Washington DC Baseline Specification Review

Baseline Specification Review Home
  • 7 Urban-Large City
  • ​2 Urban-Small City
  • ​1 Not provided
  • 1 Non-profit
  • 3 For profit
  • 6 Not provided
  • 3 New Construction
  • ​7 Rehab

Flooring

Flooring

Data Summary

  • 90% of projects specified vinyl flooring somewhere in the building.
  • ​One project (10%) excluded resilient vinyl flooring in their specifications, instead specifying carpet and ceramic tile.
  • About 80% of projects specified carpeting. All of these required Green Label Plus certification. (This industry-backed certification only covers some VOC emissions; some hazardous VOC and all non-VOC chemicals are excluded.)
  • ​Almost half of projects specifying carpet included a recycled content requirement (either pre- or post-consumer).
  • ​Most carpet specifications called for a stain or soil resistant treatment.
  • ​Other types of flooring specified (most likely in a common area) include: solid wood, laminate, biobased resilient flooring, and PVC-free resilient flooring.
  • ​About three quarters of projects specified flooring adhesive VOC limits consistent with the SCAQMD 1168 requirements.
  • ​When specified, carpet pads were either rebond, prime polyurethane, or rubber.

Paint

Paint

Data Summary

  • Over half of projects set VOC limits of <50 g/L flat and <150 g/L non-flat bases.
  • ​About a third of projects had more strict VOC requirements for paints at <50 g/L for bases of all sheens, and a third required <10 g/L for at least some sheens.
  • ​​None of the projects included VOC requirements for tints.
  • ​20% of the projects specified paint to meet the chemical restriction requirements of the Green Seal-11 (GS-11) standard.

Drywall

Drywall

Data Summary

  • About a quarter of projects specified recycled content requirements that make it likely synthetic gypsum would be required to meet the specification.
  • ​No projects specified natural gypsum as a requirement.

Insulation

Insulation

Data Summary

  • Most projects specified use of fiberglass batt insulation.
  • ​About 50% of projects specified formaldehyde-free fiberglass batts. As of October 2015, all residential fiberglass batt insulation made in the U.S. is formaldehyde-free.

Countertops

Countertops

Data Summary

  • All projects specified laminate countertops somewhere.
  • ​About half of projects specified cultured marble in the bathroom.
  • ​About half of projects specified quartz or solid surface as either an alternate or in a common area.
  • ​60% of projects specified substrates with NAUF (No Added Urea Formaldehyde).

Cabinetry & Millwork

Cabinetry & Millwork

Data Summary

  • About 80% of projects specified NAUF (No Added Urea Formaldehyde) composite wood products.
  • ​Most of the projects specified a particular manufacturer and product or product line.
  • ​Nearly all projects specified cabinets with a factory finish.
  • ​One project (10%) specified a laminate (HPL or melamine) finish for exterior faces, with an additional 60% specifying laminate only for interior surfaces.
  • 80% of projects specified wood trim/base in some locations.
  • ​Half of projects specified rubber wall base in some locations. 30% specified vinyl wall base.
  • ​20% of projects specified MDF for trim in some locations or as an alternative to wood. All of these required the MDF to be NAUF (No Added Urea Formaldehyde).

Doors

Doors

Data Summary

  • Two-thirds of projects specified doors with a composite core, and about half specified hollow core doors with a composite face.
  • ​About 65% of projects that included wood doors with composite core or facing specified NAUF (No Added Urea Formaldehyde).
  • ​Only 1 project specified a particular product or series; the others provided general information about which materials should be used and often included approved manufacturers.
  • ​Almost half of projects specified at least some factory finished wood doors.