Posts Tagged ‘Flooring’
Wood Flooring. Reclaimed Vs. Old Growth Wood. Northern Va, Antique/Reclaimed Wood Floor Specialists. Madera Floors
October 12th, 2009 | 
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In the wood flooring industry, the term ‘old growth’ continues to be the subject of interpretation and controversy. At Madera Floors we make it our business to know more about wood than any other company, and to educate our customers so that they can make more informed purchasing decisions. We frequently address questions about ‘old growth’ trees, especially in relation to reclaimed timber. In fact, we have talked with many consumers who thought the terms meant the same thing and were misled into thinking their old growth flooring was the same as our antique reclaimed flooring. Here we define some of the terms and address questions surrounding the mystery of ‘old growth’.
Old Growth refers to established forests that, up until the time trees are cut, have had little or no disruption. Advocates of cutting old growth timbers suggest that pruning selected trees is good for the forest. We disagree. Old growth forests maintain themselves through a natural process that does not include cutting into the delicate fabric woven by nature.
How Old is “Old” Growth? The actual age that determines “old” growth varies depending on the specie, but it refers to the age at which a tree has reached its maturity. For an eastern white pine, it is between 130-150 years, while many of the hardwoods reach maturity at 80 years. But, what is most important is that at maturity and thereafter the old growth tree is still contributing to the ecosystem in which it lives.
Virgin Growth refers to dense stands of various species of hardwood or pine trees that are indigenous to their habitat; they have never been harvested. Many virgin forests are protected, but tragically there are also many that are still being cut today for purposes that include mass-produced wood flooring. Essentially, virgin timber is old growth that has never been cut, while old growth may or may not be virgin timber.
Reclaimed Wood is also referred to as Antique wood, and for us the terms are interchangeable when describing the wood we use to make our floors. We agree that old growth flooring is beautiful; however, we prefer to reuse this majestic timber that was originally cut to build structures that have shaped our history in the United States and in interesting places all over the world.
“Deconstruction” is the core of the reclaimed wood industry. The emphasis is on utilizing materials that have outlived their usefulness and would otherwise be demolished, discarded or left to decay. Deconstruction helps to close the resource loop that we now realize is so valuable in this world of finite resources.In recycling this precious material there is a significant positive environmental impact.
Deconstruction differs from ‘demolition’ in that it is a painstaking process involving the selective dismantlement of building components. We work with experts who carefully manage dismantling projects to preserve the grand dimensions of the beams, posts and floor joists; this will be reflected in your floor as we work to maintain the superior widths and lengths of these ancient timbers.
Demolition, on the other hand, is unfortunately the more common method of taking down a building. Implosion or ‘wrecking-ball’ style demolition is relatively inexpensive and offers a quick method of clearing sites for new structures. Consequently this process results in significant waste and unusable material.
For more information please visit our website at
www.maderafloors.com or our blog www.maderafloors.blogspot.com
Thanks
Posted in Flooring | 
Tags: Antique/Reclaimed, Floor, Flooring, Growth, Northern, Reclaimed, Specialists., Wood | 
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Bamboo Beds, Flooring, Cabinets – What is Making Bamboo so Popular These Days?
Bamboo has become an increasingly popular material being used in products ranging from cabinets to flooring to furniture. But why is this building material so popular now as opposed to years ago when it was available? To answer that question accurately we’ll need to look at a growing trend in furniture and home products referred to as eco-friendly products or the green culture.
Eco-friendly products have been around for some time. Most of society just wasn’t taking notice. Now there are those who did and we should thank them for helping to turn us on to these earth friendly products. In the last 10 years a positive growing trend has developed to take an interest in our environment and making decisions with how we live that will offer a positive impact to the Earth around us. Bamboo lends itself very nicely into being mentioned as a very green resource. Bamboo is actually considered a plant and one of the best characteristics it has is that it grows very rapidly. Found predominantly throughout much of Asia, there exists many species of the bamboo plant. Bamboo grows to about 70 feet tall and can be harvested in 5-7 years. The base of the bamboo plant produces shoots which are used as food seasonally.
