Greening a 150-year-old Cabin

(Page 3 of 3)

January/February 2005
By David Johnston 
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And finally, the particleboard substrates for countertops should be sealed on the underside because like cabinets, they can outgas formaldehyde.

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Finishing touches

Tracy and Tim intend to paint the entire cabin with low- or no-VOC paints. Because walls have the most surface area, outgasing paint is a major contributor to short-term air quality problems. When painting, it’s best to ventilate the house for fifteen to thirty days before occupancy if possible so the paint has time to dry and outgas.

Because carpet outgases toxins, Tracy and Tim plan to keep the cabin’s existing wood floors and renovate the kitchen and bathroom floors with tile. I suggested they sand and finish the wood floors with BonaKemi’s Traffic, a low-VOC and relatively nontoxic water-based wood finish that has held up well in tests on gymnasium floors.

Making progress

Tracy and Tim also have structural and waterproofing issues because of the age of their cabin and the haphazard nature of additions that were built into the slope above the house. They have been in ongoing negotiations with the historical society as to what can be deconstructed and what has to stay. Though there are some challenges, Tracy and Tim are making progress toward an energy-efficient, comfortable, and healthful house they can be proud of for years to come. And hopefully this mining cabin, left over from an era in which the environment was degraded to extract non-renewable resources, may soon reflect the green aspirations of today’s environmentally conscious home owners.

DAVID JOHNSTON is president of Boulder, Colorado-based What’s Working, a sustainable building consulting firm.

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