Green Shoots Blog
All companies have to start somewhere, and our humble beginnings start on none other than the beautiful island of Kauai. In 2004, two college buddies Jeff Goldberg and Tanner Haigwood set off on a year-long surf trip in search of good waves and good times. To help fund the adventure, Jeff took up a part time gig chopping down bamboo in a private estate, where he soon had his ah ha! moment. “After a week by myself in this forest cutting down bamboo, I guess I had nothing else to think about but bamboo,” says Jeff, “the idea just popped into my head one day.”
Jeff figured bamboo could easily be turned into fencing, and because it’s so rapidly renewable, the idea was the perfect embodiment of Jeff’s undying passion for protecting the environment. After a broken foot sent him back home to San Diego, Jeff began selling bamboo fencing and Cali Bamboo was born. From the start, our mission at Cali Bamboo has been to provide alternative building products made from renewable resources such as bamboo to positively impact the future of our planet.
A Culture Built on Values
Cali Bamboo has come along way since 2004, now boasting an expansive product line including flooring and decking. As Cali Bamboo has grown (and grown, and grown, and grown…), our values have remained the same. Our “family” is built by a team of over 50 passionate employees who value the Earth and all it has to offer, and this shared passion is the foundation for everything we do. For us, it has never been about making an easy buck, and we have never cut corners in terms of safety or quality. It’s clear to us that providing top-quality, green building alternatives that contribute to the long-term sustainability of the planet is simply the right thing to do.
Quality Over Price
Unlike other companies who cut costs by utilizing low quality materials, Cali Bamboo takes great care in our sourcing and manufacturing processes. We carry only the highest quality products- products we use in our own homes where our children grow up. We take extensive measures to ensure that our products are held to the highest safety standards, like conducting regular third-party testing through the leading test company Benchmark International. We are one of the few companies that hold ourselves to transparency by posting all VOC and Janka Hardness test results on our website, which we have done for years. This means that as our customers raise their families on our floors, they have the peace of mind that only comes with a quality product free from harmful additives.
In any industry, quality is reflected in price, and flooring is no different. Many corporate flooring companies offer “ultra-low prices”- but at what cost to the consumer? While we may not have the lowest prices in the business, our hope is that homeowners realize the importance of investing a little more on a lifetime product to ensure it is safe for their family.
Cali Cares
At Cali Bamboo, we know that offering high quality products is only part of the big picture, and the other part is delivering the highest level of customer care. We pride ourselves on our customer service, and always follow through on our promise to put customer satisfaction above our bottom line. It is important to us to truly get to know our customers to help them make a purchase decision that is right for them, and we even go that extra mile by providing services such as the My Cali Dream Floor to help customers visualize new flooring in their home before they commit to a big purchase. Our goal is to be there for our customers through the entire process, and our Customer Service department recently doubled in size to maintain the highest level of service possible. Even years after their purchase, customers know they can call their friends at Cali Bamboo. Can you say that about any big box retailers?
Additionally, giving back to our local community by supporting environmental and humanitarian organizations has always been important to us. We are big supporters of the Surfrider Foundation, Habitat for Humanity, the San Diego Humane Society, and Susan G. Komen for the Cure.
The Cali Bamboo Difference
We know homeowners have a lot of options when it comes to products for their home, and we know we’re a small company competing with some big corporate players. But at the end of the day, we’re a family committed to offering safe, high-quality products that we feel proud to stand behind. Everyday we’re working to make the world a better place, and we want customers who are excited to be a part of that.
The idea for Cali Bamboo was born in Hawaii, whose state motto is Ua Mau ke Ea o ka Aina i ka Pono or The life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness. For Hawaiians, pono means righteousness, always doing what is morally right and selfless. You could say that Cali Bamboo is inspired by the Hawaiian idea of pono because our business operates on the principle of always doing the right thing– for the environment and for our customers. When considering which company to work with for your home improvement needs, we hope you will consider catching a wave with Cali Bamboo.
Is your product good for the harsh south Florida sun? We want to use it on our dock, but want to know if it gets too hot to walk at high noon.
Hi Rosa, yes we have many happy customers in Florida and many have used our products on salt and fresh water docks.
Best,
Check out this blog post: https://www.calibamboo.com/blog/decks-and-docks/
Is this flooring smooth no holes are groves
Hi Susan,
Are you referring to distressing? Some floor styles have a wavy surface and can have gouges and grooves giving it a weathered and worn look. We have lots of floor styles both with and without distressing.
Does this decking work for putting on top of concrete pour and steps?
I don’t think so, it’s designed to be installed onto a substructure.
ok have read most of your comments but not body has said anything about a pool side decking, have used other “plastic” wood and have found that the heat that it puts off is too extreme for children to walk on, so how does your product dispense the heat?
thanks
Hi Harold,
I’ve done some testing of different brands of composite decking and I can tell you from brand to brand they all perform about the same. The big take-away from my tests was that the color of the decking material had much more to do with how hot it got and how long it held onto that heat. If you have kids and are concerned about your deck getting too hot, be sure to choose a lighter colored product. We have several light colors in our Bamdeck (Slate) and TruOrganics (Glacier, Mojave) lineups that stay cooler in direct sun.
Hi,
Is there a certain subfloor that should be used for ur TruOrganics calibamboo decking. Actually want to build a free standing deck over my lawn. What kind of barrier is recommended and is there a specific subfloor that is recommended.
