Lumber Liquidators has agreed to pay up to $30 million to resolve claims that their bamboo flooring is defective and prone to damage. The settlement will benefit Class Member consumers who purchased Lumber Liquidators Morning Star Strand Bamboo flooring between Jan. 1, 2012 and March 15, 2019.
A common fund (Compensation Fund/Settlement Fund) will be established whereby Lumber Liquidators will pay $14 million dollars in Cash and $14 million dollars in Store-credit Vouchers (Vouchers) to the approved claimants. An additional $2 million dollars in Vouchers will be provided upon a 7% claims rate being reached.
Just a few days later, Lumber Liquidators stopped selling all Chinese laminate flooring. But the company had made $13.9 million from such sales since January 2015, prosecutors said, when executives concluded they had to stop using one Chinese supplier because of the formaldehyde concerns.
Laminate flooring contains toxic levels of formaldehyde
Gibbs Law Group LLP has filed three federal class action lawsuits against Lumber Liquidators alleging the company deceived consumers when it manufactured and sold laminate wood flooring that emits potentially harmful amounts of noxious formaldehyde gas.
Lumber Liquidators shares were slammed in March 2015 after a “60 Minutes” report alleged that Chinese-made laminate flooring from Lumber Liquidators installed in many American homes contained far higher than accepted levels of formaldehyde, a known carcinogen.
CDC/ATSDR found that exposure to formaldehyde in the CPSC-tested laminate flooring sold at Lumber Liquidators® could cause irritation and breathing problems. However, you can take steps to reduce formaldehyde levels in your home.
Not necessarily because the amount of formaldehyde in the laminate flooring, if present, can vary due to how the flooring is made. Formaldehyde is normally present at low levels, usually less than 0.03 parts per million (ppm), in both outdoor and indoor air.
In April 2020, Lumber Liquidators officially changed its name to LL Flooring in order to better reflect who we are. No lumber.
Strand woven bamboo flooring is a type of bamboo flooring that has been made in a particular way to give it additional strength and durability. The planks of flooring have been tested and are over twice as hard as Oak flooring. This makes it perfect for most rooms in your home and even suitable for commercial use.
Cover the floor in paper underlayment, rolling it out in courses. Overlap the sides by an inch or two. Secure it with a staple gun. Set the first course of Morning Star bamboo floorboards alongside one edge of the floor, locking them together at the ends and putting the grooves of the planks facing the wall.
According to Home Depot, “Laminate flooring at The Home Depot is verified by either GREENGUARD® Gold or FloorScore® certification to contain 0.0073 ppm or less of formaldehyde, which is a stricter standard than CARB 2 of 0.05 ppm.”
Formaldehyde is more common in laminate flooring, where it's found in the adhesive and resin. However, formaldehyde is also a concern in vinyl flooring, although its levels tend to be lower than in laminate flooring.
Porcelain and Ceramics. Porcelain and ceramic are safe if lead-free and do not contain radioactive substances. It is also formaldehyde free.
Lumber Liquidators has officially changed its name to LL Flooring.
Bamboo flooring is becoming a popular alternative to traditional hardwood flooring as it has physical similarities to hardwood but is more durable, eco-friendly and sustainable. Bamboo is not wood, it is a grass native to China that is cut down into strips or strands, dried and machined into flooring planks.
Buckling, also called cupping or crowning, is the most extreme case of too much moisture exposure for wood flooring. When a plank has begun to separate from the sub-flooring, it has begun buckling. Although most cases of too much moisture or humidity can be solved before buckling occurs, it does happen.
As a flooring material, bamboo has many of the same benefits and drawbacks of hardwood flooring, Like wood flooring, bamboo is an attractive natural material that generally adds real estate value to a home.
Inexpensive bamboo flooring is susceptible to scratches and dings. Bamboo grass readily absorbs water and is susceptible to damage from water and excessive humidity, thus, it may not work well in basements or bathrooms. The contemporary look of bamboo doesn't fit with all decor.
Our Lumber Liquidators stores in Canada are now permanently closed. It has been our pleasure serving our Canadian customers, and we apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. Please call 844-455-3566 for any questions. Try different search words, check your spelling, or use the exact phrase.
Shares of Lumber Liquidators Holdings Inc. LL, -5.23% were indicated down more than 2% in premarket trading Wednesday, after the wood flooring retailer reported third-quarter profit and sales that missed expectations, citing an "increasingly challenging" supply chain and inflationary environment.
Laminate flooring also wins out over vinyl when it comes to environmental sustainability. Vinyl is produced using petroleum, which isn't a renewable resource. Its production generates toxic chemicals.
These days, Pergo is owned by Mohawk and, as you might imagine, they also make non-toxic laminate flooring. Pergo's laminate, on the other hand, is certified as low-VOC with a Nordic EcoLabel, which is similar to FloorScore and GreenGuard certification.
Most laminate products let off formaldehyde gas for about ten years, but some makes may have a low-level of toxicity that is considered safest for at-home flooring.
Floor & Decor wins the war for the floor
Its stores are beautiful and shopping there feels more luxurious. As a result, it does more business than Lumber Liquidators, $1.7 billion in FY 2018, with about one-fourth the total number of stores.