Gross cushions to clean wooden seats May 3rd, 2012 | Materials: Aron chair, wood, paint stain, wood glue. router, hand saw, 2 “L” brackets, laquer Description: We bought these chairs Armchair 30 minute makeover April 27th, 2012 | Materials: very old IKEA chairs, nonage on them, spray paint and 8 covered buttons Description: Found these chairs at my April 23rd, 2012 | Materials: KARLSTAD sofas (2), birch plywood, wood edging, walnut Description: Two of the things I love most in this world April 20th, 2012 | Materials: Marius stool, wood, chainsaw, planer, sandpaper and screws Description: Went to some friends and got a big log of April 13th, 2012 | Materials: 2 step stools IKEA BEKVÄMDescription: My granddaughter is 18 months and she needed a chair to sit when she April 12th, 2012 | Materials: Ikea stools “Haparanda”, Ikea fabrics and industrial wheels Description: The Ikea stools almost went in the trash after Jeff Chairs a la M(IA)ondrian
Materials: 2 x white Jeff foldable chairs + various spray paints/acrylic paint + masking tape Description: Taking two plain and April 2nd, 2012 | Materials: Lilleby trestle, 2×6, drillDescription: My wife and I added an Utby bar underframe and put a slate slab on Ektorp Tullsta to Rocking Chair Using Spare Crib Parts March 15th, 2012 | Materials: Ektorp Tullsta, Spare Crib Parts, Screws Description: I had a Tullsta chair I loved, it was just the right March 4th, 2012 | Materials: Ikea Poang chair, handcarved stamps, textile paintDescription: I carved some cloudstamps and decorated my white Poang chair with itUnique New Finds For Spring When you open and use a my pier 1 rewards cobalt credit card Pier 1 ♥sYou Month We're showing you the love all February.Do you know that your couch may be toxic to you and your kids? A weak federal chemical safety law and poorly designed state fire safety standards fail to protect Americans from thousands of dangerous chemicals like fire retardants.
Ten years ago, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and health advocates forced fire retardant chemicals called polybrominated diphenyl ethers, or PBDEs, from the market. These chemicals were showing up in people’s bodies, and research suggested that they disrupted hormone signaling and children’s developing brains and nervous systems. In 2008, EWG testing found that toddlers’blood contained nearly three times the levels of PBDEs of their parents’ bodies. While most PBDEs are no longer used in couches, the broken federal chemical law allows other potentially problematic chemicals to be substituted. Last year, EWG teamed up with Duke University scientists to look at concentrations of these alternative fire retardants in more than 20 mothers and children. The urine of every mother and child tested yielded evidence of exposure to TDCIPP, a cancer-causing fire retardant. In fact, when the participants’ bodies were tested for a chemical biomarker left when TDCIPP breaks down, the study found that the children’s bodies contained five times the amount of the chemical in their mothers.
In the most extreme case, a child had 23 times the level measured in the mother. Here’s the bad news: The Toxic Substances Control Act is a badly broken federal law that allowed this to happen. Now for the good news: Thanks to a key policy change in California fire safety standards, mainstream furniture manufacturers like Pottery Barn and Ikea now produce sofas and sectionals without flame retardant chemicals. Suddenly consumers can choose from a multitude of fire retardant-free furniture options. Even more good news: As of January 1 of this year, furniture manufacturers must label products they want to sell in the state of California, clearly indicating whether each piece contains flame retardants. These revolutionary changes will take the guesswork – and the chemicals – out of sofa shopping. Make sure your new couch doesn’t contain fire retardants While the manufacturers listed below have eliminated chemical flame retardants from products manufactured after January 1, 2015, they may still sell their 2014 stock (with the exception of Room & Board).
It’s important to visit the store or call customer service to confirm that the couch you purchase has the new label and was manufactured in 2015. The new label should read: “The upholstery materials in this product contain NO added flame retardant chemicals.” Where to find couches without fire retardants 1) Room & Board Room & Board led the pack on this issue by stopping the use chemical fire retardants in all their furniture in July of last year. According to its customer service representative, all its sofas are free of chemical flame retardants. The chain has hundreds of leather and fabric sofa options, many in the $1,000 to $3,000 range. Hutton Sofa in Vick Velvet Finding a non-toxic sofa doesn’t have to be expensive. All Ikea couches manufactured after January 1, 2015, are made without chemical flame retardants. But until Ikea sells out its 2014 stock, check product labels to ensure that you are buying a 2015 flame retardant chemical-free model. As of January 1, 2015, all newly manufactured Crate and Barrel couches contain no chemical flame retardants.
Since many Crate and Barrel couches are made to order, you will likely get a newly manufactured (and free of chemical flame retardants) couch, but you should still double-check with customer service that yours is not a 2014 leftover. 4) West Elm and Pottery Barn Same goes for West Elm and Pottery Barn: according to their customer service representatives, all couches made after January 1, 2015, do not contain added chemical flame retardants. Again, check with customer service – or the TB 117-2013 label – to confirm that your sofa was made in 2015. Hamilton Leather Sofa in Tan Design Within Reach sells select sofa collections made without flame retardants. According to its customer service, these include the Bantam, Camber, Flight, Goodland, Parallel, Portola, Raleigh, Reid and Soto Collections. The company uses the new TB 117-2013 label. Check for it when purchasing your couch. Bantam Sofa in Black Design Within Reach TB 117-2013 Label “The upholstery materials in this product contain NO added flame retardant chemicals.”