FloorScore was created by SCS with the Resilient Floor Covering Institute (RFCI), a leading industry trade association of flooring manufacturers and suppliers.
FloorScore only complies with the legally allowable volatile organic compound (VOC) limits in California.
Almost all flooring is able to achieve the lowest Floorscore tier of less than 0.5 mg/m3 VOCs.
These limits are required in permitted new builds in California.
FloorScore has three tiers that you will see on the certificates:
VOC Levels:
- 0.5 mg/m3 or less
- Between 0.5 and 5 mg/m3
- 5 mg/m3 or more. (I’ve never actually seen any floor in the 5 mg or more category).
Meaning there is no upper limit for total VOCs. 5 mg/m3 is a very high level of VOCs. For someone chemically sensitive, it’s extremely high.
They do have upper limits on each of the 35 volatile organic compounds specified by the California Standard Method for VOC Emissions Testing and Evaluation.
What about the lowest tier level of 0.5 mg/m3? Is that a good level to look for?
Here it is compared to other flooring types I list on my website:
FlooreScore lowest tier: 0.5 mg/m3 is 500 μg/m3
- Some laminate flooring has formaldehyde levels around 9 μg/m3 (and usually formaldehyde is the only binder off-gassing)
- Mohawk formaldehyde-free laminate is 9 ng/m3 (0.009 μg/m3)
- Natural linoleum ≤10 μg/m3
- A number of bamboo floors are around 9-10 μg/m3
- Some LVP brands are 0-VOC
- Some engineered wood brands are 0-VOC
Almost all flooring is going to come in at 500 μg/m3 or less. I have seen only a few flooring types like SBR rubber above that level over the years.
(I talk about how rubber flooring is one of the highest off-gassing flooring types in the article on gym flooring.)
The FloorScore Certifications here are of a rubber flooring that first came in above 500 μg/m3 in 2018, when they retested this flooring more recently, then came in below 500 μg/m3.
That is the only one I can find with a record that currently came in the second FloorScore tier.
FloorScore vs GreenGuard
When a FloorScore certificate indicates total VOCs (TVOC) of 0.5 mg/m3, this is the same level as standard GreenGuard (not Gold).
Therefore, if a product has GreenGuard Gold instead of FloorScore, the certification could indicate it off-gasses a significantly lower level of VOCs.
Though not necessarily, because FloorScore-certified floors could be 0-VOC.
If a company uses FloorScore, they will use this across the board, so it won’t help to differentiate between products in their line.
Some products in a company’s line could be some of the highest off-gassing floors out there (like the rubber above), and some could be the lowest off-gassing flooring types (like my list above).
They could all come under the first tier of FloorScore.
You can see this dilemma in action when Mohawk bought Pergo floors and the laminates went from GreenGuard Gold to FloorScore certified.
We don’t know if that means the VOC levels changed (in this case, we know Mohawk’s laminate is one of the lowest off-gassing floors out there but the certification does not help to see that).
Mohawk makes many other flooring lines that might not meet GreenGuard Gold, but if they use FloorScore, all of their floors will be certified.
Maybe this is the reason they use FloorScore across the board.
FloorScore might also be less expensive of a certification than GreenGuard.
Corinne Segura is an InterNACHI-certified Healthy Homes Inspector with certifications in Building Biology, Healthier Materials and Sustainable Buildings, and more. She has 10 years of experience helping others create healthy homes. You can book a consult here.
Jen
Hi Corinne, thank you for all this information!
What do you think of this product? https://www.greenbuildingsupply.com/products/waterproof-hardwood-click-flooring?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=14755414494&gbraid=0AAAAAD3dcbmVE81hv0lVNxGnzUhb5VNYl&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIhtLb9PT8kwMVHR2tBh2JFhlhEAAYASAAEgIFw_D_BwE
Corinne Segura, Building Biologist
I talk about valinge engineered wood in my post on engineered wood floors
Ellie
Hi–thank you for this important article. I am looking to put down hardwood floors and it is very difficult to understand what the different certifications mean. It sounds like Floorscore is not a very rigorous one. I usually only see the certifications on laminate/engineered floors, but not on solid hardwoods? Can we assume solid hardwoods are low VOCs, or does it depend on the finish (I am seeing most are urethane/polyurethane and I am not sure about the health implications of those coatings; being that they are petroleum- based I am a bit skeptical). Do you have any advice?
Corinne Segura, Building Biologist
if the finish is the usual water based UV cured polyurethane it is 0 or close to 0 VOC. only oil based finishes would have some significant offgassing potentially (though are often UV cured as well). see my articles on wood floors for more details
Ellie
Thank you so much for your answer. Is polyurethane the same thing as urethane? I see mostly urethane treated floors, and wondering if they would have the same close to 0 VOC emissions.
Corinne Segura, Building Biologist
yes
Ellie
Apologies for coming back to you again. And thank you for all your time. I tried to schedule a consult, but do not see any slots available (do you have any?). I keep reading that urethane is considered a carcinogen and polyurethane is not. But, as you say, the terms are used interchangeably. So when it comes to solid hardwood flooring, how do you know what you are getting? I understand the carcinogen in urethane is ethyl carbamate. Is that substance used in the flooring industry for urethane finishes? Thank you!
Corinne Segura, Building Biologist
When it comes to floor finishes they are both referring to polyurethane
ac
where do you see FloorScore has three tiers?
Corinne Segura, Building Biologist
“Thank you for reaching out to us regarding this. There are three ranges for Total Volatile Organic Compounds specified in the standard: 0.5 mg/m3 or less, between 0.5 and 5 mg/m3, or 5 mg/m3 or more. The remaining Individual Volatile Organic Compounds have their own upper limits specified in the attached image.
Thank you!
Rob Emelander | Program Manager”
You can also see the level on the certificates
Julia Fjeldsted
I would love to know about healthy tile and grout, since i will be putting tile into a condo taht i will be reacting to my son and possible changing the flooring an a guest house.
Corinne Segura, Building Biologist
New tile list of lead free tiles is coming out soon in the substack https://corinnesegura.substack.com/subscribe