Aluminum Oxide is a hardening agent that is put in finishes to add strength.  Since softer woods may dent or gouge, it can be beneficial to put on a little bit harder finish in order to protect them a little better.  However, Aluminum Oxide is not wholly advantageous, which is why we only use it in a few products.  Some of its negative qualities are that it scratches white and powdery if it does get scratched, then it is usually a more noticeable blemish than a scratch without Aluminum Oxide might be.  Also, when it comes to refinishing a floor to remove any scratches that may have happened over the years, a finish with Aluminum Oxide must be completely sanded down over the whole floor and another coat of finish put on, while finish that doesn’t contain the compound can possibly be “spot refinished” and could just be refinished where the most wear or one large scratch might be.  We would also like to make clear that Aluminum Oxide is not dangerous to human health at all and has nothing to do with low emitting materials or VOCs (volatile organic compounds).

Sustainable Flooring puts Aluminum Oxide in the finish of our traditional solid strip bamboo because it is a soft enough wood to benefit from the hardening, but we leave it out of the finish when it comes to our Strandwoven™ line of products.  The reasoning behind this is simple; the Strandwoven™ products are already hard enough because of their manufacturing process (up to 2.5 times as hard as traditional oak). The hardness of Aluminum Oxide is not necessary and the products avoid some of the disadvantages listed above.  Hopefully we have helped pierce the veil of Aluminum Oxide and have effectively demonstrated why we feel the need to mention it at all.