This is a follow up to my prior post regarding floor expansion. I'm about ready to install the floor - 1,500 sq ft of 3/4 Bruce (2 1/4 wide) - and the wife has thrown me a curve ball. She is absolutely against me using #15 roofing felt as an underlayment - it's the high VOC thing that's the problem. I suggested that we use rosin paper over the felt to reduce the VOC emissions but she wouldn't go for it. Is there an alternate enviro friendly vapor barrier I can use that won't cost me an arm and a leg?

I will be installing the floor in a new ranch house over a basement. The subfloor is 1 1/4 OSB on 16 inch joists. The basements in the subdivision are dry but of course are subject to some seasonal humidity and temperature variation. The furnace and HWH are in the basement so they should help the environment some. My wife has suggested we install a large dehumidifier to keep the humidity down in the summer but I suspect we will still get a reasonable swing in humidity year round. We live in Ohio so we get a fairly large seasonal swing in the climate.

Any help would be much appreciated.

My suggestion is to call the Bruce technical helpline and ask them. The 15# asphalt felt isn't a vapor barrier but a vapor retarder. An important distinction. It also performs more functions than acting as a vapor retarder. Another idea would be to cover the asphalt felt with the flooring as you go. Some will lay whole rooms or houses with the felt and not cover it for days. But you can just roll out one row (3') and cover that with flooring before rolling out the next row. Does it give off that much VOC's? I've never had anyone complain before.

Most hardwood species will outpace felt on the stink-o-meter.
Asphalt is every bit as natural as wood.