How to Find Green Materials for Kitchen Cabinets

Going "green" has become the new buzzword in the home improvement market, but sometimes finding green materials for kitchen cabinets can be confusing and frustrating. In a nutshell, green materials are those that impact the environment the least. Bamboo, wheat board, or recycled cabinets are often the best deals in green materials. MDF is a manufacturing process which is a substitute for particle board using wood, sawdust and a formaldehyde free resin to create the boards.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Familiarize yourself with the knowledge of knowing of exactly what green materials are. Learn about the alternatives to traditional wood products.

2. Set an ample budget for green cabinets as environmentally friendly products can cost up to three times more than the traditional wood counterpart.

3. Visit your local home improvement center to find out what is available locally or check your phone book for local earth friendly shops and retailers.

4. Check online for other options and discounts from online sellers.

5. Ask the seller to provide certification that the products are formaldehyde free.

6. Make your choices and order your green cabinets for your kitchen.

Tips & Warnings

• When looking at different materials, make certain each product is suitable for kitchen cabinets.
• As the cost for green materials is much higher, look for closeout and discontinued lines for bargains.
• Certain woods, even those grown in sustainable forests and are considered green material, can cause allergies for some people. Make sure you and your family is not allergic to the material you select.
• Ask for VOC statements for any products you are considering; these statements will help you in deciding if the product is truly green or if it has hidden environmental issues.

[scottmitzi]

on 3/14/2009 Our "green" material is based on being recycled for the sake of the environment. We purchased a whole house at a demolition auction. But, we don't know anything about formaldehyde and things like that. It's good to recognize there is a difference. Thanks

[christopholus]

on 10/23/2008 (This is a supplement to the comment below)

We're very happy with Evergreen Cabinetry and their work. They provide a great product for the money.

Their toll-free number is [phone]

Their website is http://evergreencabs.com/

Chris H.
Cottonwood, AZ

[christopholus]

on 10/23/2008 We finally decided to do our part to reduce our carbon footprint and are having "green cabinets" installed in our kitchen.

It turns out it's VERY difficult to find a manufacturer of cabinets that offers formaldehyde FREE product because it's virtually impossible to say "free."

To have low-VOC (volatile organic compound) and low formaldahyde levels is more realistic...and still expensive.

We decided to go with Evergreen Cabinetry out of Flagstaff, Arizona because of the great number of choices available, and their service was great!

They offer a lot of bang for the buck such as soft-close full-extension drawer glides and dove-tail corners on all drawers--standard!

They use:

* low-VOC water-based finishes
* materials with no-urea-added-formaldehyde
* ABS edbanding that can be incinerated and recycled
* low-VOC adhesives

I think they deliver nationwide as well. Thei

[DavidSummer]

on 10/5/2008 Another great option for a "green" cabinet is the Koch & Co Green Series cabinet. Their cabinet box is constructed from a no-urea-added-formaldehyde, or “formaldehyde-free”, particleboard manufactured from wheat chaff fiber particles rather than tree fiber particles. There is wide array of finishes available with low-voc-emitting stains and they can do a natural topcoat with a no-emitting-formaldehyde-voc finish. Thus, you have a product that is rapidly renewable, has no formaldehyde in the adhesives and panels, and has low-to-no VOCs in the finishes.

Koch is manufactured in Kansas and has a dealer base across the Midwest and Western US. If there is not a dealer in your area, you can contact me at [phone].

Kitchen Village
1081 E. Golf Road
Arlington Heights, IL 60005

Cell 847-917-6300
Office 847-956-6800 X15
Fax [phone]

Email - [e-mail]
Showr