Certification
Certifications
All Lalegno floors fully comply with CE standards. The European Union strives to ensure that products sold in Europe meet some strict requirements regarding safety, health, environment and consumer protection.
The standard relating to wooden flooring is CE norm EN 14342. This standard requires that floors are tested and comply with the conditions imposed on reaction to fire, formaldehyde emission, VOC emission, the presence of PCP and biological durability.
Reaction to fire: Dfl – s1 of Cfl – s1
By the term “reaction to fire”, those properties of a floor meant that might influence the onset and the development of a fire. The reaction to fire classification for construction products is described in the standard EN 13501-1. This is a European classification. The European standard defines seven classes (A1fl, A2fl, Bfl, Cfl, Dfl, Efl and Ffl). Classes A1fl and A2fl are used for non-combustible products such as concrete and steel. Class Ffl is used for flooring with the least good performance in terms of reaction to fire or for floors that have not been tested.
Wood is, by its nature, a combustible material. Without wood fire retardant treatment it is classified in Class D under specific conditions. Also, the Lalegno multi-layer floors with a thickness of 10 and 15 mm have a class D rating.
Formaldehyde emission: E1
Formaldehyde is a gas that is sometimes used in the production of Ex. Chipboard, MDF, insulation and textiles. It is therefore all around us in the indoor air. However, high concentrations of formaldehyde may irritate eyes, nose, throat or skin and trigger headaches. Therefore Europe adopted strict standards on formaldehyde emission. All Lalegno floors meet the highest standards. In Europe, this is currently the E1 norm.
VOC emission: A+
Relatively new to the CE standard is the focus on VOC emissions, emissions of volatile organic compounds that can affect the healthy indoor environment of homes. The problem of VOC emissions has only recently emerged, by our concern for energy saving and environmentally friendly building. VOC is the generic name for a lot of substances that are present in all materials in our environment and that evaporate easily. These substances themselves are not new, they have always been there. However, when building or renovating these days, we try to avoid that air comes in or goes out of our home unchecked. That is why VOCs dwell in our houses for much longer than they used to. Some of these agents (e.g. Formaldehyde) are known to have harmful effects on human health. These VOCs can be released from certain varnishes, adhesives or finishing products. Therefore it is essential to ventilate the room properly when installing or finishing a floor. In Europe, there is no uniform test system to determine VOC emissions. Lalegno did however test its products in Germany and France, two pioneers in the field of VOC emissions. Since for the production of our flooring we only use adhesives and finishing products with very low emissions, our floors have achieved the Ü-Zeichen by DIBt in Germany and in France were assigned the A + label.
PCP < 5 ppm: No PCP
PCP (Pentachlorophenol) is sometimes used in wood impregnation and as a pesticide against bacteria, fungi and insects. It is a substance that can be carcinogenic in high doses. Lalegno floors don’t emit PCP.
