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FAQs about IEQc4.3 :

If I have no flooring products in the scope of my project, can I earn this credit?

How do I handle a polished concrete floor?

Should mineral-based finish flooring products (without any integral organic-based coatings and sealants) and unfinished/untreated solid wood flooring be documented on the IEQc4.3 LEED Online form, even though they are exempt from certification requirement

On a renovation, should flooring that is previously installed be subject to the credit requirements?

One flooring adhesive we are using falls under both IEQc4.1 and IEQc4.3, and is over the VOC limit. We are using the VOC budget method to meet IEQc4.1 requirements, but are we automatically disqualifed from IEQc4.3?

The credit requirements are allowed to exempt unfinished wood flooring from the credit requirements, but wood flooring is almost always finished. This is confusing!

I have an international project and my flooring products aren’t tested using any of the above standards. How can I tell if they still comply?

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Forum discussion

NC-2009 IEQc4.3:Low-Emitting Materials—Flooring Systems

Ceramic tile coating applied off-site

Dear all, I'd just like to clarify: would ceramic be considered a mineral based floor and therefore be exempt from any tests? I am asking because some tiles receive an enamel coating or similar, but this is applied off-site. Does coating applied off-site have to comply with the tests, as mentioned in IEQc4.3 addenda? "...without integral organic-based coatings and sealants and unfinished/untreated solid wood flooring qualify for credit without any IAQ testing requirements. However, associated site-applied adhesives, grouts, finishes and sealers must be compliant for a mineral-based or unfinished/untreated solid wood flooring system to qualify for credit." So these "associated site-applied adhesives, grouts, finishes and sealers" have to be compliant even if nthey are applied off-site or only if they are applied on-site?? Thanks!

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Profile picture for user tristanroberts
Tristan Roberts
Representative
Vermont House of Representatives
LEEDuser Expert
7780 thumbs up

Mon, 01/21/2013 - 18:35

Marcio, this is covered in the second-to-last FAQ above—check that and post again here with follow up.

Mon, 01/21/2013 - 18:45

Hi Tristan, I did check the FAQ before writing the question. The reason I posted it anyway is because even though the FAQ mentions that the "ceramic rceives a top coat after it is manufactured", it doesn't mention whether such coating is applied off-site or on-site, which to me makes the difference since the credit is about "Indoor" Environmental Quality, which gives the idea that only coating applied on-site would have to comply with VOC levels. Am I correct on this assumption? However, on the ther hand, we do know that some compounds continue to offgas for a period of time even after appilciation. So what's the criteria? Coatings applied off-site have to comply or not? Thanks!
Profile picture for user tristanroberts
Tristan Roberts
Representative
Vermont House of Representatives
LEEDuser Expert
7780 thumbs up

Mon, 01/21/2013 - 18:54

Marcio, I am a little surprised that this, but I suppose that if we are being very specific about a finish applied to tile off-site, it falls through a crack in IEQc4 requirements and is exempt. I don't see any IEQc4 credit language that applies to this situation.

Mon, 01/21/2013 - 19:08

Tristan, The off-site gap for VOCs is intentional. Tracking the documentation for all VOCs applied for all materials at all stages is essentially impossible. In most cases the VOCs have off-gasses long enough to not create IEQ issues in a building. Of course, this not always the case, especially if products are plastic wrapped at a fabrication facility. The primary VOC contributor in building construction are the materials installed on-site, and products with large number of organics, such as upholstered furniture.
Profile picture for user tristanroberts
Tristan Roberts
Representative
Vermont House of Representatives
LEEDuser Expert
7780 thumbs up

Mon, 01/21/2013 - 19:19

Hernando, I'm not sure that's the case with IEQc4.3 specifically. I only think that off-site tile is exempt because it's not mentioned along with "Concrete, wood, bamboo and cork floor finishes," which do have VOC requirements whether on or offsite, according to the credit language—as best I can interpret it.

Mon, 01/21/2013 - 19:46

When I was vice-chair of the LEED IEQ Technical Advisory Committee (TAG) we intentionally excluded general off-site VOC products for the reasons I gave. The "flooring language" regarding testing of "other floor" products was added after I was no longer involved. The language was added by someone who was a hard-core advocate for the testing for VOCs, whether organics actually existed in a product or not. What they actually wanted was testing for all chemical components in a product, not just VOCs. That is why the "flooring language" was originally written to force all floor products to be tested. The USGBC has tried to fix this but hasn't gotten it correct so far. Remember that with most products the VOC levels drop dramatically after application. At some point it becomes pointless to test a product. For many "other chemicals of concern" the same is true. The reason the "other chemicals of concern" were added by a testing advocate was that they didn't trust product manufacturers, of the supply lines the manufacturers used. That is the reason the testing was added; lack of trust in manufacturers actually know, for certain, what is going into their products.

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