Bamboo Firm Smith & Fong Branches Into Hardwood

San Francisco, CA, May 4, 2009--Bamboo flooring and plywood firm Smith & Fong Co. said it is launching its first line of hardwood flooring.

Named Sideways, the new line comes in engineered click-lock planks, featuring a rotary-cut hardwood veneer face.

"Sideways takes a whole new approach to hardwood flooring on many levels," Smith & Fong president and founder Dan Smith said.

Developed for both commercial and residential applications, the entire line is urea formaldehyde-free and FSC-certified, enabling it to help earn points in the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program.

Sideways is manufactured in America from indigenous hardwood species, maple, beech, birch, cherry and hackberry.

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.