Tag Archives: Flooring

Tips for creating a healthy nursery with bamboo flooring

Before you bring your little one home for the first time, it’s important to think about constructing a nursery. This space should not only be welcoming and functional for your newborn, it should be a healthy room as well. This way, you can sleep safe and sound knowing that your child is getting the very best. Be sure to consider these helpful tips when designing the nursery:

Open the windows
In order to help minimize the buildup of dust and other irritants in your baby’s nursery, try opening the windows occasionally to let in some fresh air. Choose the same time each day to crack open the windows and ventilate the area when you’re making breakfast in the morning, or while you’re in the shower. That little bit of fresh air can make a big difference.

Use low-VOC paints
Most traditional paints contain volatile organic compounds. VOCs contain a number of chemicals that have the potential to cause both long and short-term adverse health effects. These chemicals can also be found in cleaning supplies, building materials, furnishings, adhesives and more. A simple solution would be to choose a paint that is virtually free of VOCs. Mythic Paint, for example, will help your little one breathe easy – plus the brand has fun colors made just for kid’s rooms, such as “Pat-a-Cake” and “Dumbo’s Ears.

Install bamboo flooring
Because VOCs are often emitted through building materials like hardwood floors, you should think about replacing the current flooring with bamboo. San Francisco-based company Smith & Fong has various tones and textures of bamboo flooring that are free of formaldehyde – a chemical classified as a VOC. Bamboo is also rapidly renewable, making it an eco-friendly choice not only for your baby’s nursery, but for the rest of your home as well. The material gives off a warm and welcoming feel that would make the perfect modern addition to any living room, kitchen, bedroom or bath. You can also use bamboo lumber to create your baby’s crib or even build shelving – the material is even more durable than traditional wood and will hold up for years to come.

Use nontoxic cleaners
When it comes time to clean your little one’s nursery, steer clear of toxic household cleaners. Instead, look for green products you can use in your home, or choose to make you own natural products using household ingredients like vinegar and baking soda.

4 ways to go green in your yoga studio

Going green and practicing yoga go hand-in-hand. After all, yoga has a special connection to the natural world, always making references to the earth using terminology like “ground” and “root.” Many owners are going green in their studio because they want to offer their customers the cleanest breathing space possible. Going green can also be a selling point for many classes. It’s likely that many people who practice yoga would like to workout in a clean space that is conscious of the Earth. Therefore, yoga studios everywhere should put a focus on creating a space that is not only functional and beautiful, but eco-friendly as well.

Install PlybooFit Flooring
You won’t find a better fit for your yoga studio when it comes to flooring than bamboo. San Francisco-based company Smith & Fong offers this bamboo flooring underlayment system known as PlybooFit. It’s specially made for fitness, like yoga and aerobics. The recycled rubber padded subflooring helps to absorb the impact of every footstep and handstand to take away pressure from fatigued joints. This flooring option is perfect for yoga studios because users will be comfortable on it even with no socks or shoes – which is often the case during a yoga class. Combine this 93 percent post-consumer recycled rubber with bamboo for a complete flooring system. Bamboo floors are free of formaldehyde and produce an indoor environment that is fresh and clean.

Add plants
If you have extra room in your yoga studio, consider adding a few plants for visual appeal. These plants help to naturally clean the air. A weeping fig plant, for instance, can filter out formaldehyde, benzene and trichloroethylene. A spider plant needs little maintenance and fights carbon monoxide, benzene, formaldehyde and xylene – a solvent found in leather and rubber.

Offer eco-friendly yoga mats
If your studio provides customers with yoga mats, consider investing in eco-friendly versions. Look for mats that have been made from natural or recycled rubber, cotton and jute. Jade yoga mats, Sattva jute mat and the Gaiam Green Tea yoga mat are just a few options that are friendly to the environment and useful for your studio.

Color walls with low-VOC paint
The air quality in your yoga studio can be instantly improved by using paint that is free of any volatile organic compounds. These VOCs release chemicals into the air that contribute to ozone pollution and reduce the quality of your indoor air in general. Therefore, if you choose a low-VOC paint, you’ll have fewer emissions of smog-forming chemicals and cleaner air throughout your studio.

How to improve your health while working from home

Working from home is becoming the norm for many employees. It helps to reduce gas emissions and is a perfect option for parents who need to stay at home and look after the kids. Plus, companies can reduce overhead expenses when employees work from home. Employers won’t have to spend as much money on office equipment, Internet and amenities like coffee. New technologies allow many employees to work from a home computer. Most often all that’s required is an Internet connection. People can call into virtual meetings on their phone or computer, so it’s as if they’re right there in the office.

Throughout the work day, it’s important to keep an eye on your health. In fact in a study conducted by the University of South Carolina, men who took part in 23 hours per week of sedentary activity, like sitting in a chair, had a 64 percent greater risk of dying from heart disease than those who spent less than 11 hours per week living an inactive lifestyle.

Swap out your chair for a stability ball

Say goodbye to your office chair and hello to an exercise or stability ball. There are a bevy of benefits that come with sitting on this throughout the duration of your work day. Because there is no backrest or armrests, your body is forced to sit up straight and have better posture. This in turn, is great for your core muscles. Get this: by sitting on a stability ball, you can be toning your abs while getting work done! How’s that for multi-tasking? If you’re not used to sitting on a stability ball, you can start out by resting on it for a half hour, and increase that time each day. Make sure that the ball is adequately blown up and is the appropriate size for your desk.

Install bamboo flooring

Instead of carpet or hardwood floors for your home office, consider bamboo flooring instead. Not only does it provide a warm, rich tone to your office, the material is eco-friendly, naturally antibacterial and even hypoallergenic. Come allergy season, you’ll be one step ahead with bamboo flooring that can ward off dirt, dust and other bacteria.

Give your eyes a break

Staring at a computer screen all day can put a strain on your eyes, so it’s important to give them a break every once in awhile. Every 15 minutes or so, look away from your monitor and concentrate on something else, whether it’s admiring the view from the window or having a phone conversation with a friend. You can also help out your eyes by repositioning the computer itself. Your screen should be about an arms length away and placed directly in front of you.

How to select the perfect color for your bamboo floors

Installing new floors into your home, office or business can instantly bring new life to the space. In fact, according to The Designer’s Lesson, flooring covers one-sixth of a room’s surface area, on average, so it’s easy to understand how much of an impact it can have on a space.

Bamboo flooring is a great alternative to traditional wood floors because bamboo is eco-friendly, relatively affordable and is available in so many different shades. San Francisco-based company Smith & Fong offers flooring options in a bevy of colors, such as Brushed Sahara, Cerused Taupe, Amber, Morocco, Foundation Brown and plenty more. If you’re not quite sure which one to choose for your interior, these few tips may help you make up your mind:

Consider your lifestyle

If you have lots of little ones or pets constantly running around the house, opting for a light color floor probably isn’t your best choice. Lighter colors are going to show dirty tracks and footprints more than a darker hue would. If you have a dark-haired pup who sheds quite a bit, light floors would only make those stray hairs stand out. Therefore, you must choose the flooring color that best fits your lifestyle.

Get flooring samples

It’s often hard to tell what your floors are going to look like when installed in your home. Save yourself lots of time and frustration by bringing home a few flooring samples. Hold them up to the light so you can see the color in its true form.

Contrast walls

You never want to exactly match the color of your walls to the floors. Everything will blend in together for a very overwhelming design. Break up the interior style in your space by contrasting the color of your walls with the floors. The same goes for your furniture. If your floors and furniture are the same hue, both elements will go unnoticed.

Ways to remove formaldehyde from your home or business

Maintaining a healthy and clean office or home means keeping a close eye on the indoor air quality. One chemical that often finds its way into indoor spaces is formaldehyde. This is a colorless and odorless chemical that can be found in building materials and household products, such as glues and other adhesives, pressed-wood products, paint, cigarette smoke, disinfectants and more.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, formaldehyde is a type of human carcinogen, which is a cancer-causing substance. If you would like to see how much of this chemical is present in your home or office, you can test the indoor air quality with a kit that is available online. If you find out that the chemical is present, there are several things you can do to reduce the amount in the air and help eliminate it completely:

Bamboo flooring

Replace traditional wood flooring with bamboo. The material offers the same modern look of wood, but is often more affordable and much better for the environment. San Francisco-based company Smith & Fong offers bamboo flooring in a wide variety of textures and colors. All of their floors are created from sustainably harvested sources and are free of any formaldehyde, unlike some hardwood floors which can contain emissions of 0.237 parts per million. In fact, they have been examined by FloorScore Certified, which is a third party test for indoor air quality. Bamboo flooring can be installed anywhere from bathrooms and kitchens to bedrooms and conference rooms.

