about the changes here:
Wood products with certification labels have been vetted by third-party http://bit.ly/1Mt2Hio
organizations. The two certification programs you’re likely to encounter Cabinetry is just one category where certified wood is available, so
are those managed by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and the be sure to ask for certified wood for all aspects of your project, from
Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI). framing lumber and plywood to trim. Certified wood may cost 10 to
The FSC certifies forests all over the world—380 million acres, to 15 percent more—although the cost depends on availability and varies
date. The standard includes provisions for protecting water quality, from region to region—but choosing it over lumber that isn’t certified
prohibiting pesticide use and protect old-growth habitat, among others. will help ensure forests, which are a key tool for fighting climate change,
Read more here: https://us.fsc.org stay intact and healthy.

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