Wood and Waste and a hint of Eucalyptus

Sustainability is about many things, but who knew it would include plastic, as in plastic laminate. Well the people at Wilsonart of Temple, Texas did.

In an article posted yesterday, November 18, 2009, on Interior Design’s blog by Penny Bonda, http://bit.ly/3pflZ4 , the accomplishments of Wilsonart in their environmental stewardship were highlighted.

Wilsonart is know as an industry leader in the production of high-pressure decorative laminate. They are also producers of Laminate Flooring, Solid Surface and Adhesives. A consistent theme throughout the portfolio of Wilsonart is the attention to environmental issues.

The recent achievement of Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) chain of custody certification for their high-pressure laminate from the Scientific Certification Systems (SCS) is the first award to a laminate company.



When you look at the content of a typical laminate from Wilsonart, you have rapidly renewable materials, primarily eucalyptus, post-consumer recycled content, FSC and controlled wood fiber that contribute to the majority (70%) of the material. The remaining material being resin. The laminate backer contains a minimum of 30% recycled content as well. The post-consumer recycled content in the laminate is the highest in the industry.

The collection of color and patterns from Wilsonart is as great as their environmental story. The new patterns Medallion, Eclipse, Luna and Mosaic revel an ability to show a vision while keeping current with design and trends within their portfolio. The new collection of wood laminates is also a beautiful addition to the more traditional standards.

What are your new favorites? Mine is 4893-60 Tumbled Mosaic.


Also available in Wilsonart HD High Definition and Wilsonart Premium Laminates is AEON Enhanced Performance technology. It creates a surface that is more durable and can last longer in areas that take more wear and abuse that a standard surface, all the while the product will still look great.

All Wilsonart Laminate products are Greenguard Indoor Air Quality and Children and School Certified, and can contribute to LEED credit for Low Emitting Materials, Indoor Air Quality, Recycled Content, Rapidly Renewable Resources and Responsible Forest Management.

The overall package of Wilsonart as a company is the real future. While laminate has gotten the sustainable spotlight, the company is committed to their environmental program with all their products. The Adhesives for wood and laminate are Greenguard Certified for Indoor Air Quality, the first introduced. The Laminate Floor is SCS Certified for a minimum of 70% pre-consumer recycled wood fiber as well as Greenguard Certified for Indoor Air Quality. The wood fiber is also from sources that are certified by Sustainable Forestry Initiative. The Solid Surface made by Wilsonart is also Greenguard Certified for Indoor Air Quality.

Look up Wilsonart and all that they have to offer at http://www.wilsonart.com/default.aspx .

Have I seen you somewhere before?

Have you ever seen an old New England farm house or barn in person or photograph and had visions of what could be done with the raw materials if you used then again in another building? All the character and texture that life has worn into them has added to their beauty. They are more precious than new timber in some ways.

Well, deconstruct not demolish! What a sustainable idea. To reuse and recycle a material for another life as opposed to sending it to the landfill because it was no longer needed in it’s current form.

That is what Stone Source has accomplished with their Reclaimed Wood products in development with a third generation family owned mill. As a building is being deconstructed, not demolished, 90% of the building’s reclaimable resources are obtained and carefully graded to produce product that is of desirable quality and aesthetics.

Textured Reclaimed Wood Series

Textured Reclaimed Wood series comes mainly from deconstructed old barns, farm houses, attic floors, cabins and light structural beams.

Textures include American Chestnut - Sculpted, Berkshire Pine Barn Siding - Raked, New England Hemlock - Bear Wood, North Faced Oak Barn Siding, Poplar - Raked, Vertical Grain Heart Pine, Wide Pine - Burnished.

The product’s applications are best suited for interior walls.

All of the Reclaimed Wood is FSC Certified. The Textured Reclaimed Wood won the 2009 Best of NeoCon Silver Award in the Wall Treatment category. All of the Engineered Reclaimed Wood is Rainforest Alliance Certified.

Antique Reclaimed Wood Flooring Series

Antique Reclaimed Wood Flooring series is deconstructed from columns, structural timbers, siding and thick decking throughout the Northeast to provide different types and sizes of wood fiber in several different grades.