Plants

Indoor plants not only bring a natural beauty to any home or office, they help ventilate the air for a cleaner and healthier environment. More specifically, plants will help remove formaldehyde as well as other toxins that may be in the air. Aloe vera, for example, clears out formaldehyde and benzene, which can be found in chemical-based cleaners and paints. The spider plant is another effective shrub, warding off benzene, formaldehyde, carbon monoxide and xylene (a solvent used in rubber and leather).

Adequate ventilation

It’s important to fill your space with fresh air to give toxins an opportunity to be flushed out. In the spring and summer when the temperatures warm up, make a habit out of opening the window during the day to let in some fresh air. In the winter when it’s not possible to open the windows, purchase a whole-house ventilation system, which supplies fresh air to the entire house or building.

Moderate temperatures

The temperature at which you keep your space can have a big impact on the formaldehyde levels in the air. Increased temperature and humidity can cause formaldehyde emissions to rise. Be sure to keep indoor temperatures low, but comfortable.

4 ways to highlight your bathroom’s modern tub

Freestanding bathtubs are becoming increasingly popular in the world of modern design. Their sleek lines and polished finish help create a serene and beautiful environment. Many homeowners choose to make their tub the focus of the room for an attractive and up-to-date aesthetic. Here are a few ways to highlight this crucial piece in your bathroom:

Bamboo flooring

Tile may be the traditional choice for modern bathrooms, but there are other options that are even better. Consider installing bamboo flooring into the space. These floors provide a warm and inviting look to your bathroom, and its shade contrasts wonderfully with your stark white tub. Bamboo also offers an urban elegance and a soft, neutral palette which is easy to pair with other decorative elements in the room. This natural material helps offset the sleek, cool, contemporary features of polished chrome faucets and drawer pulls, while adding a touch of comfort.

Simple colors

Opt for a monochromatic color palette in your bathroom to keep the attention on your tub. Whites, blacks and grays are all popular hues to use. However, this isn’t to say that you can’t add splashes of bright hues here and there. Using a bath mat, linens or wall art, choose one outstanding color to pair with the rest of the neutrals in the space. It gives your modern bathroom the perfect amount of boldness while still sticking to a modern style. You can also consider incorporating some patterns into your bathroom, like stenciled paintings or an accent wall featuring striped wallpaper.

Windows

Place your freestanding contemporary tub near a window where natural light can stream in and highlight all of its features. This sunlight also creates a warm and welcoming ambiance in your bathroom, and helps to soften all of the geometric lines and angles in the space. You may even want to consider installing some French doors in your bathroom to help open up the room even more by letting in lots of light.

Lighting

While the sun’s natural rays are sufficient during the day, they can’t be the only source of light in your modern bathroom. Install a vintage glam chandelier above your tub to produce adequate lighting. A contemporary bathroom can always be blended with more antique pieces to create the perfect harmony of old and new. Plus, a chandelier won’t give off harsh lighting while you’re in the tub – instead, you’ll be receiving a warm glow that only contributes to the tranquil environment.

Discovering the different types of bamboo flooring

Bamboo flooring is becoming a top choice for homes, gyms, office buildings and restaurants because of its sustainable qualities and natural beauty. Once you’ve made the decision to install bamboo floors in your space, you must then choose a tone and texture. San Francisco-based company Smith & Fong offers you a wide variety of flooring options that can be incorporated into many interior design styles. Here are a few types and how they differ from one another:

Stiletto Strand flooring

This type of bamboo flooring is named “Stiletto” for a reason. It’s the most durable flooring option that can stand up to even the toughest boots and heels. You won’t have to worry about your floors looking scratched and scuffed. It’s actually three times harder than traditional red oak flooring and looks just as luxurious and sophisticated.
What it’s best for: Stiletto bamboo flooring is perfect for spaces with high traffic, like restaurants, offices or homes with children and pets. With these floors, you get modern beauty without the high price tag of traditional wood floors and with all of the grit and durability.

Colors to choose from: Pick between six shades and textures with this line of flooring. The brushed pearl and brushed sahara are lighter tones, which are great for helping small spaces appear larger. The darker hues, like brushed eclipse and barnwood may be a better choice for bigger areas and offer an elegant richness to any room.

PlybooSport flooring

This type of flooring is unique and specially designed to be used in athletic facilities like gyms and basketball courts. It’s very different from traditional flooring because of the level of comfort and durability. It’s also specially constructed for shock absorption and ball bounce, which is why so many basketball courts are using this material.

What it’s best for: Install PlybooSport flooring in basketball courts, yoga studios, crossfit gyms and any other fitness facilities to help enhance the functionality of the space.

Colors to choose from: There are two shades of sport flooring – natural and amber. The natural hue is most typically used for basketball courts because of its light color. Amber is a bit darker and would be the perfect modern accent to any community center or gym.

PlybooSquared flooring

Looking for something out of the ordinary? This flooring uses squares of bamboo for a unique texture that resembles mosaic tiles. It puts an emphasis on design.

What it’s best for: Because PlybooSquared flooring has such a fresh and contemporary look, it’s perfect for showing off in art studios, museums, offices or any other public building.
Colors to choose from: Decide between luminous grey, natural or amber, depending on the overall aesthetic that you’re after for your space.

Designing a quieter apartment

If you live in a multi-level apartment or condo, you know how much of an affect the flooring can have on the noise level. Creaky wood floors may be keeping the tenants above and below you awake, which can create a less than enjoyable living environment for all. There’s one way that you can cut back on the ambient noise in your apartment: bamboo flooring.

San Francisco-based company Smith & Fong has a line of flooring known as PlybooQuiet. This is a unique type of flooring because it absorbs the impact of each footstep, making it much easier to walk around without creating too much noise. This type of flooring is also perfect for kids who are doing a lot of crawling and playing around on the floor with their toys.

Bamboo flooring isn’t only a great choice for its quiet qualities – it’s also a sustainable material. Bamboo is low in formaldehyde, which is a colorless and odorless chemical that contributes to poor air quality and causes health issues like allergies and asthma. Choose from a wide variety of finishes and colors to coordinate with the interior design style throughout your home or apartment.

4 ways to improve your crossfit gym

Crossfit is one of the latest fitness phenomena and is what many people swear by to get in shape. It combines plyometric jumps with weight lifting exercises using kettlebells, sandbags and suspension systems. Participants also do a variety of squats, hip hinges and rotating movements to gain strength and improve their cardiovascular system.

If you’re looking to create a CrossFit gym or improve upon the one that you already own, here are a few tips to help attract and maintain customers:

Bamboo flooring

Not only is bamboo flooring a natural way to enhance the interior design of your gym, it offers many health benefits to your customers as well. San Francisco-based company Smith & Fong has a line of PlybooFit flooring which is constructed out of bamboo. This is entirely different from traditional wood flooring and offers many more benefits. You want your clients to feel comfortable during their workout, and these floors can greatly contribute to their gym-going experience. PlybooFit floors take pressure off of tired joints, like the knees ankles and hips. Keeping their joints healthy means your customers will be able to come in day in and day out. Look for bamboo floors that coordinate with the decor that you’re going after, whether that’s a modern crossfit facility or a more traditional one.

A talented coaching staff

Without knowledgeable and experienced coaches, you’re not going to be able to give your customers what they’re searching for. Having coaches and trainers that are certified in CrossFit can be a big selling point for your gym. These trainers should also be personable and very good at interacting with clients and being able to figure out what their body is capable of.

A positive environment

One of the biggest influences in helping your clients reach their goals is a positive and uplifting environment. Nobody wants to work out in a space where they are constantly put down or feel like they’re not good enough. You should be advertising a space that is welcoming to all, whether you’re new to crossfit or have been doing it for years.

A spacious gym

Your crossfit gym should always be clear of clutter. Nobody is going to want to work out at a gym that is super messy and disorganized. People should feel like they have all the space they need to get in a good workout and achieve the results they’re after.

3 reasons to replace the flooring in your beauty salon

Things like hairspray, blow dryers, brushes, combs, scissors and flat irons are all essential to the success of a beauty salon. These tools may be what hairstylists use to give their customer the look they’re searching for, but there are many subtle factors that can affect the quality of the space and the haircuts being given, including the flooring. It might seem like a small detail to overlook, but swapping out your current carpet, tile or hardwood for bamboo flooring can make all the difference.

