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Non Toxic Desks
Simple solid wood desks, non-toxic sit-stand desks, and how to make convertible desks a little healthier. Click the rating symbols below each desk for more information about its material health.
Organic Solid Wood Desks
Natural Furniture sells only 100% solid wood furniture— no formaldehyde-containing particleboard or MDF anywhere. You can select unfinished options, or choose one of their plant-based finishes for their wide selection of desks. Glue brand is unspecified but company verifies that it is zero or low-VOC.
Metal and glass are materials that offer an affordable non toxic desk option without any formaldehyde-containing particleboard or MDF. They also typically have very minimal adhesives, if any. Range from inexpensive options on Amazon (linked here) to high-end options at designer stores.
This non toxic Mid Century Modern desk from Avocado is an ultra-healthy option made with solid wood and has quiet soft-close drawers. They use a water based adhesive, safe zero-VOC stains, and have a transparent ingredients list.
Wood Furniture features the Ethnicraft collection of desks, which are made from solid woods, joinery, and natural finishes. They have many styles of zero VOC solid wood desks, including the ultra simple modern desk above.
Made with solid wood and organic zero-VOC finishes, the Enso desk from T.Y. Fine Furniture is rare. Not only does the desk encourage health through standing and increased activity, but also has a high level of material health. Certainly an investment, but very beautiful and totally non-toxic.
Non Toxic Sit Stand Desks
Plywood Adjustable Standing Desk
This is the best plywood adjustable desk riser from a health perspective. They use FSC certified Baltic birch plywood and a water-based finish. They also acknowledge that adjusting to a sit-stand desk can take time for your muscles to adjust, and have a link to the PDF on how to do it safely in their FAQ section, which I really appreciate. Pairs well with a non-toxic solid desk, listed below.
More Healthy Design for You
More About Non Toxic Furniture
Click on bolded statements for links to research and more information.
What is engineered wood?
Engineered wood consists of thin pieces of solid wood attached with glue to either side of a non-solid wood core. The core can be either plywood or ground wood fibers mixed with resin. The outer solid wood surface is called a veneer, and the layers are bound together with adhesives. The adhesives holding the layers together, and the glue-based binders in the plywood or ground wood fibers, are where the health issues potentially lie, since these glues typically contain urea-formaldehyde, a known carcinogen. Some newer engineered wood uses bio-based glues or NAF (No Added Formaldehyde) resins that are much healthier (some don’t, using polyurethane or other harmful substitutions). Engineered wood is often used in furniture construction, like in making couches, because it is stronger than solid wood and can hold up to many years of wear and tear.
Is engineered wood toxic?
It depends entirely on what the glue/resin/binder is that holds the wood together. If it is held together with a soy-based resin with no added formaldehyde, then it is a healthy option. If it is held together with a glue that contains formaldehyde, or a glue that contains other harmful chemicals like isocyanates, then it is harmful to health.
Are wood stains toxic?
Wood stains are often, but not always, toxic to health. It depends on the kind you use. A completely natural wood stain like coffee is safe, though that’s very uncommon in furniture you purchase. Water-based wood stains are used far more often in health-minded furniture, and are relatively non-toxic, especially ones with certifications like GreenSeal-11 ensuring the most harmful additives are avoided. Ones without VOCs, antimicrobials, chemical drying agents, or heavy metals are a better choice. Oil-based wood stains with standard chemicals including solvents that release high VOCs are very common in standard furniture and are quite harmful to health.
What is the difference between wood stain and wood finish?
Wood stains add color to natural wood, while a finish protects it.
Why are oil-based finishes, but water-based stains, better?
Natural, oil-based finishes like linseed oil, hemp oil, or tung oil are minimally processed, and very low in VOCs. Water-based finishes often contain high-VOC, toxic solvents to make them work better.
On the other hand, natural, oil-based stains typically have higher VOCs, whereas their water-based counterparts, have less.
What are plant-based oil finishes?
Linseed, hemp, and tung oil are types of plant-based oil finishes. Linseed oil comes from the flax plant. Hemp oil comes from the cannabis plant. Tung oil comes from the Tung tree (Vernicia fordii), native to China, Myanmar, and North Vietnam.
What are solvent-based finishes?
Varnish, acrylic, synthetic lacquer, and urethane-based finishes all require a much higher solvent concentration than water-based finishes, so are quite high in VOCs that irritate your respiratory tract. They also often contain carcinogenic chemicals.
Is shellac toxic?
It depends which kind you’re thinking about! Natural shellac comes from the cocoon-like secretions of the female lac bug, and has been used for thousands of years. Synthetic shellac contains solvents, and has a harmful vapor.
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