We just had this credit denied in our Design and Construction Final Review. We provided all of the required documentation, but the final comment came back stating that we failed to provide "the adhesive used within the project to bond the laminate to the wood substrate". Review comments below:
DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION PRELIMINARY REVIEW - TECHNICAL ADVICE:
Please provide a revised Credit Form confirming that the laminating adhesives used contain no added urea-formaldehyde, along with manufacturer product data highlighted to verify that this adhesive contains no added urea-formaldehyde resins.
DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION FINAL REVIEW - The LEED Credit Form has been revised and a response narrative and manufacturer documentation for Nevamar laminate and 3Form have been provided to address the issue outlined in the Preliminary Review. However, the adhesive used within the project to bond the laminate to the wood substrate has not been provided as required. The documentation does not demonstrate credit compliance.
The problem with this determination is that the laminate was not bonded with an adhesive to the wood substrate onsite. We provided all of the laminate adhesives used by the manufacturer, but as the top was not bonded by an adhesive to the wood substrate, we had no other adhesive to submit. Additionally, we provided the silicone adhesive used to adhere/seal the solid surface tops, under IEQc4.1, so I am confused as to why we are asked to provide a field applied adhesive under IEQc4.4.
We are still going to achieve the desired level of certification, so we will not be appealing this, but I want to be sure I fully understand the requirements of this credit for future submissions. We would sincerely appreciate any guidance you can provide. Thank You
Tristan Roberts
RepresentativeVermont House of Representatives
LEEDuser Expert
11478 thumbs up
October 16, 2012 - 1:33 pm
Marie, I don't want to point fingers, as the LEED reviewers have a tough job and get a lot of flak, but this appears to be like reviewer error—not understanding what was going on with the project.It's fortunate that this apparent error did not affect your certification goals.
Susan Walter
HDRLEEDuser Expert
1296 thumbs up
October 16, 2012 - 2:54 pm
It looks like the interpretation of laminating assemblies is different. Most people I know would interpret that sentance in the RG as the resins holding the wood pieces together. The reviewer here seems to have added the plastic laminate to the assembly definition. It would be nice if your reviewer had been more clear.
Marie Kranjack
3 thumbs up
October 16, 2012 - 4:16 pm
Thank you Tristan and Susan. I will just be extra clear in my response if I get the same review comments on the next one...
Catarina Costa Goncalves
2 thumbs up
September 26, 2023 - 9:06 am
Hello,
We are working on a project that has I assume similar produtc. My question is if how should we include them in the calculator, meaning we have laminate, wood and the adhesive. Should it be separated and the adhesive to meet VOCs criteria, and laminate and wood would meet formaldehyde requirements?
Brian Salazar
President, LEED AP, WELL APEntegra Development & Investment, LLC
56 thumbs up
September 26, 2023 - 9:39 am
The LEED reviewer is seeing "substrate" and "laminate." They are expecting to see an adhesive. If the assembly is not actually put togteher this way, then you'd need to explain that in a narrative, because 99% of millwork assemblies are put together with some kind of liquid/spray applied adhesive. I have seen exceptions where the laminate comes pre-applied with a sticky-backed pressure-sensitive adhesive like carpets are sometimes installed. Those materials should not need to be included, but each reviewer is a little different in their interpretation.
Catarina Costa Goncalves
2 thumbs up
September 26, 2023 - 9:55 am
Thanks for this. Our product combines laminate, wood and adhesive. My understanding is that if the adhesive is not applied on site it is exempted from VOC criteria, and we would include final product as one in the calculator, in our case walls. If it is applied on site then we separate the 3 materials and include laminate and wood on composite wood and adhesive on different section that should comply with VOC criteria. We currently have files for laminate and wood complying with EN 717 as E1. We are evaluating the approach on separating product by separating materials, if the adhesive is applied or combination is done on site.