1. An updated look for the salon

If you’re trying to draw in new customers and keep the old, it’s important to keep the beauty salon’s design as current as the haircuts being given. When customers first come into the salon, you want them to get a great first impression of the establishment. If they don’t, they may not be returning. After all, if you came across two salons that gave the same quality haircuts and one was more visually pleasing, you’re less likely to try the other.

Bamboo floors offer a certain warmth that can’t be accomplished with other materials. They’re available in a wide variety of textures and colors, from dark to light, making it simple to match the exact design specifications that you had in mind. These floors offer a luxury that you won’t get with tile. It’s also more durable and inexpensive than hardwood.

2. More comfortable stylists

Hairstylists often work long hours, the majority of which are spent on their feet. Throughout a shift, stylists’ feet and legs could become tired, which may have an affect on the quality of their work. The floors that stylists stand on could be having an impact on their joints. San Francisco-based company Smith & Fong offers Plyboo Fit bamboo flooring, which is specially created with comfort in mind. These types of floors are often used in yoga studios, theaters, fitness facilities and homes. Installing bamboo flooring in your beauty salon means that the pressure on tired legs, knees and feet will be absorbed, creating a more comfortable place of work.

3. A healthier environment

To create a healthier beauty salon for both the stylists and customers, bamboo flooring is essential. Unlike hardwood floors, bamboo is able to rapidly grow and regenerate, making it readily available. And because it does grow so quickly, it is able to absorb more carbon, thus producing a greater amount of oxygen.

4 tips for finishing your basement

If you’ve just moved into a new home and have found that the basement isn’t finished, this isn’t a setback, it’s a perfect opportunity to shape it into a room that fits your design vision. It can be transformed into whatever you would like it to be, whether you want a home theater, a gym, a game room or an office. Here are few tips to enhance the look and function of your basement:

Start with flooring

You’re going to have to choose a type of flooring for your basement when remodeling it. Wood floors are one of the most common choices for the basement because of their versatility and sustainability. But there’s one material that is actually more affordable, environmentally friendly and durable than hardwood: bamboo flooring. In fact, it’s so durable that it has been used to build houses, fences, furniture and even suspension bridges.

Strand bamboo is often used for areas where there is a high amount of foot traffic, like art galleries, restaurants, gyms and retail shops. So whatever type of room you want your basement to end up as, bamboo flooring is sure to stand up to heavy use. With a variety of textures and colors, your flooring can look like hardwood, but actually be much more durable and eco-friendly.

Determine a set style

Ask yourself if you would like your basement to follow the design of the rest of your house or if you want it to have a different feel entirely. Once you have a color scheme or theme set, it’s going to make the remodeling process much easier.

Install a wet bar

Transform your basement into the ultimate entertainment area for when you have lots of visitors by installing a wet bar. This feature is popping up in more and more homes because of its ability to store all the party essentials, like wine glasses, beer and shot glasses. Just make sure to keep electrical capacity in mind when designing a wet bar that’s equipped with appliances like a refrigerator, small dishwasher or microwave. Work with an electrician to determine whether or not a wet bar would be manageable in your basement.

Don’t overlook the ceiling

Finishing the ceiling of your basement is just as important as refurbishing the floors. Depending on the look you’re going for, you can choose to conceal any pipes or beams on your ceiling with paneling or drywall. But if you’re after a more modern or industrial vibe, leaving those elements exposed can contribute to the motif. Exposed ceiling beams can add architectural interest to your basement.

Designing a modern entryway for your home

The foyer of your home is often the first thing that guests and visitors see upon entering. Therefore, it should make a good impression and set the stage for the interior of the rest of your house. Create a welcoming and contemporary entryway with these design ideas:

Bamboo flooring

Flooring is extremely important to the foyer of the home because it sets the tone for the rest of the space. Rich, dark-colored bamboo can make a dramatic impression and pairs well with both light and dark hues. San Francisco-based company Smith & Fong offers several designs and colors of bamboo flooring to make it easy for you to customize the look you want for your home.

Display artwork

Draw attention to an accent wall with a few pieces of art. It could be something as simple as groupings of mirrors, photographs or bamboo panels. Mirrors will help open up the space by reflecting natural light, photographs assist in personalizing the space, and bamboo panels provide a modern, fresh and environmentally friendly aspect to the entryway.

Have ample lighting

Lighting is important for your entryway because it sets a mood and helps to accent certain areas, like a decorative wall. However, you don’t want light that is too harsh, because this could have a less-than-welcoming effect. Instead, use a combination including ambient and accent lighting. Ambient brightness will come from doors, windows and overhead fixtures, while accent lighting will help draw attention to certain areas of the foyer, like a piece of art or a chair.

Select a rug

To protect your flooring from harsh weather like rain and snow, you’ll want to put a rug down in the entryway. This indicates where your guests should stand upon entering the house. Make sure it’s big enough for the space and helps direct people into other areas of the home.

5 ways to make your retail store more comfortable

Comfort is very important in a retail space, not only for the customers that come in and shop around, but for the employees as well. You want the people working in the store to feel relaxed and content, which will reflect positively on the store itself. A comfortable environment can also leave customers with a good feeling, and lead to them returning at a later date.

Bamboo flooring

The floor beneath your feet could be affecting both your customers and employees. Consider installing bamboo flooring in your space for ultimate comfort and durability. The San Francisco-based company Smith & Fong offers bamboo flooring known as PlybooFit. This type of flooring is specifically geared toward retail spaces because it provides comfort for employees who are standing for long periods of time and for customers who are shopping for several hours. The environmentally friendly material absorbs the pressure on tired legs, feet and knees.

Provide seating

Often, groups of people come in to shop, and not all of those people want to peruse the racks and shelves. Offer them comfortable seating while their friends or family peruse the inventory. Shoppers can also sit down and relax when they want so that they’re ready to get back up and keep looking around later on.
There should also be ample seating in dressing rooms, along with mirrors and plenty of hooks for hanging clothing, so the space doesn’t become overcrowded.

Eliminate clutter

Too much clutter and disorganization will draw people out of your store. Nobody wants to feel overwhelmed during their shopping experience. Make sure you have plenty of merchandise stocked in the back so that it’s easy to refill the shelves when needed. A clean space will positively affect both employees and shoppers.

This also means organizing your store into various sections so shoppers know exactly where to go to find what they’re looking for.

Decorate with nature

Flowers and green plants can help make your retail space more hospitable and welcoming. Plus, certain plants can help clean out the air, making it a healthier environment in which to shop and work.

Don’t block the flow of traffic

Your store should be easy to navigate and have enough room for multiple people to be in it at once without running into one another. Make sure your aisles are wide enough for a stroller to fit through them, or have enough space for two people to pass through without bumping into each other.

Eliminating toxins in your business office

When you head into the office, is the air you’re breathing clean? Many assume that it is when, in fact, studies by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency have shown that levels of indoor pollutants may be two to five times higher than they are outdoors. You wouldn’t drink impure water, so why breathe in air that isn’t clean? Having healthy air quality in your building offers a number of benefits including reducing respiratory illnesses, decreasing environmental triggers of asthma, lowering energy costs and even promoting a better night’s sleep.

Here are a few simple tips to make the air in your office cleaner:

Formaldehyde free flooring

By swapping out your flooring for bamboo formaldehyde free flooring, you can decrease toxins and produce higher quality air over the long term. San Francisco-based Smith & Fong Co., was the first U.S. company to manufacture bamboo flooring in China for sale in North America. Bamboo flooring is ideal for business because it’s extremely durable, while still remaining stylish with it’s color, texture and design. It’s also urea formaldehyde-free and available in a variety of models.

Plants

One of the best natural ways to beautify your office and improve air quality is by adding plants. They offer a rich green hue and texture that can dress up any space, and they also filter out common volatile organic compounds for cleaner indoor air. Here are a few of the best plants to use in your place of business:

Aloe vera: This easy-to-grow succulent helps clear out formaldehyde and benzene, which can be a byproduct of chemical-based paints, cleaners and other industrial products.

Snake plant: This plant thrives in low light and can also help filter out formaldehyde, which is commonly found in toilet paper, tissues and cleaning products. Put this plant in your bathroom – steamy humid conditions increase it’s air cleaning powers.

