Eco Friendly Hardwood Flooring Guide October 2008 The Eco Friendly Hardwood Flooring Guide provides a thorough overview of health issues as they relate to wood flooring, as well as sustainability in forestry, logging, and the hardwood flooring industry generally. The Guide reviews the importance of supply chain and sources for eco friendly hardwood floors, FSC certification and LEED credits, environmental issues, wood treatments and finishes, wood flooring installation, and what to look for in sustainable wood flooring products.

Not all Bamboo Flooring is the same	Is it really Eco? Don't be Fooled !
About FSC Certification	Sustainable Forestry
Learn more about the state of deforestation at	Learn more about Foresty Stewardship Council

EcoTimber Bamboo flooring is made from bamboo plantations — not from wild habitats. Bamboo is a highly renewable resource, harvestable only five to six years after being planted. Its naturally low moisture absorption properties, along with our careful drying techniques, make EcoTimber Bamboo ideal for a wider range of climates than most bamboo flooring on the market today.

There are currently dozens of bamboo flooring manufacturers, some of which have flooded the market with poorly-made products. EcoTimber's award-winning bamboo products are unsurpassed in quality and durability. Click here to see what sets ours apart. EcoTimber Solid Bamboo is made with a VOC-free, non-formaldehyde adhesive. EcoTimber Woven Bamboo is made with a low-VOC phenolic adhesive.

 

Avoid Problems - Make Sure That Your Bamboo Flooring is Well-Manufactured

Bamboo is a reliable flooring product, but only if it is made well by an experienced manufacturer using quality stalks, adhesives, and milling equipment. The Bamboo flooring market has been flooded in recent years with poorly manufactured material.

What to Look for in high Quality Bamboo Flooring:

Raw Material

Many Bamboo flooring mills purchase immature Bamboo stalks, and do not take the time and care required to dry the raw Bamboo properly. EcoTimber’s mill uses only top-quality mature stalks, and then painstakingly processes the Bamboo with methods proven through years of research and experience. Careful oversight throughout the process ensures optimum performance.

Adhesives

Many mills use poor-quality adhesives, often-made right there at the mill. These glues may not resist water well and may contain high levels of urea-formaldehyde, which off-gases in the home. EcoTimber Solid Bamboo flooring is made with a formaldehyde-free adhesive; and EcoTimber Engineered Bamboo Flooring is made with a low-VOC European adhesive that falls far below the strict European E1 standard for indoor air quality.

Milling/Equipment

Look at the end of a cut sample of Horizontal Grain Bamboo flooring. With most brands, you will see small splits or gaps between the individual strips of Bamboo that have either been filled with adhesive or left as is. Some of the individual strips are not cut into perfect rectangles. With EcoTimber Bamboo flooring, all of the strips are cut perfectly and laminated tightly together, ensuring minimum opportunity for movement and delamination.

Many Bamboo importers source their flooring from a variety of mills. EcoTimber’s Bamboo flooring comes from just one mill that uses new, state-of-the-art European machinery. EcoTimber Bamboo flooring adheres to these precise milling tolerances: width +/- 0.1mm, length +/- 1mm, thickness +/- 0.1mm.

Drying

Most Bamboo flooring mills only kiln-dry their material down to 9-10% moisture content, which makes the flooring unreliable for use in dry climates and areas with significant seasonal humidity fluctuations. EcoTimber Bamboo flooring is dried to 6-8% MC, making it more stable and suitable for a wide range of climates.

Lengths

Bamboo mills sort their raw material, reserving the best pieces for their longer-length planks. Most manufacturers sell ~3 ft. and ~6 ft. lengths, using the straightest, densest material for the 6 ft. planks, which they often refer to as “Premium” grade. EcoTimber utilizes the 6 ft. lengths exclusively.

Finish

EcoTimber Prefinished Bamboo flooring uses a high-tech aluminum oxide enhanced acrylated urethane system with a hardened acrylic anti-scratch topcoat that outperforms most finishes in abrasion and scratch-resistance tests.

 

EcoTimber received grand reviews from Consumer Reports:

 

Solid Bamboo

Solid Traditional Horizontal Amber	Solid Traditional Horizontal Natural
Solid Traditional Vertical Amber	Solid Traditional Vertical Natural

 

Solid Bamboo

Woven Solid Honey	Woven Solid Amber	Coming Soon Woven Solid Toffee
Woven Engineered Honey	Woven Engineered Amber	Woven Engineered Toffee

 

Woven Bamboo - Dyed

Engineered Strand Woven Brushed Suede	COMING SOON Engineered Strand Woven Midnight Dance	COMING SOON Engineered Strand Woven Evening Wear	Engineered Strand Woven Pinstripes
Engineered Strand Woven Black Tie	Engineered Strand Woven Embolden	Engineered Strand Woven Tuxedo

 

 

Product Specification

Dimensions Thickness: 9/16" Width: 4-3/4" Length: 72-7/8"	Hardness Woven: 2800 per Janka scale 233% as hard as Red Oak Solid Natural: 1350-1600 per Janka scale 105-124% as hard as Red Oak Solid Amber: 1100-1300 per Janka scale 85-101% as hard as Red Oak	Construction Solid: 100% Bamboo Multi-ply vertical construction Micro-beveled edges Woven: 3-layer engineered strandwoven bamboo flooring Cold-pressed into plank form with a hardening resin Kiln-dried Tongue & groove all four sides Micro-beveled edges Woven Dyed: 3-layer engineered strandwoven bamboo flooring Cold-pressed into plank form with a hardening resin Kiln-dried Tongue & groove all four sides Micro-beveled edges	Finish Solid: Satin sheen aluminum oxide enhanced UV-cured acrylic urethane with scratch-resistant hardened acrylic top-coat: Woven: Matte sheen aluminum-oxide enhanced UV-cured acrylic urethane with scratch-resistant hardened top-coat Woven Dyed: Matte sheen, aluminum-oxide enhanced, UV-cured acrylic urethane with scratch-resistant hardened top-coat
Installation Nail-down Glue-down Float [Engineered wood floring only] (Recommended underlayment: EcoTimber Floating Floor Pad) Warranted over hydronic radiant heat systems - please read installation instructions thoroughly	Environmental Attributes A highly renewable resource, Moso Bamboo matures in just 5-6 years after being planted EcoTimber Bamboo is plantation-grown (not harvested from wild forests) and requires no pesticides, herbicides or chemical fertilizers Made without added urea-formaldehyde Easily meets the E1 and 2012 CARB standards for indoor air quality	L.E.E.D® Qualifications MR 6 - Rapidly Renewable Materials IEQ 4.4 - Low Emitting Materials - Composite Wood and Laminate Adhesives (ALL EcoTimber flooring products!)	Warranties Lifetime residential / 25-year commercial warranty against construction defects 27-year residential / 5-year commercial warranty against finish wear-through

 

 

 

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