Smith & Fong Relaunches Reclaimed Palm Wood Website

Smith & Fong has re-launched the Durapalm.com website dedicated to the growing range of premium flooring, paneling and plywood products manufactured from reclaimed palm wood.

The website showcases offerings in palm wood flooring and panel designs, including new colors, textures and finishes. “We are really excited about what we have to offer in this new line of palm products,” says Smith & Fong CEO Dan Smith, who is heading up the company’s palm program.

“Our first range palm flooring included coconut palm flat grain and later we added the edge-grain, which is a linear look,” Smith says. “Since then we have expanded to other species of palm, lamination orientations, texturing, stains and finishes.”

As depicted on the new site, the Durapalm line has added carved designs adapted from the Plyboo Reveal Collection. In addition to playing with the Reveal designs, Smith said the company is exploring different core options, including coconut palm, sugar palm and bamboo that will add variety and excitement to the panel line.

The company first began exploring palm as a resource 15 years ago. Since then it has refined its sourcing and processing of this sustainable wood. “We have learned a great deal these past few years and we are ready to roll up our sleeves and get some new looks to market,” Smith says. “We continue to believe palm and the palm aesthetic has a lot to offer the design world and beyond. There will be a demand for this global resource.”

Although there are locations globally where palm can be sourced, Smith & Fong has focused its recent efforts on India. “We started with a branch office in Bangalore last year and have expanded from there. India is a great place to do business and we are having a lot of fun,” Smith states.

Palm is different from woods like oak and maple in a few important ways. It does not project growth rings like a tree and is soft and pulpy at the core, and moisture and nutrients are drawn
up through the soft core to feed the palm and to produce fruit. “The hardwood-like material in fact comes from the perimeter of the stem and requires special equipment and rendering techniques to extract the wood,” Smith says.

Palm has a unique grain and texture that can vary depending on what section of the palm stem the material is cut. Geography, soil and weather conditions can also play a factor.

“For this reason, palm offers a wide palette to work from and we find this both intriguing and inspiring from a design perspective,” Smith states. “Look for some new colors and textures in palm for the new year.”

Founded in 1989 and headquartered in San Francisco, Smith & Fong Co. manufactures bamboo flooring for sale in North America, offering its initial product under the brand name Plyboo in 1993. In 1996 the firm began producing bamboo plywood, followed by coconut palm flooring and plywood products in 2000. Today, the company’s products are distributed and sold throughout North America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. Smith & Fongs committed to sustainability through innovation. For further information call (866)835-9859 or visit the website.