FLOORING

• LINOLEUM
• HYBRIDIZED CEMENT
• CORK
• BAMBOO
• WOOD
• RUBBER
• TILE
• CARPETS

COUNTERTOPS

• PAPERSTONE
• ICE STONE
• LINOLEUM
• BAMBOO
• BUTCHER BLOCK
• EDEN COLLECTION
• RICHLITE

ACCESSORIES

• WINDOW FASHIONS
• CABINETS AND FURNITURE
• ORGANIC BEDDING
• TOILETS AND TAPS

BAMBOO

Environmentally, it’s hard to beat a wood-substitute (bamboo is actually a type of grass, not a tree) that matures in nine years, regenerates without need for replanting, and requires minimal, if any, fertilization or use of pesticides. Bamboo purifies both the atmosphere and the soil. Bamboo is critical to the essential balance of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

As a building material, bamboo is incredibly resilient and environmentally friendly. In fact, bamboo flooring is stronger and harder than any other type of wood flooring. Bamboo is often used as rebar for reinforced concrete beams, because it has a tensile strength of 28,000 lbs per square inch compared to 23,000 for steel.

China is the major producer of bamboo products, and its history of bamboo utilization covers thousands of years. Bamboo flooring was introduced in the U.S. as a new product in 1990. Initially, there were relatively few manufacturers and production was of questionable quality. After it became apparent that bamboo flooring would be a viable product in the world market, better-qualified entrepreneurs entered the industry. Our manufacturers are among the most successful of these new investors.

Bamboo is also an important factor in controlling erosion. This added environmental benefit is due to the extensive root system that keeps the surrounding soil in place. During the manufacturing process, almost 100% of the bamboo is utilized. The material that is too small or weak for flooring production is used for many diverse products such as furniture, paper, chopsticks and toothpicks.

Bamboo flooring is typically available in two colors, natural and carbonized. The natural color is golden or blonde whereas the carbonized color has darker, coffee-colored tones. Other colors in bamboo flooring may be obtained by staining the unfinished product. Bamboo flooring has three basic constructions--- horizontal, vertical and woven.

Horizontal boards are manufactured by laminating three layers of bamboo strips together. This presents an appearance that has been compared to flattened bamboo stalks, with the unique nodal pattern characteristic of bamboo. Turning the bamboo strips 90 degrees and positioning the strips next to each other produces the vertical construction. The strips are then pressed into a single layer. In effect, one walks on the edge of the strip. The horizontal construction, when properly assembled, is both harder and more dimensionally stable than the vertical construction. Woven bamboo ranks among the hardest species of hardwood flooring.

The manufacturing process using bamboo fibers fused together with an environmentally safe adhesive put under extreme pressure is 100% harder than Red Oak. It is ideal for commercial, as well as high traffic residential, installations.

We offer bamboo from Teragren, EcoTimber bamboo fusion and Greenwood Products, and Bamboo Hardwoods in our showroom.