Our entire manufacturing process for bamboo, mulberry, and palm wood is completed in the most ecologically and socially responsible manner possible. Our farmers and factory workers are treated with dignity and respect, paid a fair wage, and experience good working conditions. Ours is a truly “green” process involving every detail of the operation – from field to flooring.
Bamboo (Strand Woven & Traditional)
Moso bamboo, the species we use at Green Choice Flooring, has a complex root structure that, after being cut, almost immediately sends up another shoot in the same area. By replenishing itself so fast, it is one of the most useful and renewable products on earth.
Some details about our manufacturing process:
- Our bamboo logs are harvested once they have reached an age of between five and seven years, and sliced into strips and run through a milling machine which forms it into a workable strip.
- They are then boiled in a solution consisting of Borate and Hydrogen Peroxide to remove any pests and mildew.
- Some of these strips are then pressure heated to produce the caramel color in our carbonized flooring products.
- All of the strips are then dried in a computer-regulated kiln in order to achieve a moisture content of 8%.
- The dried strips are then laminated together using an environmentally friendly adhesive.
- At this stage, they are still rough looking. We then mill the wood again to produce the tongue and groove edges. After the strip is cut to size, it is sanded smooth to precise measurements (within .01 of an inch).
- The planks now enter the finishing line where they receive 9 coats of highly durable finishes and then dried under UV lamps.
- When dry, they are sorted by color and grade and undergo further quality control inspection stations.
Once approved as a premium grade-A flooring product, they are sealed first and then boxed as a secure packaged for their journey to the United States.
StrandWoven Palm Wood
Millions of the world’s coconut trees are grown on plantations in Indonesia and other South Asian countries. The average coconut tree produces coconuts for 60-70 years when the trees then become barren. For decades, these unproductive trees were then burned as waste. Until now…
High quality palm wood flooring can be produced from the coconut tree. The tree’s culm (the hardest portion) is shredded into long strips and compressed into large recomposed logs of palm wood. The logs are then dried for a period of three weeks. When ready, they are cut to length and milled into raw flooring boards which receive a tongue and groove. This process is especially greener than most because we are able to use a larger percentage of the available raw material.
Palm wood is becoming a popular choice for flooring as people are realizing all of its virtues. Adopt a “coconut tree” today!
StrandWoven Mulberry
Mulberry bushes are used worldwide for the production of silk. The leaves from these bushes are harvested and fed to silk worms. Once the leaves have been harvested the branches are trimmed and normally discarded.
Green Choice Flooring reclaims these unwanted branches and cleans them thoroughly. The branches are then dried in a computer regulated kiln and readied for the strand woven process. The branches are compressed into a very dense log. This log is then dried to a particular moisture level and the milling begins.
What is more environmentally responsible than taking reclaimed raw materials and turning them into beautiful and long-lasting floors?