Farmers harvest 4 to 5 year old bamboo from government controlled forests. Bamboo shoots grow rapidly and spread everywhere from the mother plant and are about 24" in the first 24 hours after breaking through the ground. Once established, bamboo plants are almost impossible to kill. Unlike trees, which die when harvested, bamboo regenerates itself so that the forests remain forever and bamboo is truly a renewable resource.

Bamboo is crosscut to the required length.

Outside bamboo knots are ground off.

Bamboo is put through a splitting and sizing machine.

The inside bamboo knots are ground off and the outer skin is removed.

The first 5 steps are taken care of by sub-contracted timbering companies who sell the unfinished strips to our mills.

The bamboo is put into a boiling treated water bath to remove sugar, mildew and pests and to prevent future decay.

The small individual strips are put through a 4 sided planing machine to approximate the size required.

Carbonised planks are put into a pressurized steam vessel and burned. This results in a darker colour between caramel and walnut.

The next step is to air dry and then kiln dry the strips to an 8% to 10% moisture level. This takes 5 days and is the single most important process. A mistake here will result in future product failure.

The small individual strips are put through a 4 sided planing machine to approximate the size required.

Bamboo strips are assembled into rough planks by colour and put through a gluing machine. After finishing, some of the strips tend to change colour.

The rough planks are put into a hydraulic press and set by a combination of heat and pressure. We are one of the very few mills with an 8 foot press capable of producing 4' by 8' plywood sheets.

The assembled planks are planed and sanded again on both faces.

The side tongue and groove is now milled into the planks.

The planks are processed through a cutting and shaping machine where the end tongue and groove is milled.

The planks are then painted on all sides with urethane that provides for 100% coverage.

The board is sanded and two coats of acrylic urethane are applied then followed by the final UV curing lights to dry and create an extremely hard finish.

Every board is now inspected and a factory control number is placed on all boards passing inspection.

The final finished product is separated by light and dark colours, packed and placed into inventory.