Frequently asked questions
Flooring
How to buy
Where can I find a local flooring retailer?
Product questions
How much does your bamboo flooring cost?
Which of your flooring products can be floated?
Which of your flooring products can be glued down?
Which of your flooring products can be nailed or stapled?
How is Teragren's Synergy solid-strip strand bamboo flooring different from your other flooring products?
Can your flooring be used in the kitchen or bathroom?
Can your bamboo parquet butcher block be used as a cutting block like maple? How does it compare to a maple butcher block?
Manufacturing
Where do your bamboo products come from and how are they made?
What does the term "caramelized" mean?
Technical
What is the off-gassing formaldehyde level of the adhesive used in laminating the bamboo strips together to form flooring and panels?
Does climate affect your flooring products?
Installation guidelines
Can your bamboo flooring be glued directly to concrete?
Can your bamboo flooring be used over radiant heat systems?
Care + maintenance
How do I care for my Teragren bamboo floor?
How can I repair surface finish scratches?
How can I repair gouges in my floor?
Will pets scratch or dent my floor?
Can your products be used outdoors?
What about termites?
What is your warranty?
How to buy
Visit the Where to buy section of this web site.
If you are unable to find a local retailer, call the flooring distributor for your state for a referral to a retailer.
If a distributor is not available in your state, call us at 800.929.6333 for more information on how to purchase Teragren products.
Product questions
The Suggested Retail Price of our flooring products is approximately $6 to $8 per square foot before installation—similar to any quality hardwood such as maple. Installation costs vary from $3.50 to $5.50 per square foot, depending on the complexity of the installation.
Teragren Studio wide-plank floating floor features the Välinge-patented, self-locking system that requires no adhesive. Teragren Craftsman may also be floated.
Teragren Signature Naturals, Signature Colors, Craftsman and Synergy strand solid-strip may all be glued down with a premium wood adhesive such as Bostik's Best. For more information, please consult our installation guidelines.
Teragren Signature Naturals, Signature Colors, Craftsman and Synergy strand solid-strip may all be nailed or stapled.
How is Teragren's Synergy solid-strip, strand bamboo flooring different from your other flooring products?
Synergy is 43 percent harder than our standard bamboo flooring products—ideal for high-traffic commercial as well as residential installations. Made with a unique, patented manufacturing process, bamboo fibers are fused together with an environmentally safe adhesive put under extreme pressure. Teragren owns the patent rights to the strand process in the U.S. and Mexico (US Patent #5,543,197 and Mexico Patent #204281)
Yes! Many homeowners enjoy bamboo flooring throughout their homes. Any hardwood flooring, including bamboo, should be installed (and maintained) in a kitchen or bath only under carefully controlled moisture conditions.
Excessive moisture (i.e., inefficient exhaust fans, overflowing sinks, tubs, dishwashers, etc.) would cause any natural material surface to swell and/or "cup." You may want to consult an experienced installer in your area for an evaluation and specific recommendation for your home environment. For more details, check out the flooring care section of the official website of the Hardwood Manufacturers Association.
Unlike most other hardwoods, bamboo absorbs very little moisture and consequently does not shrink or swell as much, making it a superior choice of material for cutting boards. In addition, it's harder than maple or oak. When cutting or chopping, the end-grain fibers absorb the impact of the blade, keeping your knives sharper longer. The malleable and forgiving end-grain surface is also resistant to nicks and gouges, which prevents bacteria from entering, and increases the longevity of the cutting board. It may be sanded to make the surface new and beautiful again.
Manufacturing
Teragren bamboo flooring, panels and veneer are manufactured to stringent specifications in our ISO 9001:2000- and 14001-certified factories in the Zhejiang province of China. Teragren's Optimum 5.5™ Moso bamboo is harvested at maturity between 5-1/2 and 6 years, and then split into strips to extract the premium part of the culm. The strips are treated with hydrogen peroxide and a natural borate solution to resist pests and mildew, then kiln-dried to remove moisture. They are laminated with an environmentally safe adhesive under high pressure to produce planks for flooring and paneling. You can learn more about our Teragren manufacturing and our 11 quality-control checkpoints on this web site.
