Re-Core is much better than Forbo colored cork

Let’s take a look at Forbo Colored Cork, it is used a lot as a tack or bulletin board in our schools and in our homes, they claim it is VOC free. . . Why then does it smell so bad?

First, what is VOC? (Volatile Organic Compounds) are organic chemicals that have a high vapor pressure at ordinary room temperature conditions. In short, it is the ‘outgassing’ of a product.

You know that new car smell, that’s “spent gas”; Products and materials “off-gas” their chemical constituents over time in our living spaces. VOCs will then concentrate in the air, furniture, and accumulate in dust. New buildings and renovations have the highest level of chemical “outgassing.” Because chemical contamination is invisible, the problem is easily overlooked. One sign that you may be breathing dangerous chemicals is when you detect a ‘new’ odor or a strong odor associated with specific products such as adhesives, paint and Forbo colored cork.

Many VOCs are dangerous to human health or cause harm to the environment. VOCs are numerous, varied and ubiquitous. They include both artificial and natural chemical compounds. VOCs are generally not instantly dangerous, but have aggravating long-term health effects. Because concentrations are often low and symptoms develop slowly, research on VOCs and their health effects is difficult.

Check product claims

Marketing claims need your special attention. Who hasn’t been caught buying something that claims to be ‘natural’, only to find out later that ‘natural’ only refers to one minor ingredient, while the others are far from it? Product label claims to check closely include “organic, low odor, solvent free, low VOC, no VOC, zero emissions, water based” and “plant based.”

Forbo Colored Cork claims “No VOC” but a color dye is used to make the specific color: Special Note: Color dyes themselves contain HIGH VOC levels.

Have you ever smelled Forbo colored cork? It has a horrible smell and stays that way, it is continually “out-gassing” whether it is in our schools or in our home.

Use your noise, if you have an unnatural smell then you have ‘outgassing’. If, on the other hand, there is no smell or just a normal smell, you don’t have ‘outgassing’. What is a normal smell? The cork has its own aroma just like an orange. The cork is natural and is completely safe, by itself; it is everything that is done to it that makes it insecure.

If you are already “stuck” with Forbo Colored Cork, then you can use nature’s filters to improve air quality and remove most of the “outgassing”. Plants and soil bacteria are nature’s biological filters. Indoor potted plants work miracles by removing significant levels of chemical pollutants directly from the air. Even more remarkable is that the plants remove high concentrations of chemicals in 24 hours and keep working day and night. If new chemicals are introduced, even at low levels, they go to work on those too.

But remember when I made that promise at the beginning; Re-Core is much better than Forbo Colored Cork. Well here it is; Re-Core is a product that uses a recycled material, it is a core that fits into a frame and is covered with fabric, hence the name Re-Core.

Pick up the nearest bottle of water, smell the bottle itself, remember to use your nose, if you smell anything, no, no, that’s because there’s no ‘degassing’. This is Re-Core. Now smell your clothes, cotton, polyester, etc. You can choose any type of fabric for your tack or bulletin board. We have been around fabrics for many centuries and we know it is safe.

This “floating fabric” design means there’s no glue; the fabric can be removed and washed. All you need to install this product is a drill.

Using Re-Core floating fabric tack boards, bulletin boards, ceiling tiles, acoustical wall panels and much more means you are using a real product for our schools and homes that does not contribute to “out-gassing” and is really safe to use. You can use the “floating fabric” system to change the fabric cover to achieve different effects, patterns, solids, or add school logos or company logos as needed. You can order complete panels in a variety of sizes up to 4 feet by 8 feet and have them delivered to your door. These panels will be complete and ready to install.