Manufacturing process
Teragren controls quality with strict specifications
Quality, from field to showroom floor
For Teragren bamboo products, the manufacturing process does not begin at the factory or in the fields. It begins with a business model that places responsibility for product development, manufacturing, and sustainable practices squarely on our shoulders. We achieve our goals only by working with extremely qualified and highly committed distribution and retail partners.
Optimum 5.5™ Moso, a Teragren exclusive
Although there are more than 1,500 species of bamboo, Teragren specifies only Optimum 5.5™ Moso (Phyllostachys pubescens) known for dense fibers that make beautiful, long-lived products. Our moso bamboo is grown in the Zhejiang and Jianxi provinces of China where the temperate climate nurtures particularly hard, strong bamboo. We insist that the bamboo we use is harvested at maturity, 5-1/2 to 6 years of age, to further ensure durability, color clarity and stability of our products.
Culling, cooking and caramelizing culms
At the factory, the bamboo is inspected for age, cracking, pests and general health with only the premium parts of the best culms selected for Teragren products. (The remainders are sold to other manufacturers so no bamboo culm is wasted.) Stalks are split into slats, planed to remove nodes (shavings are used later to fire our kilns), and boiled in a solution of water, hydrogen peroxide, and borate to eliminate pests and mildew.
Moisture Control, Step 1
Bamboo is a natural material that, like other hardwoods, absorbs and loses moisture from the air around it. By fastidiously acclimating the slats at various points in the manufacturing process, we insure optimal conditions for each phase of manufacturing which also insures a more durable end product. Before manufacturing continues, slats are placed in the kiln dry room for a few days, until they reach 6 percent to 9 percent moisture content.
Grading and sorting
We inspect and sort slats by grain, quality, color consistency, thickness and length in order to bundle them for specific uses. For example, those with the most consistent grain and color are reserved for the visible top or "wear" layers of our flooring. Other slats—less beautiful, but no less durable—are slated for use as strong cores or substrates. Slats designated for use in Teragren Caramelized flooring are pressure-cooked in an autoclave. The longer the fibrous slats are heated, the darker the sugar compounds become, yielding a deep, rich caramel color in the finished flooring, panels, veneer, trim and butcher block countertops. After they are once again kiln-dried (Moisture Control, Step 2) to 6 percent to 9 percent moisture content, all the slats—natural and caramelized—are ready for lamination.
Turning grass into hardwood
All bamboo stock is laminated before it is used to make flooring, trim, panels, veneer or butcher block. Teragren slats are laminated under mechanically controlled hydraulic pressure with environmentally safe adhesives, according to our stringent specifications. Depending upon how the slats are arranged before gluing, some the resulting product "blanks" will be flat grain and others vertical grain.
To make Synergy strand bamboo flooring, Teragren uses a patented process and an environmentally safe adhesive to fuse bamboo fibers under extreme pressure into large, solid-strip, fiberboard blocks. Synergy is 100 percent harder than red oak due to the density of the compressed strands. (U.S. Patent 5,543,197; Mexico Patent 204281) [show close-up of strand grain]
Environmentally friendly adhesives
Teragren's proprietary manufacturing adhesives emit 0.03 ppm of formaldehyde, less than allowed by U.S. OSHA, German E1, CARB Phase 1 and Phase 2, and Japanese JIS/JAS (F**) emission standards. The phenol-based manufacturing adhesive used in Synergy strand bamboo flooring qualifies for LEED® IEQ Credit 4.4: Low-Emitting Materials. By special order, we can make all other non-qualifying Teragren products with an adhesive that also qualifies for the same LEED credit. For more information, please call us at 800.929.6333 or send us an email.
From blank to plank
After lamination, all blanks are stored in a humidity-controlled warehouse for two weeks to return to ideal moisture content (Moisture Control, Step 3) before milling. Next, the bamboo blanks are cut into shapes, sizes and lengths, depending on the product line. For flooring, it is cut into lengths, milled to the proper profile (tongue-and-groove, TeraLoc, etc.) with micro-bevel edges and ends, and side- and end-matched.
Performance panels
While manufactured in much the same way as bamboo flooring, bamboo panels present more of a challenge, and it is in panel production that Teragren's more than 10 years of experience comes into play. Through trial and error—and constant upgrading of high-pressure equipment and proprietary adhesives—we now produce exceptional, void-free, sanded-four-sides panels.
The colors of bamboo
Teragren bamboo products acquire their colorations by nature, by caramelization or by applied stain. Signature Naturals, Craftsman and Studio bamboo flooring, as well as panels, veneer and butcher block , are made in Natural and Caramelized colors. Nothing else is done to achieve the subtle colors of Teragren Natural or Caramelized bamboo products.
Stains are applied to achieve the rich tones of Teragren Signature Colors bamboo flooring, stair parts and trim. Espresso, Cherry, Walnut and Charcoal flooring stains are applied mechanically for consistency of color and to allow us to manufacture high volumes of high-quality products.
Patented Synergy strand bamboo flooring is available in Wheat, the natural color of strand bamboo; Chestnut, the caramelized color; Java, an intriguing combination of light and dark caramelized fibers with a more exotic look; and Brindle, natural and caramelized fibers with more contrast than Java.
Finish, the first line of defense
Teragren manufactures prefinished and site-finished bamboo products. On our prefinished products, we use a water-based, solvent-free finish from Klumpp Coatings of Germany. There are five layers of finish sitting atop every plank of prefinished Teragren flooring, including a UV sealer coat, the aluminum oxide coat to resist abrasion, and two layers of high-quality, scratch-resistant polyurethane. With polyurethane used as the two topcoats, future re-coating will be easier and will maintain the integrity of the aluminum oxide-treated base hardwood bamboo. Teragren prefinished flooring carries a 25-year residential/5-year commercial finish warranty.
Moisture management pays off in performance
Why all the fuss about moisture? As with all hardwood, moisture content at delivery is key to avoiding problems such as warping and cupping after installation. Teragren's multiple moisture-control measures are designed so that our products arrive at your home or job site with a delivered moisture content of 6 percent to 9 percent. The final moisture control step is taken at the installation site—the flooring should be allowed to acclimate for a few days in the room where it will 'live' before it is installed.
High standards of quality assurance and environmental management
After our products are finished, we prepare them for shipping to our distributors. Every piece of Teragren bamboo flooring, stair parts, trim, panel, veneer and butcher block is made without flaws that might cause tear-outs or voids that result in de-lamination and other failures often encountered with lower-priced bamboo products. We rely on our stringent specifications, modern manufacturing processes, and multiple quality control checks to ensure uniform quality and color of our products. We regularly have our products tested in independent U.S. laboratories so you can be confident that you will enjoy Teragren products for years to come.