Earth Day Product Warning - Bamboo Flooring Production Create Adverse Environmental Impacts

SUMMARY: Contrary to popular belief, most Bamboo flooring is not eco-friendly. A majority of bamboo flooring products originates from clear-cut forests that are harvested prematurely and are manufactured using toxic chemicals like formaldehyde. In addition, Asian countries like China which produce the majority of bamboo are unregulated and don’t adhere to high environmental standards. It is for these reasons why the makers of Staybull Flooring® are issuing a warning to people looking for flooring options for their home or business. Staybull Flooring® uses eco-friendly recycled materials, adhesives and finishes to produce hardwood floors that can truly be called eco-flooring.

Buffalo, NY, April 22, 2010 - This Earth Day, the makers of Staybull Flooring® are warning homeowners that most Bamboo flooring products are not as eco-friendly as the label suggests. While bamboo is a fast-growing grass that can be cultivated and harvested quickly, the manufacturing process that creates a vast majority of bamboo floors is far from sustainable. Many suppliers purchase Bamboo from mills in China. In the flooring industry it is well known that many of these mills are unregulated and unmanageable by US industry standards. The fact that it takes 5 years for bamboo to harden and fully mature is another factor that is overlooked as many forests are cut as prematurely as 3-6 months resulting in weaker and inferior flooring. When you add in the toxic fertilizers used to treat the soil and chemicals used to glue and manufacture the planks, calling many brands of bamboo eco-flooring is a mistake that should not be ignored.

According to Staybull Flooring® Manager Chris Foreman, "Many people call us to ask if we offer bamboo hardwood flooring. Because there is so much misinformation out there, we end up telling people to consider other alternatives if they are looking for green and eco-friendly flooring. We have a list that we provide people which has been backed up by independent observers and reports."

Here are the 7 reasons why the majority of bamboo floor options are not eco-friendly:

• Centuries old forests in China and other Asian countries are slash and burned to produce Bamboo
• These clear cutting practices are known to increase erosion and threaten native animal species
• Although fertilizers are unnecessary, to speed up production, they are frequently used
• Most Bamboo flooring contain adhesives which include toxic chemicals
• Chemicals such as formaldehyde are used in binding glues
• Many manufacturers are not FSC Certified or even ISO 9001 and 14001 registered
• Due to high demand, most bamboo is harvested prematurely and produces weaker and fragile planks

Chris Foreman adds, "Just because bamboo is a grass that grows like a weed the manufacturing process and products cannot be ignored and shouldn’t qualify the finished product as environmentally friendly. When you take into account that some of these countries do not pay fair wages to their workers, use equipment that pollute the air, and use toxic chemicals, you realize it’s unwise and deceptive marketing to generalize bamboo as eco-friendly flooring." Homeowners need to know that there are hardwood flooring lines out there that are 100% eco-friendly and don’t needlessly produce waste or adverse environmental impacts.

About Staybull Flooring®

Staybull Flooring® is an eco friendly hardwood flooring alternative to bamboo, engineered and other hardwood flooring. The Staybull Flooring® lines of eco flooring are produced through an innovative reclamation and manufacturing process which fuses strips of wood together to create a strong and dimensionally stable product that won't cup like traditional wood flooring. Craftsmen and woodworkers have known for hundreds of years that the most stable table top or other furniture part is one which is glued from numerous narrow boards to eliminate the natural stresses found in lumber. Staybull Flooring® has taken this simple concept to the next dimension to elevate hardwood flooring into a remarkable piece of art. Staybull is recycled wood plank flooring that utilizes up to 98% of the original raw material compared to 50% – 60% that standard hardwood flooring uses. The manufacturing of this flooring is done with US industry standards utilizing non toxic glues that emit no VOCs and with only the best quality hardwoods from sustainable and traceable sources.

Call 1-877-500-4492 to learn more about genuine recycled flooring.