What: EcoTimber of San Rafael, Calif., has introduced a new woven flooring product that is significantly harder than most tropical hardwoods, making it ideal for high-traffic settings. Made of bamboo strands pressed together with a durable resin, it can be sanded and refinished just like hardwood.
Advantages: It comes from sustainably harvested, renewable bamboo grown on plantations without pesticides, herbicides or chemical fertilizers. EcoTimber’s bamboo reaches maturity in five to seven years — speedy, compared to woods of comparable hardness, which can take 50 to 150 years to mature. Unlike many other wood-resin products, it does not contain urea formaldehyde, a common indoor air pollutant, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
Limitations: Though it can be nailed or glued down, it cannot be floated, a popular do-it-yourself installation method, which involves gluing the planks to one another, and not to the subfloor. It is meant for indoor use only.
Cost: $5.99 per square foot. Installation is not included.
Where: Lane Hardwood Floors — 14700 Aurora Ave. N., Shoreline; www.lanehardwoodfloors.com; 206-622-9669 — is the one of the closest of many retailers in the Seattle area that offer EcoTimber’s woven bamboo.
Learn more: See www.ecotimber.com for a full list of retailers. See www.epa.gov/iaq/formalde.html for information on indoor air pollution.
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