If Lowes a distributor would it be cheaper buying thru them rather than ur company in San Diego & would u recommend that I use a Lowes installer???
Thanks
Yvette P
Hi Yvette,
Yes, you’ll want to build a deck substructure for the planks to be installed on. Keep in mind, joists must be no greater than 16 inches on center. You’ll want to use a licensed contractor, Lowe’s may be able to provide recommendations. Also, some states require decks to be built to local building codes which is something a licensed contractor will be aware of. Best of luck!
Is there a place on your site where I can read about the fossilizing process. Is it different than strand bamboo and how?
The biggest differences being we use better adhesives and use more bamboo in the process: https://www.calibamboo.com/janka-hardness-scale/
We are replacing a large deck in Nashville Tennessee. What products do you recommend?
Thanh you
GARaines
Are you just replaceing the deck boards? If so, then any of our composite deck boards will work as long as there is no more than 16″ on center between joists.
Forgot one more question! I’m on a concrete slab. Lowes said I don’t have to use any underlayment, Is that correct?
Does it just click together? I’ve seen where some people glue or nail with an 18g nail is that necessary?
Hi Marcia,
You should always use some form of moisture barrier on concrete. For vinyl flooring you can probably get away with basic protection but for any flooring with wood you’ll want full protection.
You can’t nail down with concrete subfloors, you can float it or glue it down. If you float, you’ll want to seal the concrete with Titebond 531+ or use a moisture barrier underlayment like CaliComplete or Pergo Gold with the metallic seal tape.
If you glue down I’d use a glue that has a built in moisture barrier. Also it is very important to use the proper trowel for flooring glue.
Walker Hicks:
There are not a lot of us with the first name Walker, and I just wanted to say Hi!
Walker Banning
Tallahassee, Florida
Ha ha! So true. Hey Walker!
Hi Walker, I bought a place way up northwest of Victoria Island, BC. Is there any store where I can purchase your cork flooring. If they do, will they do any deliveries (free or with charges? ).
Hi LP,
Beautiful region, I visited once as a child and being from Arizona, I was amazed at how green and lush everything was. I’ve forwarded your inquiry to one of our Green Building Specialists, they should be able to point you in the right direction.
Best,
Is China the only country in the world that produces Cali Bamboo? Why call it Cali after Cali Colombia?
We source materials from countries where those resources are most abundant. Our bamboo is from China, eucalyptus is from Australia, and our cork products are from Spain.
Chinese laminates/composites often have unacceptably high levels of formaldehyde in the glues used to construct them. What do you know about this problem in your product, made in China?
Hi Penny,
High levels of VOCs in flooring is more correctly associated with low-cost flooring products, not necessarily where a product is made. Yes, China does make a lot of cheap flooring products but it’s not a China problem, there are cheap flooring options made elsewhere that are just as offending. While most of our offerings are manufactured in China, we ensure only quality materials, glues and finishes are used in the manufacturing of our products and carefully oversee production. We have teams in China that perform random 18 point inspections on each flooring production batch. If a product is approved for shipment, once received, we send random samples out for third party emissions testing and post those test results on our website for each product. We really do put our consumer’s safety and our planet’s well being first, it’s one of the reasons we’ve grown so fast as a company, and I wouldn’t work for an organization that didn’t care for their customers before and after the sale. I have a copy of our inspection report I can send you if you’d like to see that, and if you have any others questions, don’t hesitate to ask.
Best,
Is Cali Bamboo produced in China?
Yes, that is where most of the world’s Moso bamboo grows in abundance.
Hi guys,
I was wondering who might be a distributor of you plywood sheets in the San Francisco area. My zip is 94118. Thanks!
Hi Stephen,
We don’t currently have a reseller in your area that would have our plywood in stock. We’re happy to discuss your project or what your needs might be. Call 1(888) 788-2254 and ask for Clark.
Best,
What does the unfinished bamboo come from? And where are the engineered products made?
Whu is your agent in Seattle?
Thanks,
Carol Farr
All of our bamboo products are manufactured where it grows naturally, the Anhui province of China. You can find our flooring in any Lowe’s Home Improvement store or if you’re not near a Lowe’s or interested in something other than flooring I can get you some dealer contacts? What products in particular are you interested in?
Where can I get ahold of products?
Hi Rob,
If you’re in San Diego you’re welcome to come on over! If not you can order samples for our website or we have a network of dealers across the country, all I need to know is your zip code and I can find one nearby. If all that isn’t enough, our flooring is now in most every Lowe’s home improvement store.
Hey guys I just wanted to say we have decided to use your product because Cali Cares. We are installing 1250 sq ft in our kitchen, family room , dining room, half bath and hall way. My question is how many boxes should I purchase? I know there will be some waste. The other question is do you make a color between distressed Mocha fossilized Wide Click Bamboo and Antique Java Fossilized Wide Click Bamboo?
Very cool Ron,
You’re going to want to talk to one of our green building experts to get everything exact but I can tell you there is 21.5 sqft per box of Wide T&G so that’s almost 60 boxes. I believe we recommend 5%-10% overage so that puts you around 64 or 65. As for color, the Antique Java does have some variation and I’m actually installing it in my home right now. Some planks are on the darker side and some on the lighter, and one plank got pretty close to Distressed Mocha. Here’s a photo of my landing that shows the range in tone. Here’s one of the completed install.