Click to Supertimber Photo Album
Both strand woven bamboo flooring and coconut flooring are types of sustainable flooring that are made from renewable resources. Both types of flooring are similar in many ways to hardwood flooring and are therefore an environmentally friendly alternative to hardwood flooring.
Hardwoods take between 50 to 120 years to mature. Deforestation causing loss of biodiversity and less carbon recycling of carbon to oxygen is a very serious threat to the health of the planet. In contrast both bamboo and coconut palms only take between 5 and 7 years to reach maturity.
Bamboo is the fastest growing species on the planet. It is also easy to cultivate – it propagates through a root system, it has a natural ability to fight pathogens and so doesn’t need pesticides and furthermore bamboo cleans the soil. Bamboo produces more oxygen than trees and provides food and medicine for people. It is a truly amazing plant. Also bamboo is very hard despite not being a wood. When bamboo is cut up and boiled to remove sugars and then compressed under heat with an adhesive a strong, hard timber is produced called strand woven bamboo. This timber is then cut into strand woven bamboo flooring planks with a Janka Hardness of about 2,500 pounds force.
Coconut palms are similar to bamboo in that they are not trees but also produce hard timber suitable for making flooring. After a coconut palm tree matures and starts to produce coconuts it is important for a local community not only for the cash crop of coconuts and coconut oil, but also as a source of food and medicine for rural and island communities. A coconut palm produces coconuts for 60 or 70 years. After this time the palm becomes barren and is known as a senile coconut palm. There are millions of senile palms in the world. It is a great untapped resource. The timber from senile palms is hard and strong and ideal for making flooring. Coconut flooring has a Janka Hardness of 1,600 pounds force. This makes coconut flooring harder than oak or ash.
Both coconut and strand woven bamboo flooring come in lighter and darker ‘carbonized’ shades. They both have a grain and a beautiful natural look. They are great alternatives to hardwood flooring that can withstand lots of traffic and heavy furniture, and with proper maintenance will last for several generations.
Coconut flooring and strand woven bamboo flooring are suitable for people with allergies to dust mites as they are easy to clean and keep dust mite free. Strand woven bamboo flooring is even healthier because it is anti-microbial and anti-fungal.
Finally, the price of both coconut flooring and strand woven bamboo flooring is reasonable when compared to the price of hardwood flooring. Attention should be paid to the environmental credentials of bamboo flooring coming from China. And because coconut flooring is a relatively new idea in the West you may have to do some research to find a reputable supplier.
For more information on our Service, contact us today!Click to Supertimber Photo Album