Chrysanthemum: If you’re looking to brighten up your office, this flower can do the trick. But this bloom also knows how to filter out benzene.

Weeping fig: Place this plant in your office to help clear pollutants like trichloroethylene that are typically found in carpeting and furniture.
Open the windows

If the weather permits, opening the windows in your office building is a great natural way to create circulation throughout a space. Oftentimes, air-tight buildings can trap pollutants inside. Ventilation can help remove those unwanted pollutants.

How to incorporate sustainable elements into your small business office

Much of your time during the week is likely spent at the office. In fact, most people in the U.S. put in at least 40 hours per week at work. Just because your office isn’t your home (although it may feel like that sometimes), that doesn’t mean you can’t reduce your carbon footprint and make the building a more environmentally sustainable place.

Bamboo flooring

Simply replacing the flooring in your office building can make a positive impact on the environment. Bamboo regenerates faster than hardwood floors and you can get about 20 times more building material from bamboo. It reproduces without the need for replanting, and requires minimal fertilization or pesticides. And once bamboo flooring is installed in your office space, it doesn’t need many chemicals to clean and repair it. It’s a durable and attractive flooring option that will enhance the beauty of your space while being eco-friendly at the same time.

Turn off your computer

Save energy by turning off your computer before you head out for the evening. In a study by 1E and the Alliance to Save Energy, as many as half of all office workers in America who use a PC don’t shut it down at the end of the work day. This wastes about $2.8 billion and 20 tons of CO2 per year. Turning off your computer can also save the company money. A U.S. company with 10,000 PCs will waste $260,000 in energy throughout the year due to computers that are left on when nobody is using them.

Fill the space with plants

Plants not only bring natural beauty into the office space, they reduce the level of CO2 in the atmosphere and make for a better working environment. Just be careful about which plants you choose – flowering plants can have an impact on employees with pollen allergies. Instead, try something like a spider plant, which helps eliminate benzene, formaldehyde, carbon monoxide and xylene – a solvent used in the leather, rubber and printing industries.

Conserve paper

You can cut back on paper use in the office by emailing or faxing documents instead of printing them out and making copies. You can also use the print preview option on your computer to review, edit or format a document instead of printing it out. Print out only what is needed.

Opt for laptops instead of PCs

It may be time to swap your PCs for laptops. Office laptops provide optimal efficiency by using as much as five times less energy than your typical desktop computer. You also have the option of taking your computer home with you so that you can work from home and save fossil fuels by reducing commutes.

More apartment complexes choose to go green

More and more people are holding off on homeownership and committing to a mortgage in in favor of renting an apartment. And renters and apartment complexes alike are seeing a trend in the rental industry: going green. There are growing opportunities for renters to add green upgrades to their property, and more and more apartment complexes are making being eco-friendly a priority by giving their potential tenants a chance to reap the benefits of green living through lower utility bills and access to public transportation.

What makes a building green?

In order for an apartment to be considered “green,” it must achieve a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification. LEED is a program managed by the US Green Building Council. To earn LEED certification, hospitals, houses, commercial spaces and other buildings are judged on how eco-friendly they are. Everything from sustainability, efficient water use, landscaping and energy savings features are evaluated. LEED points are are also awarded to buildings if their managers provide education to renters regarding the eco-friendly amenities available in their units.

In these green spaces, swimming pools and laundromats are built with conservation in mind – the pools are heated with solar panels, filled with recycled water and use motion-activated lights.

Laundromats are also stocked with high efficiency washers and dryers.

To make your apartment space even more environmentally conscious, consider these tips:

Bamboo flooring

Having bamboo flooring isn’t just sound-reducing, which makes it great for apartment complexes, it’s environmentally friendly as well. Bamboo produces more oxygen and absorbs more carbon dioxide than trees, combating global warming with each shoot that is planted. The material also produces a high yield – in a single harvest, you can get about 20 times more building material from bamboo than you can with hardwood trees.

Adjust the thermostat

If you know you’re going to be out of the apartment for a long period of time, save on energy by turning the air or heat off or down when you leave. One of the advantages of living in a small space is that it heats up and cools down faster than a larger house. Simply turn it back on when you get home. It should be set no higher than 74 degrees Fahrenheit in the winter and no lower than 68 degrees in the summer.

Consider a “micro-apartment”

One trend that’s hitting a few major cities is micro-apartments. These spaces are tiny, and by using less energy they are helping to cut down on the effects of global warming.

Bamboo is setting a standard in intelligent design

Along with greater public awareness of intelligent design in homes, offices and commercial buildings, has come an increased reliance on bamboo as a building material. Bamboo floors, panels and even bamboo plywood have become essential materials for developers and contractors who are looking to create attractive, sustainable buildings that also deal with problems like noise pollution and ecological calamities.

In fact, in some places around the world, bamboo has become so popular that entire homes, office buildings and schools are now being built out of the stuff.

Bamboo buildings

In Southeast Asia, where the benefits of bamboo have been known for centuries, modern designers have turned to it not just as an added amenity, but as the basis for construction.

Known as “The Green School,” a learning center in Bali, Indonesia, was recognized as the 2012 Greenest School on Earth by the U.S. Green Building Council’s Center for Green Schools. The sustainable, open-air structure recently graduated its first high school class, and world environmental leaders like former United States Vice President Al Gore were part of the tribute to all that has been accomplished so far.

Sitting at the foot of the Great Wall of China is another example of how bamboo can be the primary building block of a modern structure. Known simply as “The Great Wall House,” this home melds beauty, ecological sustainability and the recognition of the importance of integrating structures into their natural environments to create a building that is both modern and a nod to China’s history.

Standing up to natural disasters

Eugenius Pradipto, a bamboo structure specialist in Indonesia, advocates for the use of bamboo in buildings in places that, like his homeland, are prone to earthquakes and other natural disasters.

His work, including a church and a cultural center made out of bamboo, has helped make that country one of the world’s leaders in bamboo buildings.

Bamboo solving modern problems

Bamboo is not only an excellent option on an environmental level, it can also deal with modern issues like noise pollution. New bamboo panels from Smith & Fong help to cancel out overt noise in open-design office spaces, an issue that has plagued companies as they try to make their workspaces more collaborative.

With problems both manmade and natural always a concern in intelligent design, bamboo is providing a way to solve those issues in a smart, responsible and progressive manner. And as its use spreads around the globe, architects, contractors and designers are finding that bamboo is among the most useful tools at their disposal.

Bamboo house could help alleviate many world problems

Bamboo floors and panels have almost become commonplace in modern home design and renovation, but what about entire structures made of the stuff?

In Vietnam, one architectural firm is using bamboo to build low-cost homes that can withstand floods and operate as environmentally sustainable structures. It’s a design that could prove revolutionary on many different levels.

Low-cost housing option

The 473-square-foot structure, designed by H & P Architects and known as Blooming Bamboo, is expected to cost approximately $2,500 per structure, making it the kind of option that could be purchased even in economically-distressed communities.

By relying on natural bamboo, which can be found in abundance many places around the globe, H & P was able to use a material that helped bring the overall cost of manufacturing down to the point that the home would be economically viable even for those who wouldn’t normally have the financial means to purchase a home.

Easy to build

Another attribute that could make this new home an important part of aiding world communities is that it can be assembled by the owner within 25 days or, with help, in even less time. That cuts into costly, deliberate construction delays that often hamper the extension of housing availability to areas where it is needed most.

Regional conflicts around the world, especially the ongoing one in Syria, have led to a sharp increase in refugees and, thus, refugee camps. That’s why it is so important to have housing options that can be erected quickly, while also offering strong shelter and protection from diseases that often thrive in the tents and other cheap structures often relied on by aid agencies.

Flood-resistant

Currently, Blooming Bamboo is designed to withstand floods of up to five feet, but H & P is working on an updated version that would take that number up to 10 feet. Especially in southeast Asia, where flood seasons are simply considered part of life, this low-cost, simple structure could provide a measure of relief to populations who are literally inundated on a yearly basis.

Environmentally sound

One of bamboo’s primary virtues as a building material is that it provides a sustainable alternative to hardwoods and other strong substances. By using it as the base for the house, H & P has not only come up with a low-cost, easy-to-build, flood-resistant housing option that could be a boon to distressed populations in many parts of the world, it has done so in an eco-friendly manner, once again showing the power of bamboo to be a tool in solving modern problems.

