Plyboo: Bamboo Plywood & Flooring

In 2008 PlybooPure FSC-certified bamboo flooring was selected as a "Top-10 Green Building Product" by BuildingGreen, publisher of Environmental Building News, the architecture and design industry's most respected source of information on sustainable building and design.  The line of products are available from Smith & Fong, who originally started in 1989 as designers and manufacturers of art-craft quality bamboo pieces.  Smith & Fong's bamboo forests require no pesticides, fertilizers or irrigation, and an average of 20 percent of the bamboo forest is harvested in any given year, thereby leaving 80 percent of the forest standing at all times.  Their certified Plyboo products qualify for the FSC Pure designation, as they are 100% FSC material from an FSC-certified forest and have been sold and/or processed by an FSC chain-of-custody certified company.  Additionally, all the wood for the Sideways flooring line is domestically sourced, FSC Pure, and made in the U.S..  The manufacturing processes use 100% formaldehyde-free adhesives to ensure indoor air quality.  The resulting finish and appearance of the engineered hardwood flooring comes from a proprietary thermal treatment process that requires no added stains, dyes or toxic chemicals to achieve its look.  The Smith & Fong website also provides corresponding LEED credits available for the individual products that they offer.  Smith & Fong maintains a direct relationship with their bamboo farmers, ensuring responsible harvesting practices and a level of quality control not found in bamboo on the open market.  Their bamboo stalks are selected by hand, resulting in the harvest of mature bamboo and ensuring that the bamboo canopy is evenly culled (left about 80% intact every year).  100% of the forest can be sustainably harvested over a five- or six-year period, as moso bamboo ("timber bamboo") matures at 5 - 6 years of age.  Bamboo should not be harvested until after it matures and hardens into a reliable product.  The range of products offered could be used in a variety of applications; including cabinetry, furniture, gym floors, commercial and residential flooring, and other creative architectural purposes.

 

(images borrowed from: http://www.plyboo.com/)