At our Seattle store we have a lot of customers who are interested in the
strand woven bamboo. Some come in curious about
bamboo, and some are not aware of it but fall in love with the strand as soon as we show them "the strand test". Many of these customers previously had a bad taste in their mouth about bamboo due to hearing about a friend (or friend of a friend) who has experienced problems with traditional bamboo (horizontal/vertical in either natural or carbonized). Once they see the test with their own eyes these concerns go away immediately.
What I mean by "the strand test" is we take 2 samples - a regular bamboo, and a strand bamboo - then we take the strand bamboo sample and hit the regular bamboo sample, which dents relatively easily. Remember - regular bamboo is about as hard as oak and maple. Then we take the regular bamboo sample and hit the
strand bamboo sample with it (
hard!) and honestly - nothing happens! I have been using the same strand sample for about 3 weeks, pounding on it multiple times per day, and you can't see a scratch. We also do the test with
Brazilian Walnut/Ipe, the hardest wood - and the strand outperforms it.
Concerns about bamboo hardness are addressed when conducting "the Strand test" because you can immediately see how much harder the Strand is compared to regular bamboo.
This is not a trick - it is a great tool to show customers so they can get a real idea of how durable the strand bamboo is. Customers have asked me for samples to take home and show "the test" to their spouses, builders/contractors, and friends.
Strand comparison works well for:
Natural maple vs natural strand - similar color but much harder
Laminate vs strand - get the durability of laminate with natural beauty of bamboo
Hardwood vs strand - you can refinish the strand if you were ever able to damage it
Pet owners - very difficult to scratch/dig into the strand, and good for pet "accidents"
Families - very difficult to scratch/damage the strand with active children
Moisture concerns - being essentially a grass it is much better with liquid than hardwood
Eco friendly options - sustainable product that can also be refinished, not having to replace
Versatile look - easy to "dress up" or "dress down" based on personal taste. Can swing modern or traditional look depending on your furniture
In addition to being a great selling tool of the
strand bamboo, it is fun!
