While shopping for new material to be installed in your home, it is important to be looking for difference certifications and ratings that flooring materials have been tested for! Being able to spot and understand different labels an help you make an educated purchase to imporove your home and the lifestyle in your home!
Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) joined with Allergy Standards Limited to create the asthma & allergy friendly™ Certification Program. This program helps patients to understand product claims and make informed purchases. They test flooring products against strict standards. If products pass their tests, they earn the asthma & allergy friendly™ Certification Mark.
The Janka hardness test measures the resistance of a sample of wood to denting and wear. A common use of Janka hardness ratings is to determine whether a species is suitable for use as flooring. When it comes to Janka ratings – the higher the pounds of force: the harder the wood is. The industry standard for hardwood flooring is White Oak which is rated at 1,360 lbf. Another popular wood floor is Hard Maple which is rated at 1,450 lbf. The 90 point difference in these two woods is so small that both White Oak and Maple would wear and tear similarly in your home – So don’t stress
Today, indoor air quality is an important environmental consideration, especially since we spend the majority of our time indoors. In 1992, CRI launched its Green Label program to test carpet, cushions and adhesives to help specifiers identify products with very low emissions of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs). These enhanced programs set higher standards for indoor air quality and ensure that customers are purchasing the very lowest emitting products on the market. Using scientifically established standards, the Green Label Plus program symbolizes the carpet industry’s commitment to a better environment for living, working, learning and healing.
Basically, the FloorScore certification means healthier, cleaner air inside your home. When vinyl floor shopping, choose a product with the FloorScore label to be assured that your new floor contributes to good indoor air quality.
FloorScore is a voluntary, independent certification program that tests and certifies hard surface flooring and the materials they’re made with are in compliance with stringent indoor air quality emissions. The FloorScore program was developed by the Resilient Floor Covering Institute and is certified by a nationally recognized third-party certification company.
Never be afraid to come in to our showroom to ask more questions and talk to our consultants about any questions you have about flooring materials! We love to help you make great choices for your home!
