Drywall Breakthrough!
I am very excited about a breakthrough in a fairly boring construction product: drywall. Certainteed came out with a drywall (AirRenew) that pulls toxins and carcinogens out of your air for 75 years with up to 26 coats of paint on it! Several common household products containing VOC’s (Volatile Organic Compounds) are hairspray, air fresheners, perfumes, and cleaners. In addition to those, remodeling and building materials such as paints and lacquers, paint strippers and carpets, unsealed plywood or particle board and even foam insulation contain formaldehyde. A new construction home (or newly remodeled area) off-gases the most in the first five years. When you smell that new carpet smell, it’s actually off-gassing you are smelling.
I know it sounds strange and my first concern was if it would make your sheetrock toxic to the touch, but it doesn’t. It breaks down VOC’s and turns them into safe, inert compounds that remain inside the drywall, never reemitting them in to the air. Because we spend approximately 90% of our time indoors and in our homes, it is important to improve the quality of our inside air especially to those of us that are asthmatic. Inside air is often found to be more contaminated than our outdoor air.
From a “Green” aspect, 99% of the gyp board is made from recycled material. It is still just as easy to work with and installs the same as regular drywall. It has the same weight and uses the same installation materials.
What I love most about the product is that you never have to remember to turn it on or replace a filter. It is maintenance free and is always working. It is also mold, fire, moisture, abuse, and impact resistant. It’s genius and I love it! We just finished our first new construction installation and used it for all of the walls.