Bamboo Flooring

So I was doing some more research yesterday and I came across two things that really perked my ears up. The first of these was bamboo flooring and the second was manufactured homes, specifically PalmHarbor. Now I always figured something like bamboo would cost an arm and two legs to install into my house, but I was completely wrong. Bamboo, because it is such a quickly renewable natural resource is much cheaper than typical hardwood flooring. I will attach some information to the bottom of this post about bamboo flooring. Then comes the manufactured home. Now I'm not into living in a home on wheels again, but come to find out there is a difference between a mobile home and a manufactured home. PalmHarbor homes are beautiful, you should definitely check them out. Palm Harbor also won several awards for being an environmentally friendly company, using environmentally friendly materials, and creating quality homes. Their homes are built in a factory and then placed on a homesite of your choice and then they attach the home to your foundation. I also found out that during Hurricane Charley a few years back the only homes that survived the blast of the eye of the storm were Palm Harbor homes. How amazing is that?! Plus the homes are usually cheaper than standard built homes. I'm thinking win win situation there. Now here is that information about Bamboo flooring I said I would give you.

Environment

Efficient Resource Use Bamboo Mountain products are manufactured exclusively with Moso bamboo (phyllostachys pubescens). This amazingly efficient and rapidly renewable resource is grown near Shanghai, in independently owned bamboo plantations in the Zhejiang Province of China. We gladly pay a fair trade price for the bamboo stalks, which are harvested between 5-6 years old for optimal beauty and strength. In comparison to oak hardwood flooring, there can be as many as 10 harvest cycles of Moso bamboo. In the time it takes for nature to make one red oak hardwood floor, nature has already made 10 beautiful bamboo floors. The plantation owners realize the value of this amazing resource, and actively practice responsible harvesting methods. Because with proper stewardship, their land will continue to produce one of the most efficient resources our world has ever seen for many generations to come. Manufacturing The stalks are transported a short distance to the factory, which is ISO 9001:2000 and 14001 Certified. The bamboo stalks go through several steps to make a solid bamboo flooring plank. View a picture diagram of the manufacturing process here. Bamboo Mountain specifies the lowest VOC finishes and adhesives available, ensuring a non toxic and healthy floor. The adhesive used to bind the bamboo slats together is supplied by Dynea, an international chemical company based in Helsinki, Finland. The flooring emits an average of 0.02 parts per million (ppm) formaldehyde at time of manufacture. As many plants, bamboo naturally contains a small amount of formaldehyde. The formaldehyde emissions decrease greatly with the first few months, and when the floor is delivered for installation several months after manufacture these emissions are near zero. The proprietary finishes we specify are supplied by well known Klumpp Coatings of Germany, and are environmentally friendly, durable, and free of heavy metal, formaldehyde, and insecticides/pesticides. L.E.E.D & FSC Certification Bamboo Mountain bamboo flooring contributes to certification by the United States Green Building Council’s L.E.E.D. rating system in two ways: MR Credit 6: Rapidly Renewable Materials and IEQ Credit 4: Low Emitting Materials. Bamboo Mountain flooring products are not Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified, because the FSC has yet to create guidelines for bamboo forests. A Lifetime Product We produce solid bamboo flooring, which is preferable to laminate or engineered flooring since it can be professionally refinished several times – if properly maintained, our flooring can last a lifetime! Using solid, long-lasting flooring helps to reduce waste in our ever-increasing landfills. As an environmentally responsible alternative to carpet, laminates, and engineered floors, solid bamboo floors also help protect against deforestation. Transportation & Distribution We are active in lowering the environmental costs of transporting our products. By placing our single warehouse in a strategic location in close proximity to the Oakland, CA port, we help eliminate unnecessary gas consumption and the resulting pollution created from excess land freight. And by employing a simplified distribution system, our products can be delivered quicker to the end user. Recycling From office to warehouse, we relentlessly recycle everything we can. We strongly encourage our customers to recycle the cardboard boxes that their flooring comes in; please visit www.earth911.org to find your local recycling centers and environment initiatives.