Using the natural world to inspire and create

For many people, making a house a home involves incorporating natural materials and into their building and design strategies. By creating spaces that have the look and feel of the outside world, homeowners and contractors can bring the tranquility of nature indoors while also maintaining a sense of intimacy.

Taking inspiration from the natural world

When you begin a design or construction project, it’s important to find inspiration in all manner of places. In nature, four and a half billion years of trial and error have produced the kinds of concepts that will serve you well when you look for insights into creating a comfortable yet eye-catching indoor or outdoor space.

Whether you’re trying to decide which materials to use, or looking for design patterns, the examples you see all around you can be the best place to start your process.

Natural materials and amenities

Hardwood floors are always an excellent place to start when trying to assimilate natural elements into your home or commercial spaces. Among the many options available, bamboo floors provide an option that not only captures the kind of rustic feel you may be looking for, they’re also a sustainable alternative to more traditional maple or oak. And if you’re going to take your inspiration from nature, shouldn’t you also opt for something that returns the favor?

If you want to carry that theme over to other surfaces, bamboo panels are also an excellent option for decorating your walls and cabinets. They can work as extensions of your floors while providing a smooth, attractive finish that will have you luxuriating in your wood-finished oasis.

Outdoor areas with an outdoor feel

Porches, balconies and decks often transpose indoor styles on outdoor areas. But using plastics and metals to build and decorate an outdoor recreation and relaxation area is like eating a spoon with a bowl of soup. Instead, consider molding those spaces so that they complement their natural surroundings.

Bamboo decking is one way to achieve that aesthetic. By giving your deck or patio a wood-finished look, it will become a seamless extension of its surroundings, making it appear as if your home melds into its environment. By using that sort of design concept, you will make your backyard or public commercial space a place where people want to gather to commune with nature, not set themselves apart from it.

Through nature, we are constantly surrounded by an aura only remotely captured by the word “beauty.” Do right by yourself and take advantage of it.

Bamboo in contemporary construction and design

With its eco-friendly sustainable qualities and naturally beautiful look and texture, bamboo is rapidly becoming the trendy material to use in home and commercial developments across the United States.

Some of the country’s hippest cities – as well as one that isn’t always thought of as being so fashionable but is in the process of watching a contemporary apartment building rise in its midst – are experiencing what can only be described as a bamboo revolution in the construction and renovation industries.

Environmentally friendly Hard Rock Cafe

The Hard Rock Cafe in Honolulu isn’t just a restaurant and attraction for locals and tourists, it’s also an environmentally friendly building with Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.

While you’ll probably first check out the restaurant for its live music, specialty happy hour cocktails and exotic foods inspired by local cuisine, you’ll come back to spend a few more minutes gazing at its eye-catching bamboo floors. And it was those bamboo floors, along with recycled glass and green operating procedures, that were a major reason why the building was able to earn its

Diamond LEED recognition.

Chic Los Angeles home incorporates bamboo

In Los Angeles these days, the northeast side of town is the place to be. Boasting an ever-increasing population of celebrities, hot new bars and restaurants, and classic homes that have been renovated with modern flourishes, it’s the neighborhood in which to see and be seen.

One of those updated northeast-side vintage homes is located in the Eagle Rock neighborhood, and recently went up for sale. Built in 1921, the 902-square-foot residence located on an 8,000-square-foot lot features bamboo throughout, with strand bamboo flooring and solid bamboo countertops in the kitchen and bamboo floors in one of the bedrooms.

Those innovative and sustainable design techniques have made this property one of the more desirable on the market in trendy Los Angeles.

Hot in Cleveland

Cleveland isn’t usually thought of as being at the forefront of modern culture, but a new residential development in the city may help to change that image.

Developer Andrew Brickman, known for building the energy-efficient Eleven Rivers residences in nearby Rocky River, is using bamboo floors as part of his effort to keep his latest project – the Clifton Pointe Townhomes, in the Lakewood area of Cleveland – as sustainable and modern as possible.

Bamboo panels and floors aren’t just about sustainability. As these projects are showing, their natural beauty can make them an important feature of any modern design.

Jewish holiday celebrated with bamboo

The Jewish holiday of Sukkot – which gets its name from the pluralization of the word Sukkah, meaning “booth” or “tabernacle” – recently came to an end after its annual eight-day celebration.

Every year, Jews around the world build a small walled structure out of wood, steel, plants and other materials to commemorate the dwellings their ancient ancestors lived in during their 40-year sojourn in the desert after the exodus from Egypt. This year, one community in Wesleyan, Ohio, observed the holiday by building their Sukkah out of material rarely associated with Jewish culture or arid habitats: bamboo.

Wesleyan University finds novel way to celebrate holiday

This year, Sukkot ran from Sept. 18-26, and about a week prior, members of Ohio-Wesleyan University’s Physical Plant staff spent several days assembling a large Sukkah made completely out of bamboo and steel rods on the lawn of the campus’ Olin Library.

The Sukkah is meant to be a gathering spot, and the holiday a happy, celebratory one. On the Wesleyan campus, the bamboo Sukkot served both of those purposes, bringing students of all denominations together to study, socialize and relax.

Other Jewish communities use bamboo in their Sukkot

Wesleyan was far from the only Jewish community that incorporated bamboo in its Sukkah. From Washington, D.C., to Omaha, Neb., to California’s Inland Empire region, Sukkot were being built with bamboo rods, echoing the way that bamboo has caught on in modern and architecture and design around the world.

Not that long ago, many Jews made their Sukkot using simple, easy-to-find materials, like lumber, metal and even tarp. But as people have gained greater awareness and interest in using environmentally friendly, sustainable substances in buildings of all kinds, bamboo has become a popular option during the holiday.

Thanks to bamboo, the Sukkah erected at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., looked more like a piece of contemporary art than the makeshift structures that were common not that long ago. And in Omaha, families slept in their Sukkot, looking up at the stars through bamboo rods. Using bamboo also helped Orthodox Jews in California build a traveling Sukkah that they could bring to families who didn’t have the means or ability to build their own.

While products like commercial bamboo flooring, bamboo plywood and bamboo panels may be the most common, year-round products that employ the material, Sukkot showed it is something that has all manner of applications.

Working out on bamboo floors a more satisfying experience

A healthy mind is often the product of a healthy body. And by incorporating the comforting atmosphere afforded by bamboo flooring and paneling into your workout space you can bring those two things even closer together.

Groups get fit on top of bamboo floors

Group fitness classes are among the many popular health options available to those looking to improve their physical and mental well-being. Classes ranging from yoga to resistance training programs have become some of the most popular ways for people of all ages to spend their free time getting into better shape.

It used to be that when you went to a gym to work out, the rooms were intentionally designed to be as militaristic as possible, or simply didn’t make any attempt at having a design at all. Now, though, as people become more aware of the psychological benefits of a well-designed space, workout studios and gyms across the country have increasingly begun using more modern, attractive elements to create a welcoming environment that is more encouraging to people who might need a little extra motivation to put in their workout time.

One of the ways that effect is being achieved is by using bamboo to make fitness flooring. The material’s rich colors and natural look can lend studios a more comforting, zen-like ambience, and just as importantly, bamboo often holds up better against heavy use than do traditional hardwood floors.

Pop Physique, in San Francisco, is just one of the many fitness palaces that has found bamboo flooring to be a superior option in terms of its practical ability to withstand multiple classes a day – each made up of dozens of people – as well as its eco-friendly qualities, including bamboo’s improved sustainability over hardwood.

Blended with floor-to-ceiling windows and a view of a neighborhood garden, Pop Physique’s bamboo floors allow the studio’s many customers to get fit in the midst of an environment that soothes and relaxes their minds.

Fitness at home

Those who prefer to do their working out at home will find that bamboo can help them turn a small office or unused bedroom into a comfortable getaway where they can engage in yoga, weight lifting or pretty much any other activity.

By installing bamboo panels or floors in a room you intend to use as a home workout studio, you can create the kind of meditative environment that will not only make your daily fitness routine more palatable, you will probably come to view it as one of the brightest moments of your day.

Bamboo an important player in DOE’s Solar Decathlon competition

The Solar Decathlon, a biennial competition sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy, is set to take place at the Orange County Great Park in Irvine, Calif, Oct. 3-13, 2013.
The DOE describes the decathlon as, “an award-winning program that challenges collegiate teams to design, build, and operate solar-powered houses that are cost-effective, energy-efficient, and attractive. The winner of the competition is the team that best blends affordability, consumer appeal, and design excellence with optimal energy production and maximum efficiency.”

