Hi All,

I haven been struggling with a concern and thought that Gardenweb members might be able to help guide me.

I
have been pursuing the chance to purchase a store that is an overall
great fit for my interests and lifestyle. The only sticking point is
that the store has pre-selected build-out materials for each location, and my
husband and I tend to be chemically sensitive when it comes to flooring.
I can adjust the paint in the store by going with a zero-VOC version,
but the flooring seems to be non-negotiable. The options are a
wood-style plank vinyl or a carpet. (I would get to choose the adhesive
for both types of flooring.) The wood plank vinyl uses low-VOC glues, but it is not phthalate-free.
I don't yet have the specs on the carpet, but I worry that any carpet
in a high traffic area (with lots of foot traffic from outside) will
absorb toxins and allergens that will be hard to remove...and that might bother me with time.

The
parent company for the store seems only minimally open to looking at a
substitute plank flooring: look-alikes to the plank vinyl. Here is a
link to how the pre-selected plank vinyl looks:

http://www.karndean.com/en/commercial-flooring/products/wp311-grano?link=shf#next

I
am wondering if maybe a low-emissions laminate or a wood-style plank
linoleum might work. Does anyone have experience with these sorts of product? Do you think a
phthalate-free vinyl would be safer or is the jury out on that (kind of like BPA-free products?)
Or can
you think of ways to make a new, industrial carpet tolerable for
someone who tends to react to allergens? I would
love some input from others who understand chemical sensitivities. I
really want this career opportunity to work out, so this has been a
challenging time. I am pretty sure that the company just won't budge.

Thanks so much in advance,

Sara