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Bolefloor (Amsterdam, Netherlands), manufacturer of the eponymous naturally curved wood flooring that first debuted during Domotex Hannover in 2011
, has found a North American manufacturing partner in Sawbridge Engineered Surfaces (Sacramento, Calif.).
The company's U.S. manufacturing plant is in Sacramento, and Sawbridge's President Jerry McCall is CEO of the new venture. An agreement to form the new company was reached between Bolefloor and Sawbridge in late 2011, according to McCall.
During an interview at Surfaces 2012, McCall said Bolefloor America will produce its first products in May and begin shipping products from Sacramento in June. Until the operations in Sacramento are fully operational, Bolefloor America will source new orders from Bolefloor in Europe.
Like the rest of the world, McCall first saw Bolefloor's product during Domotex 2011. "I thought to myself, 'Wow, that is really an amazing product,'" McCall said. "It's kind of the only interesting thing I've seen in flooring in a long time. I told them, let's get together and talk about what is going to happen in North America."
Next, Bolefloor took its product to the NWFA Wood Flooring Expo in April 2011. "They said they were going to the NWFA show in April to look for a manufacturing partner, and I threw my hat in the ring," McCall said.
Similar-looking wood floors can be made by hand, but "We've automated that with all the latest technology: scanning systems, computer databases, and algorithmic software that produces the highest yield from the material," McCall said. McCall noted that the required CNC-cutting of Bolefloor complements all other Sawbridge's offerings, which are also CNC-cut.
Due to the custom nature of the product, McCall said the company plans to open additional manufacturing sites further east, though a specific timetable for manufacturing expansion has yet to be determined. "Let's say someone is installing this product, and they break a board or they make a cutting mistake; that board has to be replaced very fast because it stops the job. You can't just grab another board and keep running," McCall said. "We believe that we need to have manufacturing close to the location that people are installing the product since, with this product, the manufacturing is very closely linked to the installation."
McCall also explained Bolefloor's green story. "Typically, about 50 percent of a log put through a sawmill is wasted," McCall said. "In the process we are using, only about 20 percent ends up as waste. We are literally following the edge of the log rather than trimming it off straight, and that increases the yield. We try to trim off as little as possible."
McCall added that Bolefloor America is seeking sales staff.
Bolefloor products are available in solid or engineered in these species: oak, ash, maple, cherry and walnut. One floor may comprise beveled or unbeveled pieces, or both. Bolefloor offers three grades: select, natural and rustic. Boards run to about 10 feet, with widths ranging from about a half foot to 1 foot. The product can be ordered unfinished or prefinished with oil by Woca Denmark or hardwax by Osmo.