ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY NON TOXIC FINISHES
Non Toxic Finishes
Mint uses non-toxic waterborne finishes.
Your health is as important to us as our own and therefore strongly reject the use of solvent based finishes.
Unfortunately, Australia lags behind most developed nations when it comes to adopting legislation limiting volatile organic compounds in floor finishes.
Consequently harmful products are still available and used by floor sanders today. The good news is, you have a choice.
Benefits of using waterborne finish
o Non-toxic = No fumes
o Environmentally Sustainable = Low Environmental Impact/
Wash up in Water
o Non yellowing= maximum colour and grain retention
o Fast drying times=a lot more convenience to customers
o Excellent wear resistance
o Natural appearance of finished timber
o No edge bonding
The case against solvents
Exposure to VOC’s, in particular the isocyanates found in solvent based finishes, can lead to serious adverse health
effects. It is not only the sanders who are at risk. Passive users are also at risk. Anyone who comes into contact during the drying/curing stages is considered a passive user. Off gassing of solvent based finishes can last for weeks leaving not only a terrible smell behind but a health hazard.
o Those at highest risk of adverse health effects:
Children, Elderly, Asthma Sufferers, Pregnant women
Effects of exposure
o Immediate effects include:
Light headedness, eye and skin irritation, nausea.
o Short term effects:
Mood swings, short term memory loss, mild depression.
o Long term effects:
Chronic fatigue, infertility, various brain and
nervous system disorders, gene and chromosome damage.
Our Finish Choice
Mint Floor Sanding & Finishing use timber floor finishes made by Bona. Bona are world leaders in the research and development of waterborne timber floor finishes. All finishes easily meet the 140g/Lt EU standard for solvent content with a 100g/Lt or less solvent content. All Bona finishes used by Mint have been certified with an EC1 Emicode. (Emicode is an emissions rating system and EC1 represents the “very low emission” category) Bona is used throughout the world from the galleries and museums of London, the plush hotels of Sweden, the Olympic venues of Beijing to the thousands of residential floors of the environmentally conscious, trend setting home owners of Australia.