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, not everyone’s sure what’s meant by bamboo as a floor covering. Most of us are pretty sure that it’s not a round pole floor, but it can be hard to imagine this material if you’ve never encountered it before.
Unlike sources for hardwood floors like oak, beech and maple, bamboo is a grass. However, it doesn’t look or feel much like one.
That’s because bamboo is one of the biggest grasses in the world, and can be mistaken for a tree. Some species can grow up to a foot across and a hundred feet high.
Despite its grassy origins, bamboo flooring still has a lot in common with floors made from hardwood. It looks similar and requires similar treatment if you want to maintain it.
Like hardwood flooring and tile, bamboo is a hypo-allergenic material that provides no places for dust, mildew, dander and pollen to accumulate. However, it has its own unique look and provides more warmth than tile and linoleum.
Bamboo is also extremely durable – ten percent harder than red oak floors. Installing this kind of flooring can only add to the value of your home.
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.
The result is something a lot like a hardwood laminate floor – multi-layered, pre-finished, and with a tongue and groove installation mechanism. These floor planks are very regular and even and easy to install, even on your own.
Why is everyone so interested in bamboo and the environment? Most of us have probably heard that bamboo makes an extremely environmentally flooring material, but may not know why or whether that’s true.
Bamboo grows quickly, and needs little in the need of chemical aid, even when produced on a large scale. The plants needed to make a bamboo floor only need to grow for about five years before harvesting, and then regenerate again in about as much time afterward.
Because of this, bamboo is considered one of the most renewable, sustainable flooring options. Buyers should still be careful when choosing bamboo floors, however.
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 is isn’t really difficult. Most distributors and manufacturers of bamboo flooring want you to know all about their products and the benefits of installing them, so avoid cheap floors and people who don’t want to talk about their flooring or its origins.
Bamboo makes a great investment on multiple fronts, both for the value and beauty of your home, and for the world around us. Since most of our yearly waste comes from the housing industry, choosing environmentally friendly flooring options can help cut down on 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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