Bamboo is part of the sugar cane family. Sugar compounds in the fiber darken with heat and become darker the longer the bamboo is heated. This process creates a beautiful caramel color all the way through the final product. Teragren coined the term "caramelized" to describe the beautiful coloration and process.
Technical
Teragren currently uses three types of manufacturing adhesives—urea-formaldehyde based, phenol-formaldehyde based, and formaldehyde free. Our proprietary manufacturing adhesives emit 0.03 ppm or less of formaldehyde, less than allowed by U.S. OSHA, European E0, CARB Phase 1 and Phase 2, and Japanese JIS/JAS (F****) emissions standards. Learn more.
Installation guidelines
All Teragren bamboo flooring products, with the exception of Studio wide-plank floating floor, are suitable for a glue-down application to concrete with a premium wood adhesive such as Bostik's Best adhesive. As always, check for any moisture problems in the concrete first. Consult each product's installation guidelines for further information.
Yes, due to its inherent dimensional stability, any Teragren bamboo flooring product is ideal over radiant heat systems.
Due to our proprietary manufacturing adhesives and our stringent quality control systems, Teragren flooring may be successfully installed in a variety of climates, from arid Arizona and high-and-dry Colorado, to rather humid Hawaii and the rainy Pacific Northwest. For best results, job site conditions should range in humidity levels between 40 percent and 60 percent. Refer to Pre-installation Notes in our installation guidelines for acclimation information and other precautions.
Care + maintenance
Just as you would any quality hardwood floor. For details, read flooring care.
Scratches in the scratch-resistant polyurethane finish show up white. To change the color of a scratch and blend it back in, use a product such as Zenith Almond Stick. This will not fill in the scratch, however; it will change the color and make it less noticeable.
Board replacement may be possible by a professional installer. If board replacement is not possible, try RPM/Mohawk Fil Stiks. These are large wax crayons that fill voids and are a close match to Teragren's colors as follows:
For Signature Naturals, Craftsman and Studio flooring in Natural:
M231-7898
M230-9846
Or
M230-0332
M230-415
For Signature Naturals, Craftsman and Studio flooring in Caramelized:
M230-0360 for Flat Grain
M230-0415 for Vertical Grain
Both may be used due to color variations in planks.
These products are also available through several online woodworking supply stores.
The Soft Wax Filler system from Fast Cap LLC also produces a variety of colored wax sticks. Rub the wax into the scratch until it is full. Scrape off the excess with their plastic scraper and buff. You may mix different colors together to match whatever color is required.
Most pets with sharp claws or nails will scratch the finish. Heavier pets may actually cause small dents in the floor. We recommend keeping their claws trimmed to avoid scratching the finish.
Our bamboo products are suitable for any interior application—not exterior, unless completely sealed against moisture.
Our bamboo flooring (and/or panels and veneer) holds up very well when termites are present. Bamboo is a grass, not a wood, and is an extremely hard, dense material. It has good rot resistance which helps to prevent conditions conducive to termite infestation.
Prior to milling the bamboo into flooring, panels, veneer or butcher block, all of the bamboo is bathed in a solution of hydrogen peroxide and natural borate. This kills any existing pests or mold spores in the bamboo, as well as extracts some of the natural starches which can attract termites.
Limited Warranty for Residential Use—Signature Naturals, Signature Colors, Craftsman, Studio and Synergy:
- 25-year Structural Warranty
- 25-year Residential Finish Warranty
Limited Warranty for Residential Use—Spectrum
- 25-year Structural Warranty
- 15-year Residential Finish Warranty
Limited Warranty for Commercial Use—Signature Naturals, Signature Colors, Craftsman, Studio and Synergy.
- 25-year Structural Warranty
- 5-year Commercial Finish Warranty
Limited Warranty for Commercial Use—Spectrum
- 25-year Structural Warranty
- 3-year Commercial Finish Warranty
You may read the complete warranties on this web site.