Bamboo that is harvested is so hard that efforts are being made throughout Asia to try to substitute it for conventional lumber. If we figure that a hardwood tree takes roughly 25-50 years of growth before it can be harvested bamboo seems to be the best green alternative for products that can be substituted out with this renewable timber. That may be the reason that you see bamboo being used in many flooring applications and cabinet products. Viewers of shows on channels like HGTV will notice the growing trends of consumers purchasing and installing bamboo throughout their homes.
Furniture is another product being made from bamboo. From bamboo beds to nightstands, dressers, tables, chairs and more bamboo can be found in many types of furniture. You’ll find that these items are also not always in the style or Oriental or Asian designs. American manufacturers of furniture are increasingly using bamboo and you’ll find traditional and even southwestern products using bamboo in their products. From a furniture stand point bamboo offers the same strength that domestic hard rock maple offers in the way of tensile strength. The exotic look of bamboo also lends itself well to creating a unique look not only in bedroom furniture but throughout the home making your home décor enhancing the look of your home.
In this article we’ve explored the green culture of eco-friendly bamboo. We’ve examined its positive benefits for the environment such as its ability to be harvested within 5-7 years and quickly grow back again making it an excellent renewable resource. It can be substituted for other materials as it is quite hard, even harder than maple wood which will help to preserve those resources. It has a wide range of uses from being made into bamboo beds, bamboo flooring and even bamboo cabinetry. With its rich exotic features bamboo provides a unique look for any home décor that will help make it more environmentally friendly and aesthetically pleasing to all those who pass by and see it in your home.
Phil Pendleton is a furniture professional with over 15 years experience. He has worked in furniture sales, distribution and production. Phil continues to work with other furniture professionals to help promote new trends in bamboo, furniture and platform beds
http://www.platformbeds.com
Bamboo Flooring – Is It The Right Choice For You
All About Bamboo Flooring
Bamboo is a quickly growing type of grass found all over the world that features durable, hollow cored stems. These stems are used to make a wide variety of items, including furniture, fishing rods, and flooring.
Bamboo flooring is an extremely durable, beautiful alternative to traditional hardwood floors. Made from giant bamboo that must be harvested e still young, bamboo flooring comes in different grades and prices that depend on environmental factors. Choosing the highest grade of bamboo flooring that you can afford will ensure that your flooring is durable,
beautiful and wears evenly.
Bamboo is treated to prevent pest infestation during the manufacturing process, so it doesn’t attract pesky critters such as ants or termites. Bamboo flooring is crafted to resist warping and even fire, making it a great choice for anyone who desires hardy flooring that will last a long time.
Bamboo floor planks are similar in appearance to traditional hardwood floor planks and are installed in basically the same way. Whether or not your bamboo flooring features the nodes is a matter of personal aesthetic preference.
The color of bamboo flooring depends on the type of finish applied and can range from pale tan to dark toffee. You can even find bamboo flooring in exotic rainbow colors from some manufacturers.
Care and cleaning of bamboo floors is done the exact same way as that of hardwood floors. Simply sweep your floor regularly and use any store-bought cleaner made for hardwood floors to keep your bamboo flooring clean and beautiful. You can even wax bamboo floors to create a high-shine finish.
When shopping for bamboo floors it’s a good idea to compare different types of flooring made by different manufacturers to make sure you get the best quality for the best price. It might be tempting to save a few dollars by purchasing low grade flooring, but in the long run, it will only cost you more money because you will most likely have to repair or replace it a lot
sooner than high grade bamboo flooring.
Bamboo Flooring – A Sensible, Environmentally Friendly Alternative To Hardwood
There are many different flooring materials available today including one of the most beautiful and environmentally friendly, a bamboo floor. No, this isn’t taking round bamboo stalks and lashing them together to make a floor for your home. Bamboo flooring in one of the most durable and unique flooring materials you can get for your home today.
