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In the 21st century, going "environmentally friendly" is a very important factor to consider when building or doing any new home improvements. The only problem with "environmentally friendly" products is that they tend to be a little expensive and in a lot of cases, not quite so effective. Thankfully, this is starting to turn around and manufacturers are becoming more aware of this and are starting to accommodate the market.

After years of admiring other people's glossy timber floors, I decided it was time to rip up our old carpet and see what treasure's lay beneath. On removing the carpet we were presented with old Tasmanian oak hardwood timber floor boards. We then hired a floor sander to remove the paint and clean them up back to original appearance. The timber that was presented was a beautiful array of different shades and grains as we had hoped. The next step was to seal the floor with polyurethane to really bring out the colour and shine, the only problem being was which polyurethane to use? There are so many on the market that it is very hard to choose, so I spent the next couple of weeks investigating polyurethane.
The more I looked into polyurethane's the more apparent it became that it is not a very safe option in regards to health. Sure, the floors looked fantastic, but at what price? The following disclaimer was given to me by a flooring sander when I was considering solvent based polyurethane.
IMPORTANT WARNING-Toxic fumes given off by solvent-based floor finishes contain isocyanates that effect the respiratory and central nervous systems. They are particularly dangerous for asthma sufferers, children and the elderly. There is growing evidence that solvent-based floor finishes may also be dangerous for pregnant women and their unborn children.
That in itself was enough to ring alarm bells and after further investigation I found these claims to be quite accurate and also came across a lot of other floor sanders with the same opinion. The next part of the disclaimer was enough to put me off solvent-based polyurethane completely and start to look at an alternative. It read as follows.
If a solvent-based finish is to be used on a floor the owner must adhere to the following basic precautions:
1.Vacate the premises for at least 14 days.
2. Empty pantries and refrigerators. Solvent fumes taint foodstuffs-even packaged products.
3. Remove pets from premises.
4. Remove all indoor plants.
5. Remove all oil and water based paintings. The decision to move back into

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