Antique Woods include: American Chestnut Beam Stock, Heart Pine Beam Stock, White Oak Beam Stock, Hickory Beam Stock, North Faced Oak Barn Siding - Kendall Road, and Reclaimed Mixed Softwoods.

Antique Reclaimed Wood Flooring is suitable for interiors.

The wood flooring is FSC Certified and Rainforest Alliance Certified.

Engineered Reclaimed Wood Flooring Series


Engineered wood flooring is primarily sourced and manufactured in the United States with the exception of the Fair Dinkum Jurrah. The mill has been proactive with their engineered wood flooring by seeking an ecologically responsible alternative to other manufactured product. The plywood used in the panels is produced from domestic species and is FSC Certified. Reclaimed wood, in a layer 3/16" thick, is bound to the plywood with a low-VOC formaldehyde-free adhesive.

This series includes: Engineered Reclaimed Hickory, Engineered Reclaimed Ash, Engineered Reclaimed Chestnut, Engineered Reclaimed Grey Elm, Engineered Reclaimed Fair Dinkum Jurrah, and Engineered Reclaimed Heart Pine.

Engineered Reclaimed Wood is suitable for interior floors.

All of the Engineered Reclaimed Wood is FSC Certified and is Rainforest Alliance Certified.


With this entire collection Stone Source has not only saved beautiful material from going to a land fill but have given the design community inspired product to create new spaces.

For more information about these material and Stone Source visit http://www.stonesource.com/eblasts/reclaimed_wood.html.

Let’s get Entwined

Pallas Textiles has just introduced the Entwined Collection of textiles, a Laura Guido - Clark design. This collection is a inspiration to the simple elegance of textiles. The texture of thread in intricate patterns and the play of light and shadow create a broad pallet of color.

The collection consists of five patterns:
On the Fringe

Unraveled
Interlace
Running Stitch
Unspun

While Pallas has created a beautiful textile collection, they also are environmentally conscience. The Unspun pattern offers Crypton Green, the first high-performance fabric system to receive a MBDC Cradle-to-Cradle and SCS Indoor Advantage™ Gold certifications. Unraveled has a 100% biodegradable polyurethane surface and Interlace is 100% recyclable solution dyed nylon.

To add one more bonus to all of this, Pallas is donating a portion of the proceeds for the Entwined collection to breast cancer research.

I like the balance of solid textiles with texture and coordinating patterns. It makes this a strong collection for healthcare or corporate clients.

Pallas offers graded in programs with many manufactures for easy of specifying.

Check out the new Entwine collection for the beautiful patterns and color pallet.



Pallas Textiles http://www.pallastextiles.com/

Weaving a Dream

An article in The Grand Rapids Press, http://bit.ly/NpmiV, this week brought to my attention a wonderful collaboration to the office furniture industry. DesignTex has contracted with Azure Rugs Inc. for a new collection of rugs called Common Threads made by Afghan women.

The program is more than about the carpets. It’s about empowering these women and girls and providing education and employment for them. We get a beautiful product and they get a better life.

Azure Rugs Inc. is a not-for- profit organization that is providing sustainable income for Afghan women by making connections and selling the rugs they weave. The program that Azure has established helps empower the women weavers so they are able to provide for their families and gain access to education and healthcare.

This is the first product the weavers have produced that is being sold through the office furniture industry. The Common Threads Collection was previewed at NeoCon in Chicago this past June with great success. It won two awards: Innovation and Editor’s Choice.

Sizes are 5x7, 6x9 and 8x8. The rugs are hand tied with 100 knots per square inch.

Patterns are Unity, Relativity R600, Prosperity, Humanity, Connectivity R300, and Diversity.

Personally I love the Humanity design with Prosperity a close second. Somehow that sounds a little strange but right, Humanity over Prosperity! I like it.

DesignTex has taken sustainability into account with these rugs in many areas. Make sure to check out their environmental Design criteria for Common Threads.

I think these are beautiful and tell a great story. They are worth checking out.
DesignTex http://www.dtex.com/