Many hardwood floors feature a nice grain and wood look that is very pretty especially in the various colors and patterns. Bamboo flooring however features a much more subtle graining pattern and because of the way it’s manufactured, features more of a pronounced ring like pattern. So you have a grain that suggests a direction and every so often a uniquely bamboo ring pattern. Bamboo can also be stained and finished just like regular hardwood flooring.
Bamboo is actually a grass like plant that grows quickly and is usually considered an aggressive plant. That is, it tends to grow rapidly, overwhelming many of the other plant life in it’s immediate area. This makes for a very sustainable resources as a full bamboo crop can be harvested in less than 7 years. This is a much better alternative to hardwood trees that can take upwards of over 20 plus years to mature.
Bamboo, traditionally thought of as an Asian but specifically Chinese plant has found a new home in products for the west. As bamboo has gained in popularity, many more people are protecting bamboo forest areas and are much more concerned about conservation. The growth of bamboo use for furniture, blinds, many home decor products, and bamboo flooring has created a robust economic incentive to grow natural products instead of clear cutting to make way for farming.
Bamboo flooring is comparable to hardwood floors in durability, looks, and installation. It has broad appeal and beauty that will not easily go out of style. Due to the interest in bamboo flooring, you can now find it in commercial buildings, hotels, restaurants, offices and many high traffic areas.
Another great benefit of bamboo flooring is price. Due to the rapid growth rate, the cost of fully stained and sealed bamboo floor material can be found for less than half the cost of planked hardwood. Bamboo floor can be installed using any of the usual hardwood flooring installation methods. These include a floating floor where the floor is simply glued together to form a single piece, straight gluing to the old floor material and a basic nailing method.
If you’re looking for a uniquely beautiful flooring material that will provide years of ambiance and warmth to your home, look no farther than a high quality bamboo floor.
Posted in Furniture |
Tags: Alternative, Bamboo, Environmentally, Flooring, Friendly, Hardwood, Sensible |
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Bamboo Flooring: A Hardwood Alternative
If you are contemplating flooring for your new home or looking to increase the salability of your existing home, you may well have looked into hardwood floors. Few things can add pizzazz to a house like a fresh new hardwood floor after all. But if you are interested in hardwood and want something a little more unique, why not take a look at bamboo flooring?
Bamboo has been utilized by many cultures over millennia for a variety of purposes from food and wine to paper to textiles and building materials. In the past few years we have seen an increase in bamboo furniture, clothing, and kitchen items. Many new products take advantage of either the antibacterial properties of bamboo or its hard lightweight nature.
Because of the fast growing nature of bamboo, it is classed as a renewable resource. Bamboo grows to its full height in only one year, though it is not harvested until it is between two to seven years old because the characteristic hardness that we associate with bamboo comes from the mature stalks or culms.
There are a few different ways that the flooring is constructed; strand woven, engineered, and solid bamboo flooring. Strand woven flooring is made with the fibres of the bamboo which have been stripped from the stalks. The strands of fibre are boiled and woven together with adhesive and then pressed into sheets which are then cut into boards. The result of this process is a very durable product which has a very distinct pattern. The great durability of this product makes it a good choice for high traffic areas.
Engineered and solid bamboo floors are a lot like the hardwood versions of these styles. Engineered bamboo floors are comprised of sandwiched layers of bamboo, sometimes with a wood core; while solid bamboo flooring is made of pieces of steam flattened bamboo set side by side and glued into planks. All of the styles of bamboo flooring can come in natural tones, carbonized (darkened), or stained colours. There are a lot of options when looking at bamboo alternatives to hardwood.
It is important to note that when you are looking at any new products, particularly ones that claim to be green alternatives, to do your homework. While bamboo itself is a green product, many of the glues used by some of the producers of bamboo flooring are not and may contain formaldehyde. Keep in mind, the best additions to your new home are ones that have a minimal amount of impact on you in the way of volatile organic compounds being given off by your surroundings. Take a look at what brands of bamboo flooring are available to you; look for fair trade and FSC approved products and strive to keep your living space healthy.
