Trim, finishes, and fixtures

We used solid pine for our trim.  This avoids all the formaldehyde glues used in most "paint-grade" trim.  These glues continue to offgas into the living space for years, negatively affecting indoor air quality.  This is a chief concern in a tightly sealed home.

We're using a variety of wood stains and sealers that have very "low" or "no" volatile organic compounds (VOCs).  Just like formaldehyde based glues, these substances continue to vaporize for years into the air you breath.  Many truly "green" "low" VOC products use plant-based oils that have some natural volatility but are not toxic like petroleum based products.  Our sealer is derived from waste products from the Vermont cheese industry.  They use the whey to create a natural sealer that's superior in performance to traditional toxic polyurethanes.

The cabinets are going in.  This is one area where it's difficult to avoid formaldehyde based glues without spending large sums of money.  Sealers are available that help "lock-in" the vapors to keep them from offgassing into your space.

Dual flush toilets have become very affordable lately.  They have two different buttons with two different flush volumes (all mechanical, no electricity required).  These save thousands and thousands of gallons of water over their useful life.

We chose a domestic hardwood for our upstairs floors.  This also avoids toxic binders that can negatively affect indoor air quality.  Unfortunately, due to the irrational nature of current world trade, trees felled in U.S. forests are often transported to China and India where they are processed into finished flooring and shipped back to us for purchase and use.  If only our trade policy encouraged Americans to process American resources our flooring choices would be far more sustainable.  While there are "safe" quality bamboo floors available they are also shipped from China and were unaffordable to us for this project.

Starting to feel like a livable space!

We varied the direction of the flooring material to make each room feel spacious and allow good energy flow.