Fine living and healthy living are two concepts that we embrace with a passion here at T.Y. Fine Furniture. We carry organic mattresses and bedding, hand-made solid wood furniture built from naturally fallen Ohio timber; we care about our environment and our customers’ health. Consequently, we don’t want to build beautiful handmade furniture only to coat it with varnish, lacquers, shellac or polyurethane. All of those types of finish contain VOC’s (Volatile Organic Compounds) that “off-gas” harmful fumes into our homes. We use our own T.Y. Fine Furniture “Food Safe Wood Finish” which was developed by Tarik Yousef and his microbiologist father using modern chemistry to innovate on recipes dating back to the 1800’s. Our Finish only contains Certified Organic oils.
So, why should anyone be concerned about whether or not the finish on their furniture contains VOC’s? I think the best answer is that after many years there is finally awareness that there really is a limit as to how many harmful substances we can all have in our homes and our lives. I’ve said this in my other blogs and I firmly believe it, the trend toward organic food and other products sweeping the country is not a fad. It’s a real organic (pardon the pun), grassroots movement driven by the desire for us all to live healthier lives.
Federal law requires that manufacturer’s include a VOC rating on the label. The worst VOC’s are: Benzene (benzol), Toluene, Xylene (xylol), Carbon Tetrachloride, Methylene Chloride, Methyl Chloroform, Ethylene Glycol, Dichloride, Perchloroethylene and Trichloroethylene. Please see if any of these compounds are listed on the wood finish products that you have in your home. If so, safely discard them!
The label on T.Y. Fine Furniture, Food Safe Finish lists the following ingredients: Organic Polymerized Flax Seed Oil and Organic Shea Nut Oil. 100% Organic and Zero VOC.
by Wes Miller
