Engineered flooring from China (Garrison II)

13 years ago

Been looking at the Garrison II collection. They have a really nice looking sculpted 9/16" thick engineered floor with a 4mm wear layer. The only problem is this stuff is from China. According to Garrison the wood is from the US and subcontracted to a company China for manufacturing.

With all the stuff coming over here from China that is being recalled lately due to hazardous chemicals, I worry about the glues, stains, and finish coats that may have been used in the manufacturing of the Garrison II floor.

Called Garrison and they were unable to offer much help. Didn't even know what a MSDS sheet was. They appear to be a rather small company who's market presence doesn't seem to spread much past California and I can't find much info on the internet on this company.

Does anybody have any experience or opinions on this flooring?

Featured Answer

uniquewoodfloors

13 years ago

We came across Garrison brand couple of times before. Checked their site. Looks like they make quality engineered floorings. China can make good products. You just need to use your common sense to buy from reputable companies online or offline. Most of the Chinese products in US market have been specified by US companies. So the quality and safty standards should be there.

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Comments (6)

wtcinnyc
13 years ago
Stay away from China manufactured floors! The glues and finish are very poor quality. Stay with Danish glues and finishes. You will thank me later.
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boxers
13 years ago
Its hard to make a blanket statement like that. I've seen Chinese products that were gorgeous, well milled and high quality. The issue is you really don't know how it was mfctd because there are no labeling requirements. Seldom are specs provided so its really a stab in the dark. That being said all the major players including Bruce and Armstrong import Chinese products. The difference is you have a huge company backing the product in case of any issues.
bloozeman
13 years ago
Totally agree, i.e., it is impossible to make a blanket statement like that... even beyond just the wood flooring topic. However, in the case of engineered hardwood flooring I learned quite a lot over the past few months in researching what to buy for my remodel. At times I think it drove my general contractor and designer nuts but I am the type that researches all significant purchases and given that I am a sponge for knowledge enjoy the process. ;-)

As far as Garrison goes I would say they have a much larger market than just the California area but then again since I am in AZ and their products are pretty prevalent here that might not be saying much. However, quality wise I would say they are way above run of the mill (pun intended). ;-) Hallmark Hardwoods was also on my short list and although they are a Canadian company they built a mill in China and moved their operations there a few years ago. The quality of their products are fantastic and the finishes are amazing (they use state of the art German technology products). So that is one brand that definitely shoots a hole the size of a Mac truck through a blanket statement like that. ;-)

Oh, in the end I went with BR-111's 1/2 x 5" engineered Antiquity Zinfandel Tigerwood. I love the look and it too is truly hand scraped/distressed (as is the Hallmark Heirloom product) but also because although it is more dense than the wood species in the Hallmark Heirloom products at 2160 it is still less dense than our native Mesquite so in theory our dryer climate should not wreak havoc on it as it would something even more dense.
uniquewoodfloors
13 years ago
Hi bloozeman,
Good information. Your researches were well done. We just signed up with BR 111 as their exclusive dealer. Do you happen to know where your flooring is made? Thank you!
bloozeman
13 years ago
As far as I know, all of BR-111's flooring is manufactured in Brazil. The box of Zinfandel Tigerwood I bought to see what more than just the sample looked like indicates it was made in Brazil and the other 42 that will be delivered tomorrow should as well. ;-)