Bamboo for the win

Collegiate teams competing in the decathlon are always looking for an ecological edge in their effort to take home the grand prize, and this year many of them are using sustainable bamboo products to maximize their chances of winning by minimizing their environmental footprint.

Bamboo leads to decreased deforestation due its annual natural regenerative quality. It also has a root structure that prevents erosion and, with its ability to be harvested by hand, reduces man-made impact on local habitats. Those are just a few of the reasons bamboo is considered a superior material for use in ecologically friendly homes, and they are part of the motivation for its expanded use in this year’s decathlon.

University of North Carolina, Charlotte team using bamboo

Having been inspired by the ambitious urban revitalization projects taking place throughout Charlotte, N.C., the Solar Decathlon team from UNC Charlotte has designed a home, which they call UrbanEden, that is intended to be capable of being easily built in a modern city environment.

According to the Mother Nature Network, UrbanEdge was the team’s answer to the question, “How do you bring nature into the city?” – a feat they were able to accomplish by incorporating natural design elements and materials like bamboo panels, which they installed on interior and exterior walls, a rainwater-collection system and locally manufactured non-toxic paints.

Santa Clara University’s team turns to bamboo

While solar energy is the driving force behind Santa Clara University’s Solar Decathlon entry, known as the Radiant Home, bamboo is also a primary component in its effort to take home the top prize. Using bamboo to build a large portion of the home’s structural elements, including the walls, floors and ceilings, represents the culmination of 10 years of research and development into the material’s design and engineering capabilities at Santa Clara.

The Solar Decathlon is meant to help blaze a trail forward in the world of eco-friendly construction, and these teams are showing how bamboo can be a major step forward in that effort.

Cutting edge homes incorporating bamboo floors

Architects and designers in search of new ways to create spaces that are both stylish and ecologically sound are increasingly turning to bamboo as their material of choice.

Bamboo panels and floors are being used in cutting-edge homes across the country due to their environmental sustainability and the wide range of looks and textures that they can add to various rooms.

Seattle-area prefab home blends in with its surroundings

Vashon Island, located in the Puget Sound southwest of Seattle, offers residents some of the most beautiful scenery in the country. Surrounded by such stunning natural attractions as Mt. Rainier and Olympic National Park, it has been an aspirational choice for generations of Pacific Northwest residents.

Surrounded by so much natural beauty, it’s no wonder that someone moving onto the island would look for a home that both captures its environment and blends in with the landscape. Curbed Seattle tells the story of one couple who was looking for that combination, and found it, when they recently moved into a prefabricated home on the island.

The model the couple went with afforded several customizable options that allowed them to take full advantage of the view, most notably an east-facing 60-foot-long wall of windows. And in true Pacific Northwest style, they also opted for several environmentally sustainable elements.

Chief among those were the bamboo floors they had installed, which did an astounding job of preserving the theme of Puget Sound’s remarkable beauty while also providing a resilient, sustainable material that the new homeowners can feel comfortable knowing didn’t contribute to cutting into the hardwood preserves of their home state.

Michigan home’s kitchen sets the standard

According to The Detroit Free Press, David and Amy Palmer wanted to create the kitchen of their dreams when they designed and built their contemporary home in Birmingham, Mich., about 15 miles north of Detroit.

Starting with a jaw-dropping view of an area where the Rouge River flows through their property, which they took advantage of by building a wall of windows that overlooks the ravine, the couple built out their kitchen with a clean, simple design that kept the focus on the outdoor space.

In addition, they incorporated several different materials throughout the room, including the installation of bamboo floors that blend in perfectly with the view and are actually harder than the traditional wood alternatives.

With modern design examples like these, it’s easy to see why bamboo has become such a popular option in building and design, and as people become more aware of how its fast regenerative quality makes it such an environmentally conscious option, it will surely experience even wider adoption.

Bamboo for your decks and patios

What better way to accentuate your outdoor spaces than to use a natural grass to build your deck or patio? It might seem counterintuitive, but there is one type of grass that is stronger than wood, while also being more durable and environmentally sustainable. That grass is, of course, bamboo.

While it might not be what most people first think of when they go about selecting a material for their outdoor living spaces, bamboo offers a number of practical advantages over other products on the market.

Bamboo for your deck

Bamboo decking is quickly becoming one of the most popular choices among contractors and DIYers. Its strength and ability to withstand punishment make it perfect for outdoor projects, and with its natural wood finish it can blend in with almost any exterior feature of your residential or commercial building.

Of all the different flooring types available to you for your outdoor project – from hardwood to manufactured composite materials and beyond – bamboo’s virtues as an environmentally friendly product also make it stand apart. Grown in China, the bamboo used for such projects naturally regrows, effectively captures carbon and doesn’t require the application of pesticides or other chemicals. It’s one reason that, despite having been on the market for a much shorter time than many of its alternatives, it has already found a niche among builders.

Bamboo as a design element

Another thing that serves bamboo well in outdoor structures is its beautiful wood finish. Stained bamboo floors, like ebony or bronze strand Plyboo decking from Smith & Fong, fit in seamlessly with their environment, creating an overall aesthetic that can make them almost look as if they grew out of your backyard.

The inherent strength and durability also make them ideal for any type of product or design style you may want to add to the surface. If you want to turn your deck or patio into a spot for entertaining guests, bamboo can hold up to even the heaviest use, while also being able to support the tables, chairs and grilling instruments you will need to accommodate all those people.

If, on the other hand, you just want your deck to be a place to relax and lounge on during the warm spring and summer months, then you can find any number of porch swings, hammocks and other outdoor furniture options that will meld with your surroundings to create a cozy environment.

Finally, bamboo will be able to hold up against the harsh weather it will face throughout the fall and winter, as its natural durability is perfect for dealing with the worst mother nature can throw at it.

How to protect your floors from damage

One of the great satisfactions of installing new hardwood floors is being able to show them off to guests. It’s very likely you’ve put a lot of time, effort and consideration into your choice of flooring and the installation process, so once the process has been completed you’re probably going to want others to appreciate what you’ve accomplished.

How will you go about that? Instead of having business clients, family and friends over in a piecemeal fashion, why not throw a party and have everyone bask in the glory of your freshly implemented design idea all at once? Of course, if you do that, you’ll definitely need to protect those new floors from the wear, tear and spills that can come along with hosting a large number of people.

Choosing the right flooring

The material you choose for your floors will play a major role in keeping them protected. Many people prefer the look and feel of traditional hardwood, but even with a stained surface most wood materials will soak up spills and take a beating from continued use.

One alternative option that has proven to stand up to the test of repeated heavy use is bamboo flooring. Bamboo strand, offering a higher density than traditional wood, bamboo floors are built to handle the most demanding home and commercial environments. It’s one way to head off damage before it even sets foot in your home or office.

Staining your floors for protection and style

Bamboo floors can come pre-finsihed or unfinished. An Unfinished floor should always have a finished applied as part of the installation process. A pre-finished floor, comes with a factory finish, however a top coat could be applied for an added layer of protection.

Staining not only offers a layer of coating that will help prevent spills and scuffs from settling into your floors, it also can be part of the design of your home. There are many different colors available to choose from, and if you’ve opted for bamboo or hardwood floors, staining can really bring out the classic browns, oranges and yellows that make those such appealing options.

Removing stains and scars

No matter how effective you are in protecting your floors, it’s inevitable that they will get damaged in some way. But you can at least mitigate that damage in a few easy steps.

Gently sand the damaged area.
Clean after sanding using products specifically designed for wood floors.
Reapply the finish coat (if necessary, you will have to re-stain before applying the finish).

Bamboo versus hardwood as an environmentally-conscious option

Whether you’re looking to install flooring or paneling in a new building or redo existing surfaces, you’re going to want to consider the environmental impact of the material you choose, along with price and visual appeal. Traditional hardwood options offer many benefits, but their contribution to deforestation and the fact it takes upwards of 20 years for trees regrow can have severe ecological repercussions.

Bamboo, on the other hand, is an alternative that has many environmental benefits over hardwood products. With greater overall sustainability and natural attributes that actually help to preserve and repair the local ecosystem, bamboo has become one of the most popular options for homeowners and contractors looking to lessen the environmental impact of their projects.

