Hi all,
I see the LI, LEEDuser guidance, and some posts related to MUF or MF being OK, and Phenol Formaldehyde being OK, but am trying to make sure that what I'm seeing in a submittal means the same thing, as I'm not versed in scientific terminology.
We have a "Phenolic Backed Decorative Laminate" (high pressure laminate) product for review. The only description is "Lab Designs Laminates are composed of a layer of Melamine impregnated decorative paper bonded to layers of phenolic impregnated Kraft paper. The backside of the laminate is sanded to ensure uniform bonding and consistent thickness."
There are no other mentions of UF or any other kind of formaldehyde in any of their documentation. Does this product fall under the umbrella of things that are OK?
Brent Ehrlich
Products and materials specialistBuildingGreen
LEEDuser Moderator
33 thumbs up
March 6, 2019 - 7:13 am
Hi Emily,
High-pressure laminates are made using melamine formaldehyde and phenol formaldehyde ("phenolic" resin), but not urea formaldehyde. The layers are bonded together under high heat and pressure. Emissions are typically negligible from HPLs. Hope this helps.
Debra a. Lombard
Construction Administrator/ LEED APBywater Woodworks, Inc.
46 thumbs up
March 6, 2019 - 9:54 am
Hello, we are also using a HPL, Wilsonart, and there webpg at:
https://www.wilsonart.com/question-answers
gives some good answers to these specific credit questions. Various VOC emissions docs for their HPL products are here:
https://www.wilsonart.com/resources?category=Laminate&document_type=Sust...
Regards,
Debra
Debra a. Lombard
Construction Administrator/ LEED APBywater Woodworks, Inc.
46 thumbs up
March 6, 2019 - 10:15 am
also see https://wilsonart.app.box.com/s/ap3n2urlsifzu09f64hdho2r0jw6a465
emily reese moody
Sustainability Director, Certifications & ComplianceJacobs
LEEDuser Expert
452 thumbs up
May 9, 2019 - 4:47 pm
Debra, these were very helpful, even for a totally different project than I was originally intending. Thanks for sharing!