First Furniture Company To Make Contemporary And Mid-Century Furniture From Hemp Wood Based In Louisville, KY

Craig Bayens proudly announces that he has begun making Contemporary and Mid-Century inspired design furniture out of Hemp Wood from his shop, C. Bayens Furniture, in Louisville, Kentucky. 

This is the first furniture make shop to custom make furniture out of the new, eco-friendly wood produced from hemp.

Since the provisions of the Hemp Farming Act were incorporated in the 2018 United States Farm Bill, Kentucky has continued to lead the industry in hemp growth. Since August of 2019, Kentucky boasts a HempWood manufacturing company. To date — the nation’s first and only of its kind.

The company, Fabonacci LLC, is where Bayens will be sourcing the hemp wood for his furniture.

Previously we have seen many other products made from the industrial hemp plant.  Paper, rope, clothes, twine, CBD oil, and protein powder are some of the more commonly known.  Among some of the less common products are hempcrete, shoes, fuel, sunscreen, milk and diapers just to name a few. There are even hemp sports cars being successfully made.

But, until now we haven’t seen industrial hemp formed into actual solid wood.

This will hopefully prove to be a real turning point in disrupting of the wood industry, which rakes in an astounding $60+ billion dollars a year.

The wood industry, as most are aware, is the main contributor to deforestation. Among the devastating effects of deforestation are the negative impacts on wildlife, ecosystems, weather patterns and climate. The list goes on.

Studies performed using computer modeling led by Thomas Crowther of the Netherland Institute of Ecology, based on a combination of satellite imagery and on-the-ground inventories, have shown that 15.3 billion trees are cut down each year.  Of that, some estimated nearly 100 trees per minute are used in the manufacturing of moveable furniture alone.

But could hemp wood really be a solution to the problem of deforestation? What exactly is hemp wood and how does it compare to the wood from trees? What is it like to work with hemp wood?

Eco-Friendly Lumber

Hemp, also known as industrial hemp, is a strain of the Cannabis sativa L plant species. It is a strain that is grown specifically for industrial use and contains 0.3 percent or less of the chemical THC, therefore rendering it useless for any recreational use of psychoactive effects. It is not to be confused with the Marijuana plant, an entirely different strain deriving from the Cannabis indica or C. sativa species, which can have levels of THC topping 30 percent per dry weight.

Hemp is one of the strongest natural fibers on the planet.

Hemp wood is the wood product made from the hemp plant. It is a newly patented technology that, according to Fabonacci’s HempWood, “utilizes bio-mimicry to transform hemp fibers and protein-based bonding agents into a viable substitute for anything solid oak can be used for”.

In fact, the wood made from hemp is 20 percent stronger than oak. And whereas commonly used hardwood trees such as ash, beech and oak are slow growing and take anything up to 100 years to fully mature, the average hemp plant used for making wood take only around 6 months from planting to harvest.

The soy-based adhesive used to form the wood does not contain harmful chemicals or added formaldehyde. Hemp is frost tolerant, requires only moderate amounts of water, and grows in all 50 states.

This combined with hemp being one of the fastest growing plants that exist, make hemp wood the most durable, eco-friendly lumber in existence — leaving no room to question whether it should replace the use of trees in construction, floorings and furniture.

Working With Hemp Wood

Products made from hemp will outlast their competition by many years. Not only is hemp strong, but it also holds its shape, stretching less than any other natural fiber, also giving it the ability to hold nails better.

But what’s it like working with it?

Craig Bayens, who specializes in the custom making of contemporary and mid-century modern design furniture, states that, “Working with Hempwood is similar to real wood. It cuts, places, sands, glues and finishes well. Carbide tooling is a must because it dulls steel tools quickly. The limited sizes available and high cost prohibit it from being a plywood substitute [for now]. These limitations beget creativity and needless to say I’m excited to use it in different elements of my furniture design.”

The finished furniture products have a beautiful, unique grain. It can be custom stained or have a natural oil and wax finish according to consumer desire; and staying true to being a wood, is sure to add a warm hue to any room.

The above lamps are just the first to be produced by Bayens and new designs for his hemp furniture and lighting are currently in the works.

You can visit the Louisville-based furniture company online at: craigbayens.com to see more of Bayens’ furniture designs and be one of the first in the nation to have a customized piece of hemp wood furniture in your home. All the while doing your part to save the planet!