Wausau, WI -- Kolbe expands its selection of interior wood species to include a new, special option – Lamboo®, an engineered, laminated veneer bamboo (LVB) product.

“Bamboo is the most renewable material of its kind currently available for the building products industry,” Kolbe’s product and market analyst, Lance Premeau, LEED® Green Associate. “Selected from more than 1600 species of bamboo, Lamboo LVB products are manufactured from four of the strongest, fast growing and sustainable species.”

He adds, “Similar in density to Hard Maple, Lamboo has no knots or voids and is pressed into two different grain types. The solid, uniform, engineered surface is easy to clean. This low maintenance and long lifecycle is enhanced by bamboo’s natural, antimicrobial properties that also help resist pests, molds and moisture.”

According to Kolbe’s supplier, Lamboo Inc. of Springfield, Ill., this LVB product is 20% more stable than wood in moisture and temperature changes, has 10 times the tensile strength of wood, uses 15% less embodied energy than wood, and sequesters 35% more carbon in the growing cycle than timber. As a rapidly renewable material, Lamboo allows a four- to six-year harvest cycle, about half of the harvest cycle allowable under the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED Rating System.

In addition to LEED’s Materials and Resources credits, Lamboo’s use of ecologically responsible adhesives also may contribute to Indoor Environmental Quality credits for low-emitting materials within the composite wood and agrifiber products category. In addition to Kolbe’s materials sourcing, recycled content and manufacturing processes, its windows and doors support daylighting, outside views, energy-efficiency and other attributes that are recognized by LEED.

Those who request Kolbe’s Lamboo for the interior face of their windows and doors also may select from a choice of stain colors and custom-matched finishes. Kolbe’s products are finished with sensitivity to environmental air quality and the release of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), enhancing these long-lasting, low-maintenance window and doors.

What began in 1946 as a two-brother team has grown into an internationally respected manufacturing company. Kolbe & Kolbe Millwork Co, Inc. remains a privately held, community-oriented business located in Wausau, Wis. Covering nearly one million-square-feet, its state-of-the-art facilities feature high-tech machinery and a design center to present the creative possibilities offered by Kolbe windows and doors.

SOURCE: Kolbe