Go Green

Go Green!

Table Designs is Green!

We use Green Products as often as possible.

Learn how we can provide Environmentally Friendly
Methods and Materials when Designing your Tables.

Every order is custom and different, so here are some of the ways and / or products that we use to help the environment.

99% of our tables have a 1″ MDF Core.
We get our MDF (Medium Density Fiberboard) from Langboard Inc.

Langboard MDF is a GREEN product in that 100% of its wood content comes from recycled wood. Many years ago, this wood was burned or filled up landfills but is now made into beautiful panels to manufacture molding, furniture, and cabinets – to name a few. Langboard MDF Willacoochee, Georgia has been certified by the Composite Panel Association as a manufacturer of Eco-Certified Composite panels (ECC). As part of that certification Langboard MDF meets CARB II specifications relating to formaldehyde emissions. This certification means Langboard panels meet requirements set forth by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) in relation to formaldehyde emissions.

Furthermore, The Langdale Company, parent company of Langboard MDF, has been involved in forest stewardship for more than 100 years. Certified by the American Tree Farm System, the company has been a leader in the industry by sustaining forests and the environment through sound environmental management practices. The Langdale Company will continue to do its part by planting trees, managing timberlands, protecting our rivers and streams, and striving to increase wildlife populations throughout the southeastern U. S., just as we have done for decades. We trust you will continue to purchase Langboard MDF, safe in the knowledge that our MDF products are independently verified to come from renewable, sustainable timberland monitored by one of the nation’s most respected forest product companies.

Every year since the 1930’s The Langdale Company has planted more trees than it has harvested. As of 2009, the company planted its 100 millionth seedling, a feat duplicated by few in the industry. The Langdale Company is committed to growing forest products for our nation’s future and the protection of the environment.

The wood for Langboard is grown in sustainable managed forests and tree farms, and the manufacturing of Langboard uses nearly 90% of the log. Langboard converts the remaining bark, saw trim, and sawdust into energy. Langboard exceeds strict quality standards for environmental safety set by the regulatory authorities.

All of our custom crates are built out of 3/4″ Plywood. We purchase the plywood from Coastal Plywood Company.

Coastal Plywood Company has recognized the need for sustainable forest management throughout the history of the company, long before the environmental movement became so popular. All the logs used in the manufacture of plywood at our facility are procured within a 100-mile radius of Havana, Florida and come from American southern pine forests, which are the best and most cared for forests in the world. Since we believe in providing our customers with the most competitive pricing possible, we have chosen to forgo expensive and redundant certification programs and pass the savings on to our customers. No certification programs can make our plywood more environmentally friendly; they will only make it more expensive. You can be confident when buying our products that we meet all local, state, and federal regulations and guidelines regarding sustainable forest management.

PerformancePanels.com provides the following information:

“Forest Certification programs sprouted in the 1990s to address rampant deforestation and mismanagement in developing countries. Today there are several forest certification agencies that verify the sustainable forest management practices of land management companies, forest product manufacturers, and other related organizations. The certifying agencies typically assess forest management using sustainable forest principles, criteria, and performance measures.”

“North American companies have practiced sustainable forest management long before certification came into existence. For this reason, many manufacturers opt to forgo some certification programs – not because they do not comply with the standards of certification, but rather because of the expenses involved in obtaining and maintaining certification, which may include independent auditing, membership dues, and additional fees. Contact each manufacturer directly to learn about its philosophy and practices regarding sustainable forest management.”

The following is our statement regarding formaldehyde emissions and our plywood products.

Formaldehyde is a ubiquitous molecule, commonly found in small amounts in the environment. It’s also a naturally occurring biological molecule found in living organisms. Human blood contains about 2 ppm of formaldehyde.

Coastal Plywood Company uses phenolic resin glue as the bonding agent for their high-quality plywood. Therefore, all APA grade-marked panel products produced by Coastal Plywood Company are manufactured in accordance with U.S. Voluntary Product Standards PS-1 or PS-2 and they exceed all U.S. requirements pertaining to formaldehyde emission standards. In fact, large-scale chamber tests have shown that formaldehyde emission levels in Coastal’s panels are no higher than the levels found naturally in the environment. Indeed, because formaldehyde levels associated with phenolic resin-bonded products are so low, these products easily meet or have been exempted from the world’s leading formaldehyde emissions standards and regulations, including the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the California Air Resources Board (CARB) Air Toxic Control Measure for Composite Wood Products, Japanese Agricultural Standards (JAS), and the EN 300 standard for European markets.

In summary, the terms “formaldehyde free” and “zero formaldehyde” are misnomers since the formaldehyde molecule is all around us. But Coastal’s panel products are the solution to your “lowest formaldehyde” requirements.

Hardwoods

We purchase our hardwoods from Associated Hardwoods.

Lumber companies are often portrayed as being at odds with the environment, but at Associated Hardwoods, our business and our livelihood directly depends on healthy, sustainable, thriving forests. That’s why we dedicate a large portion of our resources to promoting and protecting the growth of our forests and safeguarding our environment for future generations. Associated Hardwoods has taken significant actions in all sectors of our business operations to preserve our forests and our environment.

Equipment and Process

This starts with our highly efficient, computer-controlled kilns that monitor the drying process every second 24/7 and continues to our highly-mechanized dimension mill.

We have invested millions of dollars in state-of-the-art lumber processing equipment that maximizes yield (reducing waste) – compared to traditional lumber processing equipment.

We have also implemented a Customer Recycling Program which allows our customers to reduce their landfill waste. Reclaiming out wood-waste fiber through a specialized grinding technology which converts it into various forms of consumer products. 10 years ago, these by-products were dumped in a landfill. Today, our landfill usage is down 74%.

Reclaiming not only makes environmental sense but lowers the cost of our production by enhancing the value of what we produce. In addition, we purchased a new negative-draft boiler which increased efficiency while reducing our carbon footprint.

Transportation

  • Set maximum speeds on all trucks for maximum fuel efficiency.
  • Replacing our transportation fleet with lighter, more fuel-efficient, all aluminum flatbeds to maximize efficiency on every load.
  • Our new fleet features a fuel-efficient injection system that reduce 90+% of nitrogen-oxide emissions.

Associated Hardwoods Certifications

Veneer vs. Solid Hardwood

A veneer is a very thin layer of wood produced by carefully slicing selected logs and then they’re glued on to core panels. A tree may yield 30 to 50 times more wood surface when used to produce veneer than when producing lumber. With veneer you can achieve grain patterns and effects not possible with solid hardwood.

The improved yields maximize the aesthetic properties of hardwood trees and place less demand forests. During their growth cycle trees produce oxygen while sequestering carbon. This carbon stays sequestered in the entire life cycle of the products made from veneer which can be decades.

Over 98% of the tree is used in veneer production. Wastes is used for bio-energy generation, pallets, mulch, and more. Veneers will not crack, split, or warp overtime.

With the top protective coat of Resin or Ultra UV, the tops will last for many years without the need of re-finishing.

Veneer / Solid Hardwood vs. Digital Print

Table Designs has the unique capability of scanning exotic veneers which would be expensive and much harder to replace in the natural environment. Digitally printing exotic veneers or hardwoods saves trees and money! Digitally printing these exotic veneers is cost effective and environmentally friendly.