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Green Kitchen Cabinets Means More Than Just the Color of the Paint

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There are two basic ways to have green cabinets in your kitchen.
You can either paint the ones you have green, or you can purchase new ones that put no strain on the environment or release toxic gases into the air of your kitchen.
As people are becoming more eco-sensitive, green kitchen cabinets of the second type are becoming more popular.
The toxicity in standard cabinets alone should be enough to make us want to institute some changes.
Most cabinets are made at least partially of particle board.
This is done in order to keep them from costing more than people want to pay.
Sadly, though, particle board is made using urea formaldehyde resin which has been identified as a carcinogen.
Think about it.
Do you really want to expose your family to toxic fumes coming from your cabinets? Not only that, but when the fumes meet up with a heat source, such as your stove or dishwasher, the fumes become more concentrated which increases the toxicity.
If you're now wondering how you can find cabinets that aren't toxic, there are several solutions to the problem.
Metal cabinets, including stainless steel which are so popular now, obviously have no toxic elements in them.
Not everyone wants metal cabinets, however.
A lot of us have grown up with wood and prefer to add the beautiful graining and lustrous shine of wood to our own kitchens.
Take some time to educate yourself about the various green options that are available, and you'll be able to find one that will suit your lifestyle perfectly.
Wheat and straw boards, made from the leftovers of a wheat crop which are bound together without toxic materials, make excellent cabinet boxes.
They are strong and durable, and they perform better when measured by set government standards than particle board does.
You'll be killing two green birds with one stone when you install cabinets constructed of wheat board, because not only will your cupboards be toxin free, but the product they are made of is nothing but recycled wastes.
Naturally, if you already have nice cabinets in your kitchen, you aren't going to want to go to the expense of replacing them, at least not yet.
There is a way to salvage existing cabinets making them safe to have in your home.
After removing the cabinet doors and hardware, you need to paint every square inch of the cabinet boxes with a water-based sealant that has little or no VOC (volatile organic compound) in it.
Don't try to cut corners on the job by applying only thin coats of sealant.
You want to cover everything with a thick coat so that none of the gases will be able to escape through it.
By making your cabinets more eco-friendly you'll be doing your family a big favor.
It will help you to feel confident that you are all breathing safer, healthier air.
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