Teragren's new Visions and Vantage II flooring collections feature a high-performance hardwax-oil finish, on both a solid and an engineered platform.

Made from their premium Xcora strand bamboo that is 160% harder than oak, the collections feature 13 new products, eight new colors and a new wire-brushed finish option on the Vantage II engineered platform.

“We’ve been looking into adding an oil-finish to our assortment for a few years now” said Mike Boshart, president of Teragren. “There are many uncertainties out there among retailers and installers around oil-finishes, and we wanted to make sure that we brought to market the highest performing, easiest to maintain option. We found the right match with Rubio hardwax-oil, and in conjunction with the design-forward color options, believe that these new looks meet the Teragren standards for performance, style, and environmental friendliness.”

Hardwax-oil style finishes have been popular in Europe for over two decades, but have just recently started making their way into the North American market. Unlike traditional oil finishes, the hardwax-oil from Rubio that Teragren has selected as the custom finish for their new Visions and Vantage II flooring collections is resistant to water spots and other liquid spills, and the flooring comes prefinished with a UV-cured hardwax-oil and ready to install. The only difference the end user will notice between a hardwax-oil floor from Teragren and a traditional polyurethane prefinished floor is the increased reparability and easy maintenance.

The hardwax-oil finish works by molecularly bonding to the top fibers of the flooring plank, thereby sealing the surface and leaving a matte finish that offers a strong protective coating, highlighting the natural fiber of the floor with an open-grain look. With standard cleaning and maintenance, a Teragren hardwax-oil finished floor will never need to be sanded and refinished. Color-matched touch-up oil is available to remedy minor scratches and other spot repairs, and the floor can be walked on again 1-2 hours after the repair is made.

“Our new oil-finished collections are a great option for commercial installations” said Boshart. “Wear patterns from foot traffic can be easily refurbished as part of an ongoing maintenance program with minimal disruption to the business, without the need for a traditional sand and recoat.” Many commercial installations have already opted for a Rubio hardwax-oil finish, including the W Hotel in Dallas, the Four Seasons Hotel in Baltimore, and Google offices all over the world.

Teragren also sees a good fit for their Visions and Vantage II floors for installation in drier climates, which are often a challenge for hardwood floors. The product performance and testing lab at Teragren has determined that their hardwax-oil finished floors often mitigate challenges, such as surface checking, that users experience in these climates. Common issues, such as textural changes on the surface of the plank, can be minimized through use of an enhanced maintenance regime.

Bamboo continues to grow as a go-to alternative to hardwoods for both design and lifestyle choices, and the myriad new looks represented in the launch of the Visions and Vantage II collections are only going to advance that trend. All products are now available throughout the United States and Canada.