METRO SPONSORS SUSTAINABLE HARVEST INTERNATIONAL

As part of its ongoing efforts to support responsible forestry practices, Metropolitan has made a substantial donation to Sustainable Harvest International (SHI), an organization that works to reverse rainforest destruction with direct replanting programs and trains farmers in sustainable land-use practices. According to Metropolitan’s Elizabeth Baldwin, "SHI does an excellent job of balancing environmental, economic and social realities when designing their programs. SHI goes beyond just replanting and also works to ensure the long term health and expansion of tropical forests. SHI operates in multiple countries, providing a full range of services that we believe will better the social, economic and environmental conditions of the forests and the people dependent upon them."

For more information on SHI and other programs, please visit the Ecology section of the website.

METROPOLITAN OPENS EASTERN CANADIAN DIVISION

Metropolitan Hardwood Floors, one of Western Canada’s largest specialty flooring distributors, is now distributing its exclusive Kentwood Collection of hardwood flooring through selected dealers in eastern Canada.

Established in 2003, The Kentwood Collection has grown to over a hundred different styles of hardwood flooring ranging from traditional strip floors to specialty styles like Hand-Scraped, Antiqued and Whiskey Barrel Oak. Floors from The Kentwood Collection have been featured in numerous million dollar showhomes in Canada and the Western US. To see the full collection, visit www.kentwoodfloors.com. To find a Kentwood dealer in your region, click the Find a Dealer link on this page.

NEW KENTWOOD STYLES NOW RADIANT HEAT APPROVED

Customers looking for radiant-heat-friendly floors now have a lot more choices! KENTWOOD Engineered Wide Plank, Engineered Hand-Scraped, Engineered Antiqued and Engineered Brushed floors are now approved for use over radiant heating systems, under the following conditions:
- the floors must be installed in floating floor fashion
- all species are approved except Maple and Jatoba
- installation must be performed according to KENTWOOD Special Instructions for Installations Over Radiant Heat Systems

A reminder that most species of KENTWOOD Engineered Strip floors are also approved for use over radiant heat when installed with glue down. For more information, contact your KENTWOOD dealer.

NEW KENTWOOD BRUSHED COLLECTION LAUNCHED

THE KENTWOOD COLLECTION has just added a beautiful new line: wide plank brushed oak. The oak wear layer on these floors is given a light wire brushing prior to staining and finishing; this process opens up the grain of the wood, adding texture and contrast to the surface of the floor, which is further enhanced by the super-matte low luster finish. The result is a beautiful combination of character and elegance. These engineered floors can be floated (over radiant heat, if wished) nailed or glued down. KENTWOOD Wide Plank Brushed Oak is currently available in a choice of natural and six designer colours. To view the complete collection, visit the KENTWOOD website.

NEW PRODUCTS FROM KENTWOOD

Kentwood has launched a number of new products in recent weeks, headlined by two unique new offerings in Kentwood’s Hand-Scraped Collection: Oak Ridgefield and Maple Chandler.
Oak Ridgefield is a medium coloured flooring with lively grain patterns. It is milled in three different board widths, which makes for some very distinctive installation options.
Maple Chandler is a super-wide plank - 6¼” wide - a rich warm reddish brown colouring, enhanced by the hand-scraped surface. Both are suitable for installation on, above or below grade with nail down, glue down or floating installation. Other new products in the Kentwood Collection include:
- Ash ‘ Kettle Valley’ – a wide plank engineered floor in Elite grade ash with a rich dark stain
- Antiqued Birch Sorrento – now available in solid as well as engineered
- Engineered 90mm Sapele – A new 3 ½” version of our popular wide plank sapele
- Acacia – a truly gorgeous and unique wood with lively colour and grain patterns. Available in solid hardwood in 3½” board width.
- Maple Natural Studio – an engineered floor with an extra-thick 14.2 mm profile for added stability and strength. Available in 3½” board width.

For pictures of these new products and the entire Kentwood Collection, go to kentwoodfloors.com – or visit your Kentwood dealer for more information.