VOC'S and MDF panel covering.

Hello All,

Dan I was wondering if you or anybody out there could help me with this, I live in a financially challenged area where people tend to live in dwellings that they can afford rather then they desire, these places (mobile Homes) more often then not are finished in fiber (MDF) panelling that contains high amounts of toxins and give off VOC's that cause health issues in children and adults alike., I was wondering if any one was a aware of a natural plaster to cover these panels with to give a natural look as well as help to stifle the VOC's, at an economical price, If these people could afford to drywall their trailers then they would be able to to afford to move to better situations and most of these landlords wont fix a broken pipe muchless renovate a trailer, The rents collected on these don't warrant the investment. I know american clay plasters will absorb VOC's and I was wondering if lime S might do the same? These panel walls at best tend to be shawdy and flexible do to the cheap construction methods used in their production so flexibility would be an issue too.

Thanks everyone for reading. I hope we can find a solution for the VOC revolution.

Hi David,

Unfortunately, I doubt that natural plasters, including lime, could do much to absorb VOCs. Our main concern with MDF is formaldehyde. It's in the resin that holds the wood fibers together and outgasses for quite some time after the product is installed. My guess is that the best bet in such situations is time...time for the formaldehyde to evaporate (outgas). Unfortunately, people living in the trailers are being exposed this entire period.

Dan