Ecological benefits of bamboo

Moso bamboo, which is native to China and is the material used in most bamboo floors and panels, has many ecological advantages over hardwood alternatives. The most notable is probably its short, five-year growth cycle. The relatively fast regrowth period significantly cuts into the deforestation issues created by hardwoods. And since Moso naturally regenerates on an annual basis, there is no need to replant after harvesting.

Bamboo is also an important natural source for erosion reduction. Its unique rhizome root structure holds loose soil in place, helping to bolster its surrounding ecosystem.

Environmental benefits of bamboo

Aside from working with its local ecosystem, bamboo also has many broad positive impacts on the Earth’s environment. It can capture up to 70 percent more carbon than hardwood forests on an annual basis, thus having positive benefits for impending climate change.

It is also grown without added fertilizers or pesticides, an important consideration for reducing chemical pollutants in a world where pervasive chemical toxins are causing unforeseen consequences to people, animals and the Earth itself.

Products that utilize sustainable bamboo

Because of its many environmental benefits, as well as its abundance, strength and pliability, Bamboo is used in a wide variety of products, from textiles to furniture to bicycles. In the past two decades, it has increasingly become a go-to resource in the building, remodeling and design of homes and commercial buildings.

There are a number of options available to you if you would like to utilize bamboo in your construction or design project. PlybooSahara and PlybooStrand bamboo flooring, from Smith & Fong, combine the best of the environmental and design worlds as have the beauty of hardwood, are actually harder than red oak, are certified by the Forest Stewardship Council and use formaldehyde-free adhesive for bonding.

Redesigning a vintage home

Designers and DIYers often appreciate nothing more than taking a vintage home and using their skills and experience to turn it into a mesh of classic and modern styles. Their goal is to find a way to take the things about the home that made them fall in love with it in the first place, then add features and elements that retain its old-school feel while incorporating modern technology and style.

Working within the original framework

If you’ve decided to buy a vintage home it’s probably because you have an appreciation for the nostalgic essence it provides. So, as you go about redesigning it, you don’t want to lose that traditional appeal. In order to preserve what made the property so attractive in the first place, you’ll almost always want to work with what’s already there, instead of gutting it and starting from scratch.

One of the aspects of a vintage home that often needs the most work is flooring. Even if the home has been redesigned in the years since it was built, floors are one area that people often leave untouched. Preferring to stick with the original design, especially when the floors offer a beautiful complement to the overall environment of the home, they will settle for material that has withered or cracked in the intervening years. Aging hardwood floors are probably the most frequent example, since they are usually vital to the what makes the home so special, but also don’t necessarily stand up to the test of time.

Fortunately, there are ways to replace those old floors with something that can retain their original aesthetic value while also providing an environmental and visual upgrade. Bamboo products, including formaldehyde free flooring from the Smith & Fong company, are visually stunning and environmentally sustainable, making them an excellent option as you consider how to go about redoing your vintage home.

Reimagining your indoor spaces

Most vintage homes offer far more opportunities for redesign than just the floors. There may be foundational issues, surfaces that have to be re-stained or replaced altogether, and a raft of painting jobs throughout the house. Fortunately, these problems also present chances for you to use your keen eye for design to fashion them into your ideal living areas while also using more environmentally friendly products and materials.

Bamboo plywood for your foundations and bamboo panels to replace aging surfaces are two of the many choices available to you in your pursuit of turning your vintage home into a modern, efficient and gorgeous work of art.

Preventing scratches and dents on your bamboo floors

When it comes to designing or redoing your home, bamboo flooring offers a variety benefits over traditional hardwood and other materials. It’s more environmentally friendly, stands up to heavy use more effectively and is more easily adaptable to different styles and designs.

However, once you choose to go with bamboo for your floors, you still face the same challenges of preventing scratches and dings that can mar your pristine indoor surfaces. Fortunately, there are a number of steps you can take to avoid such damage, and most of them are relatively simple.

Clean the outside of your home

While your target is keeping the inside of your home clean, the way you handle your outdoor areas can have a major impact on what happens inside. Sweeping debris and dust away from high-traffic areas outside, like porches, entryways and garages, can give you a head start on keeping unwanted material from entering your home.

Utilize your floor plan

By changing up your floor plan on a semi-regular basis you can move the high-traffic areas of your rooms around so that certain spots don’t experience excessive wear and tear. You can also use rugs to protect the most vulnerable areas, while also giving yourself another design element.

While you’re at it, you will probably want to protect your floors from furniture by avoiding items with plastic wheels, using fabric pads on the feet of couches and chairs, or even turning to DIY options like old T-shirts or socks.

Beware of feet

Both your feet and those of your pets can be the biggest threat to your floors. By taking off your shoes upon entering your home, regularly trimming the claws of your pets and being especially cautious when changing weather conditions increase the chances of mud, dirt, snow and other natural elements making their way into your home you can better prevent damage to your bamboo floors.

Staining your floors

Adding an extra layer of protection to your floors through staining or top coating can also prevent scratches, but they may also decrease the floor’s visual appeal. Stained bamboo floors tend to give you the best of both worlds, as they offer better protection while remaining aesthetically pleasing.

How to live a more environmentally sustainable lifestyle

In today’s more eco-centric world, the word “sustainability” gets thrown around a lot. But what does it mean?

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, sustainability is a basic principle meaning, “Everything that we need for our survival and well-being depends, either directly or indirectly, on our natural environment. Sustainability creates and maintains the conditions under which humans and nature can exist in productive harmony, that permit fulfilling the social, economic and other requirements of present and future generations.”

Applying the principle of sustainability

Even without a definition from a government agency, most people can come up with their own relatively similar understanding of sustainability. The problem is figuring out how to apply it to everyday life.

Sustainability requires more than just recycling and turning off the lights when you leave a room. To truly practice it, you have to make a conscious effort to utilize sustainable practices as often as you can in every facet of your life. That means thinking about it when you go to the grocery store, buy clothes and consider renovations to your home.

Sustainability in the home

Since your home is probably where you spend most of your time, it affords you the greatest opportunity to practice sustainability. Conserving energy by switching to LED light bulbs, turning thermostats down in the winter and up in the summer, and avoiding the use of appliances like dishwashers and microwaves whenever possible are just a few steps you can take.

But sustainability also extends to the way you design your home in the first place. Using products that are less harmful to the environment, like bamboo flooring, bamboo panels and bamboo plywood, provide significant sustainability advantages over traditional wood, and can be a major step toward leading a more ecologically productive lifestyle.

Using bamboo products to live a more sustainable lifestyle

With the ability to naturally regenerate on an annual basis, bamboo doesn’t have many of the dangerous deforestation effects Dr. Seuss warned us all about in The Lorax. Nor does it use the kinds of pesticides, fertilizer or erosion-causing artificial irrigation techniques that go into growing many other materials.

Bamboo also helps avoid erosion with its rhizome root structure that holds loose soil in place. The climate change benefits are also stunning, as bamboo forests can capture up to 70 percent more carbon per year than their hardwood counterparts.

Certain bamboo products, like Plyboo, from Smith & Fong, even eliminate formaldehyde from the adhesive process, leading to better indoor air quality.
Living a more sustainable lifestyle is a matter of awareness and effort. Fortunately, new products are becoming available every day that make that goal more attainable.

Building a better basketball court with bamboo

The basketball court is one of the most sacred playing surfaces in all of sports. The way the ball ricochets off the floor, the cushioning it provides athletes as they sprint up and down the court, and the bounce and give of the facade as players launch jump shots and vie for rebounds all have a meaningful role in the outcome of the game.

Because of those factors, finding the right material with which to construct or redo a basketball floor is essential to creating the sacrosanct sporting environment the game requires. From the classic parquet floors of The Boston Garden, which saw 16 different championship teams trod on its surface, to the standard maple and beech hardwood floors of courts across the country, arena owners and managers have always sought the perfect material to absorb the pounding imposed upon them during games and practices.

An alternative to maple, beech and synthetics

In the past several years, a different type of sports flooring has emerged to challenge the standard use of maple and synthetic materials in basketball courts. Bamboo flooring and bamboo plywood, known as Plyboo, is gaining greater awareness throughout the country for its utility in heavy-use public areas such as basketball courts and other sports venues.

Offering the kind of durability and elasticity that are crucial to both playing quality and maintenance, bamboo hardwood floors and Plyboo are increasingly being used in gyms large and small all over North America.

Sustainability is key to popularity

Not only does bamboo re-create or improve upon the standard feel and texture of a basketball court, it accomplishes that task in a way that is much more environmentally friendly than traditional materials. That is especially important for large sports venues and schools with basketball courts, since those are the types of buildings that have been at the forefront of the green revolution in America.

