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For wall and ceiling linings, you can use plasterboard which is made from a layer of gypsum dried and hardened on paper. This does not cause sensitivity. You can also use hardboard in some uses. For solid floors, you can use concrete, wood or stone.
In general, it is better to avoid built-in furniture, or surfaces with veneers if you can, since these will usually be constructed with particle boards. If you instal fitted furniture, do so on solid wood frames, and use glass or solid wood doors and sides. If you need to replace a fitted kitchen and cannot afford to use solid wood throughout, one way to cope is to leave the old gassed-out chipboard frame in place, and to replace doors with glass and solid wood doors. Alternatively, you could use boards such as fibre building boards, plywood or block-board. These are much less troublesome than particle boards and cheaper than, and sometimes technically preferable to, solid wood.
Fibre building boards (such as hardboard, medium board or soft-board) are made with a natural bonding process, using the lignin present in wood fibres as an adhesive. They contain no formaldehyde resins and generally very few chemical additives (except for some which contain bitumen as a water repellent – avoid using these). They can only be produced in relatively thin widths – up to 4 mm (1/8 inch) – and thus have limited applications, such as linings for walls or ceilings, or thin work on furniture. Medium-density fibreboard (MDF) is a particle board, not a fibre building board and has a high resin content.
Plywood is made from thin sheets of wood, usually softwood, bonded together with resins under heat and pressure. The grain of each sheet is set at right angles, so that it provides a very strong and stable material at low thicknesses. The resins used are formaldehyde resins, at very much lower concentrations than those used in particle board. Plywood uses a different process of manufacture and if the manufacture has been correct, it does not release free formaldehyde as particle boards do and thus can be used without problems. A well-aired plywood sheet, used in moderate quantities, should not give problems. Plywood is available in thicknesses similar to chipboard and has similar applications.
Blockboard is made by glueing a veneer with resin to a core of solid wood blocks, usually of softwood. Like plywood, formaldehyde resins are used but, if manufacture is correct, do not release free formaldehyde at all. Blockboard can be used for kitchen cupboards and built-in furniture.
If you are sensitive to pine wood, you can obtain plywood or blockboard made of hardwood from DIY shops. If you want to specify a particular wood, you can order woods of your choice through the trade.
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