Tech Product Specialties, Inc.

Founded in 1999 by Paul and Nancy Rice, our company began as a small machine shop/millwork in Katy, Texas and was primarily focused on prototyping. In 2007, seeking bamboo plywood for a project, we discovered Plyboo. After comparing several bamboo products on the market, Plyboo stood out as the best quality and the only one worthy of our attention. At that time bamboo was gaining in popularity in many facets of Architectural Design, Cabinetry and Furniture making, but there was not a source for the product in our area. We chose to solve that problem and began warehousing Plyboo bamboo plywoods in Houston in 2008.

Plyboo and Durapalm products are manufactured by Smith & Fong Company located in Novato, California.

Today bamboo is a standard for contemporary designs. Its linear appearance is captivating and it is recognized to be eco-logical for our planet. Bamboo is actually a grass; it is rapidly renewable and it does not require replanting. A bamboo forest can sequester up to 70% more carbon than a hardwood forest. As plywood made into cabinetry or other furnishings, or as flooring, its grain is linear and rhythmic and doesn’t challenge wood grains that may coexist in the same environment.

This piece was designed by Nancy Rice and handcrafted by Paul Rice. We don’t just talk about it; we do it.

Palm is known for its unique, exotic grain. The timbers are a biproduct of the food industry; purchased from the farmers and brought to the mill to be made into plywood and flooring. Palm timbers have an exotic grain unique to its genome and it comes in an array of varied color tones.

This cabinet blends palm and bamboo in a design by Paul Rice.

Palm insert on the bamboo cabinet top

Tech Product Specialties, Inc. is family owned and operated.