PlybooSport, made by Smith & Fong, is a type of bamboo sports flooring that offers benefits beyond its strength advantage over maple and beech. Especially when paired with bamboo underlying systems, PlybooSport can be a major step toward a facility earning Leadership in Energy Efficiency and Design (LEED) accreditation, a common barometer of eco-friendly design.

Bamboo’s environmental advantages over wood are a major reason for the material’s LEED-friendliness. Bamboo is rapidly renewable and requires far fewer artificial tools and techniques to promote growth and ease extraction than the ones used in hardwood forestry.

With all of its practical and environmental benefits, it’s no wonder sports and fitness facilities in the U.S., Canada and Mexico are increasingly turning to bamboo.

Bamboo products in the modern workplace

The old way of thinking about design as a system of function over form has almost disappeared over the past 20 years or so, as people realize they can achieve both ends at the same time. Customer-focused businesses have led the way in changing public spaces for the better, but even in traditional office spaces, employers are finding they can no longer get by with ordinary decor and furnishings in their efforts to create a comfortable and appealing work environment.

Modern design in the workplace

With the rise of modern design, workers are no longer satisfied spending 50 or more hours of their week sitting in staid, ugly, poorly lit offices. As their employers have become increasingly aware of those changing attitudes, they have turned to new and unique concepts to make their offices into welcoming, collaborative environments.

Newer, creative architectural techniques have led to things like open floor plans, cozier work spaces, more efficient and effective lighting and stylistic enhancements that have turned offices into places where people actually enjoy spending their time, as opposed to feeling like they’re trapped in a galley.

Among the many concepts, materials and design elements that have been making their way into the modern office are bamboo-derived products for floors, walls and furniture. Bamboo is even used as an alternative to plywood in products like Plyboo, from the Smith & Fong company.

More environmentally sustainable than traditional wood, while still providing the same, or even enhanced, aesthetic appeal, bamboo products can be part of any office construction or design. Not only are they more pliable and able to stand up to the kind of heavy use experienced in most offices, the environmental advantages they provide can be a big part of making commercial buildings more sustainable – a major concern in today’s more ecologically aware society.

Environmental benefits of using bamboo

Bamboo is grown with no added fertilizers, pesticides or irrigation, leading to significantly reduced, or even the elimination of, run-off toxic pollution in the local environment. Bamboo forests can sequester up to 70 percent more carbon than hardwood forests on an annual basis, limit land erosion and, since it regrows naturally every five years, there is no concern about deforestation.
Smith & Fong has taken the sustainability of bamboo even further by developing a formaldehyde-free glue for its products, making it the first adapter in the bamboo or palm industry to do so.

With their beauty, durability and eco-friendly attributes, products like bamboo flooring and paneling are becoming a bigger part of the interior design revolution, and can provide a major enhancement to any office space.

Using bamboo in your next project

Whether you’re a contractor or a DIYer, the type of materials you use in your next construction or home design project will be an important consideration. As you think about the look, feel and practicality of your interior spaces, it’s important to understand the impact all of the different materials that are available to you will have. Wood, brick, granite and steel are some of the go-to components for most home projects, but as design has become a major industry in America over the past few years, the options have greatly increased.

Building and design alternatives

While many of the traditional building and design components can and will play a major role in most any project you undertake, there are a slew of newer or repurposed older materials that are taking a larger role in the marketplace.

Beyond expanded consumer demand and awareness of design and construction, people are also more keen than ever to make their homes more sustainable and environmentally friendly. To that end, products made with bamboo and hemp, or that are manufactured from recycled, salvaged and natural building materials have been gaining in popularity over the past decade.

Of those products, bamboo has experienced some incredible growth in its use as a nearly all-purpose solution for some of the most difficult building and design problems. Unlike many of the other alternative materials, bamboo can be used in almost every room of the house, on nearly every type of surface and in a wide variety of styles and colors.

Using bamboo products to build and design a home

Flooring and paneling are the two most common areas where bamboo is being used. However, with new innovations like Plyboo, a bamboo-based alternative to traditional plywood, the options for using durable, pliable, sustainable bamboo in your home are growing all the time.

Plyboo, which is manufactured by Smith & Fong, can be the basis for turning any room of your home, office, restaurant or other space into a sleek yet comfortable environment. It’s especially adaptable to surfaces or structures that would normally call for wood, as it can retain the same look and feel while also being easier to install and paint in most cases.

As you begin to contemplate how to go about your next construction or design project, allow yourself to explore different styles and materials. By using sustainable, alternative materials, you can make your project both a showpiece and an example of modern, environmentally friendly architecture and design.

Bamboo plywood in the modern kitchen

For many people, the kitchen is the most important room in the house. It’s not just where they cook their meals, it’s a gathering place, living room, dining room and work station all in one. It’s a centerpiece of the home and can be a sanctuary from the trials and responsibilities of modern life. So making that room as welcoming and comfortable as possible is a top priority in most home designs.

Creative kitchen designs

These days, there may be more options for designing or redesigning your kitchen than there are kitchens in need of those services. Home design has been one of the true growth industries in the United States over the past several years, as more Americans choose to spend their money on longer term projects like home efficiency and design, rather than on perishable goods like clothes and entertainment.

The only downside of that remarkable range of choice is that it can be hard to sift through all of the options and find what works best for you and your kitchen. One area of that industry that has garnered a lot of attention lately is products made with bamboo. Panels and flooring are just two of the many bamboo-derived products that can emulate the look and feel of wood in your kitchen while being more durable, resistant and environmentally sustainable.

Bamboo products are also extremely versatile. Although primarily used for cabinetry and flooring, they can also be used to build or adorn other kitchen essentials like tables and chairs, and to decoratively cover other surface areas as well.

The many benefits of bamboo

While technically a grass, bamboo is actually much stronger than many types of wood. And that strength doesn’t come at the cost of pliability, as bamboo hardwood floors retain their springiness for years, making high-traffic areas like the kitchen ideal spots for installation.

Plyboo, from Smith & Fong, a San Francisco company that has been in the business for more than 20 years, is a type of bamboo plywood that can be easily adapted to pretty much any project in pretty much any kitchen. Whether it’s used strictly as an environmentally friendly alternative to traditional plywood, or as part of the aesthetic design of your kitchen or other parts of your home,

Plyboo is the ideal product for the modern homeowner who is looking to marry style and sustainability.

Upgrading your home with bamboo flooring.

Between the growing popularity of home improvement shows and increasing public awareness of the need to make living spaces more environmentally friendly, sustainable products like bamboo flooring and paneling are becoming a keystone of smart interior design.

Bamboo products and the environmentally friendly home

As demand for cleaner, greener products and technologies continues to expand and standards and certifications like Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design from the U.S. Green Building Council become more prevalent, the future of the American home is in the midst of a major shift toward a more intelligent, efficient future. A major part of that shift is occurring with the wider adoption of bamboo products for the home.

As an environmentally friendly product, bamboo offers a number of advantages. The farming and processing of bamboo has a minimal environmental impact compared to traditional hardwood forestry, offering more effective carbon sequestration, erosion prevention and natural annual regeneration.

For those looking to make their home as efficient and sustainable as possible, there are a number of products available that can easily be tailored to your living environment. And bamboo wood floors capture the look and feel of traditional hardwood floors without contributing to deforestation.

Bamboo products and home design

Bamboo can provide a number of benefits for your home beyond its environmental advantages. Whether it’s used in apartment buildings to reduce noise between units or in high-traffic areas throughout the home such as play rooms for the kids, bamboo’s durability and pliability reduce noise and hold up to heavy use at an exceptional rate.

And aside from the utilitarian benefits, when used in the home, bamboo wood floors are also aesthetically pleasing. Sporting a natural wood finish, they fit in seamlessly with most home design environments and can be used to enhance the look and feel of any room in the house.

Finding the right bamboo home products

As people become more aware of the advantages bamboo confers on the home, more products are entering the marketplace. Plyboo, available in both plywood and flooring, manufactured by San Francisco-based Smith & Fong Company, is a well-established brand, having first been introduced more than 20 years ago.

Being so far out in front of the sustainable home products movement, Plyboo has been able to establish itself as a leader long before the industry had even begun to fully develop. That long track record and a reputation for quality have helped make Plyboo the standard for bamboo plywood products.