Smith & Fong to begin production of urea formaldehyde-free bamboo flooring, plywood products

May 6, 2008 - San Francisco - Bamboo flooring and plywood pioneer Smith & Fong Co. has announced it has begun converting its plants in Taiwan and China to urea formaldehyde (UF)-free manufacturing processes, and UF-free Plyboo® flooring, called PlybooPure™, is now available throughout the North American market.

Company president and founder Dan Smith stated that Smith & Fong has developed a proprietary process that accommodates the production challenges that have beleaguered other companies' attempts at manufacturing formaldehyde-free bamboo flooring in China.

"We are committed to a wholesale conversion that will eliminate urea formaldehyde from our products," Smith said.

Smith stated that in 2008, 50 percent of the company's plywood and flooring production will be converted to UF-free PlybooPure, enabling architects and specifiers to achieve credits through the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership for Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards' EQ Credit 4.4: No Added Urea Formaldehyde.

"Earlier this year, when the California Air Resources Board (CARB) voted in its two-phase regulations to reduce and eliminate formaldehyde from composite wood products, Plyboo had already surpassed the CARB regulations' most stringent emission levels," Smith said. "But there is no reason formaldehyde cannot be eliminated completely from adhesives while maintaining quality and efficiency. That's exactly what we're doing with PlybooPure."

Founded in 1989 and headquartered in San Francisco, Smith & Fong Co. was the first U.S. company to manufacture bamboo flooring in China for sale in North America, offering its initial product under the brand name Plyboo in 1993. In 1996 the firm began producing bamboo plywood, followed by coconut palm flooring and plywood products in 2000. Smith & Fong is committed to sustainability through innovation. For information call 866-835-9859 or visit www.plyboo.com.