In the mean time here are some photos of a bamboo forest I recently visited(one note is that the different color bamboo “pole” indicates the age. The more green it is the newer it is. It is also interesting in the first year it will pretty much grow to the full length (140-160′?) and then it just gets more dense until it begins to decay. Of course part of the trick is to harvest only at the right time to maximize the usage for flooring or other construction related products. Depending on the region that “best time” can change. Also during the rainy season (may-july) most regions do not harvest AT ALL. That can lead to supply issues of the forecasting is not done well enough in the spring time. Any here are some pictures :

Below are some shots from past trips randomly assembled. If I am able to squeeze the journey in then I hope to have some new shots to share:

There are lots of differences in bamboo flooring, but we want to be sure that we try to understand how to build the best flooring possible and in some cases that means you have to take time to go to the origin of the bamboo itself.

Below are photos from a trip to the Anji province in China.

The average consumer and even flooring experts are unable to compare some of the core attributes of a laminate floor without labs, tests and other methods. That is a fact.

The reason I bring this up is that I have been watching a TON of crappy laminate show up on the shores of the US from China. What is crappy – well it wouldn’t base the base E1 formaldehyde and the wear rating wouldn’t pass AC1! Now let me be clear: I have also watched a TON of incredibly well laminate show up from China in the same time period. The issue is that YOU don’t know the good from the bad.

I see alot of 12mm laminate which is thicker than the average of 8mm – BUT DOES NOT AUTOMATICALLY mean that it is tougher. It only means that it is thicker. In fact the crappy stuff I have seen has a terrible wear rating due to the very low amount of Aluminum oxide on the surface and generally low manufacturing techniques. Additionally I suspect based on the low water penetration that the core board is LOADED with formaldehyde which is a known carcinogen. But you won’t find that in their brochure!

Why isn’t this on 60 minutes? After all your Thomas the Tank with lead based paint will be thrown away after a year or two as all toys typically have a short life span, but how long will that formaldehyde floor be played on by your kids and acting as a potential carcinogen in your home? 10 years, 20 years maybe more? The reason is they don’t understand the risk.

So a logical question is: Well Steve, where is the laminate that iFLOOR carries made?

Good question. I am glad you asked.

iFLOOR carries laminate flooring made in the United States, Canada, the EU and China. There are probably a couple other countries in there, but certainly these are the top countries.

Next logical question is: Well Steve, if you are saying China makes bad stuff, why are you carrying it?

Superlative question. You are so smart!

iFLOOR carries only the highest quality manufacturers from any country. And as I have said earlier the country is not purely the issue, the factory care is the issue. We deal with factories that have agreed to meet our high standards AND (and this is a big AND) THEY and WE measure them to insure consistency in quality.

As noted in this article BRAND WARS http://www.ifloor.com/articles/lam/lamwars2.html we have random testing performed on dozens of brands of flooring at a great expense. I should note that we didn’t start doing this in the wake of bad PR regarding China – we have done this type of comparison dating back to 1998!

Furthermore we really have quality conscious partners that demonstrate their commitment to quality regularly. How? Well for starters we go the factory and make sure they are doing what they say they are doing.

That is itself is unique. I know a number of guys who import containers of floors and have NEVER been to the factory. In fact a number of them buy through agents who switch factories whenever they can get a cheaper price(i wonder how the price goes down – do you think they skimp on quality and safety?), this creates chaos from a product quality perspective.

Anyway that is enough of my rant for today. How can you tell the difference in laminate flooring? The best way to tell if you are buying questionable product is the price that seems to good to be true. This is weird coming from me because so many of our prices DEFY retail logic, but there is a difference. We are wholesales that sell at tiny margins to folks directly. Guys who have a 12mm unbranded (or fake branded) laminate listed at $1.39 or $1.79 or whatever and don’t have an infrastructure(we have nearly 40 locations and around 300 staff members) to protect customers are likely the guys who are not tied to long term customer relationships. At the end of the day you can’t tell. You’ll have to find someone you trust and use them as your resource.

Here are some photos of quality check points on a recent China trip performed by our product team:

Bamboo is only as green as the company that makes it, the process that produces it and the underlying methods that harvest it and ultimately bring it to market.

I have seen a ton of “manufacturing facilities” that would shock the average flooring shopping at how crude they are. It should come as no surprise on the heels of dozens of high profile China recalls that there are some folks that do not operate state of the art companies. My message is to be aware. This is not a slam on China – they make alot of great stuff and they make alot of bad stuff. You just have to trust that someone is looking out for you. The tough part of this process is that many people don’t even know what to look for or what questions to ask! (harvesting methods, pre-treatment chemicals, handling & storage, formaldehyde, emissions, etc… etc…)

I realize it may seem counter intuitive to think that bamboo of any kind may not be green, aka sustainable, earth friendly, etc.. – but it is a fact. I have pasted some photos below for fun.

The Bamboo Lumber Yard

The Bamboo Milling Machine

A Bamboo Truck with incoming shipment.

(FYI: This is not a supplier we use, but they do export to the United States & Canada.And yes, for you purists out there I am aware that the photos indicate a very low “power” consumption, but let me assure you that you can not product a quality product without some electricity.)

I predict by the end of the year the China side of the equation will be increasing 6-12% based on reduced export incentives, currency pressure, government taxes on raw materials and VAT issues.

Expect higher prices. The downside is the consumer pays more, but none of it is a value add anywhere. We don’t get it, our suppliers don’t get it – the government gets it. Not value add.