Since bamboo flooring has only become popular outside of Asia in recent years, there are not as many manufacturers working with bamboo as with other woods. Therefore, choice of brand is still somewhat limited in some regions of the world.
Fortunately the Internet brings the world closer to home. Now, at least a few bamboo flooring manufacturers can be found in most regions of the world with cold weather climates that support bamboo harvesting. In additional, several long-standing manufacturers are expanding their sales and distribution operations to Europe and the United States in an effort to bring this beautiful alternative flooring into more homes. For homeowners who prefer shopping at a retail outlet – not in Asia-- they may find only one or two brands of bamboo offered at their favorite home improvement store. Sales people are also slowly catching up on the latest, environmentally friendly and cost saving choice of bamboo. There is one major U.S. supplier of bamboo floors, Smith & Fong Company based in San Francisco, who may help expedite the emergence of bamboo into more U.S. markets. Most of the non-Asian supplied brands use bamboo from the governmentally controlled farms of Hunan, a province in Southern China. Another popular U.S. supplier is Bamboo Hardwoods which also offers long strip floating floor products with bamboo veneers a rubber wood core. Across the globe consumers will find more choices in brands willing to ship this unique flooring anywhere or with distributors around the world. The choice of brand or manufacturer is then wide open depending on exactly what the home owner is looking for in a bamboo floor. Shanghai C&E Flooring Material Co., ltd is one of the world’s largest exporters of bamboo floors. Through its German and Italian production facilities, they produce approximately 600,000 square meters of flooring per year, including customized parquet styles. In choosing which style and brand is right for them the consumer may want to consider which manufacturers offer the most choices in colors and styles. Long strip styles most resemble other hard woods and can come in carbonized or steamed finishes that give different hues to the wood’s natural color. Since color variations in bamboo are more limited the larger manufacturers will offer different treatments including hand-strewn styles for a more rustic appearance. The larger manufacturers will also offer choices in board length and width for even more decorative variations. One manufacturer offering some of the largest choices in finishes and styles is Premium Green. There products may be a little more costly, but are high quality and come in a few width options ranging from 3-6 inches (7.5-15 cm). Here consumers will find floors that have a consistent, smooth grain. A no-glue bamboo for easier installation can be found at Springwood Bamboo. Floor boards simply click together. Westhollow Bamboo has styles with more visible grains and in a variety of color shades. Some additional brands sold directly or through local distributors include: Bamtex, D & M Bamboo Floors Co., Dasso Bamboo Floors, Duro-Design, EcoFloor II, TimberGrass LLC, and Zen Bamboo Floors.
Bamboo Flooring, Introduction, Brands, Cost, Suppliers, Maintenance, Refinishing © 2005 MyBambooFlooring.com. All rights reserved. |