According to the Environmental Protection Agency, Americans spend 93 percent of their lives indoors. And while that means less exposure to outdoor pollutants, we often forget about the harmful toxins creeping around our homes, offices, and favourite stores. A recent study found that most vinyl flooring contains chemicals that are released into the air for years after installation – lead, cadmium, toxic phthalates, and other uninvited guests aren’t necessarily welcome in our lungs. But the odds are, if you’ve just installed a brand new set of floorboards, you won’t need to swap them out for the next ten or fifteen years.
If you are considering a change, however, an innovative, all-in-one solution lays with bamboo charcoal flooring. ‘We believe that people should not compromise on the importance of flooring, as it has a significant impact on one’s well-being,’ says Charles Lim, co-founder and director of BamcoFlor, a flooring innovation with the power to revolutionise a whole industry.
‘We’ve always had a rocky history when it comes to flooring. Over the past 15 years, we shifted from home to home, frequently encountering issues with various types of flooring,’ Lim says. And so BamcoFlor was born, providing a key to a market dominated by chemistry and artificiality.
With the deteriorating state of the environment, Lim explains, BamcoFlor’s ethos – ‘living the right way’ – ensures that sustainability is a priority. ‘Natural products are costly, and so people are less inclined to purchase them. Artificially-made products already resemble the look and feel of a natural material, while being cheaper,’ he says. And while governments have been driving people to be more environmentally-conscious when choosing a product, it doesn’t always come easy. BamcoFlor, however, were able to transform a completely sustainable resource so that it mimics the practicality of artificial products while still remaining affordable.
‘We believe that people should not compromise on the importance of flooring, as it has a significant impact on one’s well-being’
‘Most other flooring products are labour-intensive to install, lack durability, and are prone to hazards such as water, fire, termites, and humidity. We have succeeded in creating flooring that not only solves all of these problems, but is 100% recyclable and reusable, meaning owners are able to transport and re-install the same flooring into their new home, reducing waste and lessening the depletion of scarce natural resources,’ Lim says. In addition, the bamboo used by BamcoFlor only takes five years to harvest, in comparison to most trees, which can take half a century to mature.
BamcoFlor is designed with longevity in mind. Chemical-resistant even in harsh industrial environments, slip- and scratch-resistant to keep daily wear-and-tear to a minimum, and made with calcium to keep termites at bay, bamboo charcoal flooring beats its vinyl, laminated, and engineered wood competitors both in terms of endurance and sustainability. We powderise the bamboo into a charcoal form which is mixed with other core ingredients to create the flooring, which is then fused with BamcoFlor’s patented diamond shield layer through heat compression to form the board. The board is then trimmed to one of the sizes offered, and processed through a grooving machine to put the ‘click’ system in place.
Available in fully customisable shades, BamcoFlor brings exclusivity, class, and peace of mind to any interior.
