There’s been a lot of fuss in recent years about bamboo flooring. You might be wondering why a floor made from bamboo is suddenly getting so much attention.
However, you might not know exactly what is meant by bamboo as a flooring material. While you’re pretty sure it’s not a series of round poles, it can be hard to envision flooring made from bamboo if you’ve never seen it.
Unlike hardwoods used for flooring like oak and walnut, bamboo is classified as a grass, even though it doesn’t look much like one.
Bamboo is an extremely large grass. There are some species than can grow to be a foot in diameter and over one hundred feet tall - don’t mistake it for a tree.
Despite its classification as a grass, flooring made from bamboo still has a lot in common with wooden floors. Maintenance is very much the same, and the look is similar, too.
This kind of flooring is also hypo-allergenic, since there are no places for dander, pollen, mildew and dust to hide. It’s warmer than tile and other materials and beautiful to look at.
This durable material is ten percent harder than floors made from red oak, so it’ll last a long time. Installing bamboo flooring can only increase your home’s value.
This kind of flooring is made from split bamboo stalks flattened by enormous pressure. These flattened stalks are then laminated together, and more pressure applied to create a unit of flooring - plank, tile or strip.
What results is a bit like a hardwood laminate floor. It’s multi-layered, pre-finished, and offers tongue and groove installation. These extremely regular planks can even be installed by homeowners themselves, if they have a little experience.
So what’s the fuss about bamboo and the environment? Most of us have heard that bamboo is an extremely ecologically friendly material to use on a floor.
Thats because of the speed with which bamboo grows, and its low pesticide and fertilizer requirements. To make a bamboo floor, the plants need to grow only for five to six years, and they regenerate extremely quickly after harvesting.
Because of this bamboo flooring is considered one of the more sustainable options. Just make sure you choose your floor carefully.
Bamboo is so popular that some have decided they’ll try to boost their profits by adding unnecessary chemicals to the growing process, and that they’ll make lower quality flooring for a quick sale. If you’re concerned about the environmental impact or the lifespan of your floor, you’ll want to avoid these cheap products.
Fortunately, this isn’t difficult. Good distributors and manufacturers of bamboo flooring want you to know all about the benefits of their floors, so avoid extremely cheap flooring and people who don’t want to talk about the source of their bamboo flooring materials.
Bamboo flooring is an excellent investment, both for the beauty and value of your home and for the environment. Most of our waste each year comes from the housing industry - if you choose an environmentally friendly option for your home, you’re cutting down that waste.
Think about bamboo flooring when the time comes to choose the floor covering for your home, whether it’s new construction or a remodel. You’ll love this durable, beautiful natural material, and so will the environment.
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