Bamboo hardwood flooring has risen quickly to the forefront of the flooring industry due to its low cost, its durability, and its environmentally friendly properties. Generally, the cost of bamboo flooring is much lower than other kinds of hardwood flooring.
You can find bamboo hardwood flooring options right here by searching these pages NOW!
Bamboo hardwood flooring has some differences from regular hardwood flooring, but it certainly has many more advantages than disadvantages. New manufacturers are cropping up in the flooring industry all the time, so it is important to know about the product so that you are always buying quality.
All about Bamboo
First, bamboo isn’t really a hardwood at all. It is actually a type of hollow grass that grows in the temperate climates of Asia, according to a wealth of information about bamboo from the World Floor Covering Association. China and Vietnam are the biggest growers.
There are thousands of species of bamboo, and only a few are used in the manufacture of hardwood flooring.
Fortunately, it is not one of the species of bamboo used as a food source by the much-loved Panda bear. The bamboo used for flooring grows quickly, can be harvested much more frequently than traditional hardwood tree species such as oak and maple, and is self-replenishing.
Bamboo Flooring Highlights
According to the Sierra Club’s GreenHome website, the general process for creating bamboo hardwood flooring is to cut the bamboo into strips, flatten it, dry it, glue it together, and plane it until it is smooth. There is also an engineered bamboo flooring option where the bamboo strips are adhered to a softer wood.
There are three distinct designs that can be found with bamboo flooring. The manufacturing process creates a flooring board that has a distinctive, thin-striped pattern. One design offers vertical stripes, the second offers horizontal stripes, and the third bamboo hardwood flooring design looks like it is woven. This last design is also referred to as strand bamboo.
The National Wood Flooring Association lists the properties usually found with bamboo hardwood flooring. The NWFA asserts that bamboo generally has a light to medium blond tone, and the stripes are quite evident throughout. Obviously, colors will vary with different manufacturers and different stains. Bamboo can certainly be found with medium to dark stains for a different look.
The NWFA asserts that bamboo hardwood flooring has some distinct differences from traditional hardwood species.
For one, because it is a grass and not an actual wood, the Janka Hardness Test is not as reliable: There are hardness differences found between vertical versus horizontal construction, as well as between different manufacturers.
Bamboo is generally harder than many other kinds of hardwood species used for flooring, though it is cautioned by GreenHome that some manufacturing processes make bamboo an unsuitable choice for high-traffic areas. However, they do state that some manufacturers have a warranty for 25 years or more.
Bamboo has many benefits, and you will find those benefits largely touted through advertising means. The first benefit is that bamboo is an environmentally friendly choice. It is harvestable in a very short time–some estimate every five to seven years–while other estimations claim four to six years. It also will actually re-grow after being cut.
Bamboo is also a very durable hardwood flooring option, though the NWFA does caution that the subflooring underneath bamboo will likely need to be more uniform than with other types of hardwood. It certainly has a casual, almost Zen-like look that fits its Asian origins.
The Green Factor and Bamboo
However, you do need to take all eco-friendly advertising with a grain of salt. Buzz words like green and eco-friendly are hot sellers in this day and age. It had gotten to the point where the Federal Trade Commission revised its “Green Guides” in an effort to keep such buzz words out of advertising if they are not substantiated by actual data to back up the claim.
The FTC is cracking down on advertising campaigns that use generalizations concerning the low environmental impact of products like hardwood flooring. Claims about hardwood flooring may soon come under much closer scrutiny. Just like the FDA limits advertising for slogans such as “heart healthy” or “lowers cholesterol” to foods that have data to back up those claims, so too might hardwood flooring advertisers be limited in their claims about the environmental benefits of their product.
Certainly, bamboo is a very renewable resource, but native hardwood species are currently renewed at a rate that outpaces demand, according to NWFA data.
Essentially, native hardwood species are also a renewable source for flooring, just like bamboo.
You also have to take into account factors other than renewability beyond just the claims of the advertiser. The pollution caused by fuel use for transportation of bamboo to the U.S. will obviously be much higher than the pollution created by native hardwood species that don’t have to travel halfway around the world. Similarly, other countries might have much more lenient laws concerning pollution from factories and manufacturers.
Certainly, bamboo hardwood flooring is a front runner if you are looking for a hardwood flooring option that has a low impact on the environment. It is truly a better option than exotic woods that are rare, protected, or part of virgin forests or special ecosystems. However, consumers need to not be duped by all green claims without all of the facts. Native hardwood flooring is also a front runner in terms of the environment!
Bamboo Hardwood Flooring Costs
Bamboo hardwood flooring certainly is much less expensive than traditional or exotic solid hardwood floors. Its durability claims are impressive, though bamboo has not been tested on the floors of homes for hundreds of years like native hardwood species.
This issue of durability and longevity is an important factor when price is concerned, because the longevity of traditional hardwood floors can help to increase the value of a home. If bamboo flooring is truly only able to last for around 25 years, then it likely won’t increase your home’s value. In that case, the lower price isn’t necessarily worth it.
However, if bamboo is proven to be as hardy as tried-and-true hardwood flooring, then it certainly will begin to increase the value of your home. If it can last for 100 years or more like traditional hardwood floors, then bamboo will be one of the most value-packed hardwood flooring options available!
Traditional hardwood flooring usually starts around $5 a square foot at home improvement stores, which are usually not the cheapest places from which to buy flooring. Bamboo hardwood flooring starts around $1.50 a square foot. For a 10-foot by 10-foot room, the price difference between installing the least expensive type of either flooring is $350 in favor of bamboo.
Certainly, there are more expensive options for bamboo hardwood flooring, but they top out around $5 a square foot. Traditional hardwood flooring can be $17 a square foot or more, so bamboo certainly has a definite attraction in terms of pricing.
Maintaining Bamboo Floors
One of the major factors that can determine how long any hardwood floor looks good is how well it is maintained. As an option in the hardwood flooring category, bamboo must certainly be well treated like any other hardwood flooring. Avoidance is the biggest key.
Water must be kept off the floor as much as possible, as water and wood are just naturally at odds. Water can stain, warp, and rot any kind of wood. With a bamboo floor, wipe up spills immediately, don’t allow leaks to continually keep the flooring wet, utilize a dehumidifier in very humid environments, and place mats at doorways to keep out rain and snow tracked in on shoes.
Dirt is another thing that can help to mar the look of any hardwood floor. Sand and debris will scratch the coating of any hardwood floor every time it is walked on, eventually dulling the finish. Sweeping and gentle vacuuming can be used to great effect. Again, rugs and runners can also be used to reduce wear in high-traffic areas; felt pads are a good idea for furniture legs.
Lastly, all experts advise that every hardwood flooring owner utilize the cleaner recommended by the manufacturer. General cleaners can affect the finish of all hardwood floors, including bamboo flooring.
Finding Bamboo Floors
Due to its extreme popularity, bamboo hardwood flooring can be found just about everywhere. Online hardwood flooring retailers have bamboo options for a great price, as do discount warehouses. Shipping costs can be high here, so make sure to compare different rates and sales.
You will also want to research any online retailers with which you are unfamiliar. Unfortunately, there are those out there who would utilize a good thing like bamboo flooring to make a quick buck with a fraudulent company.
Home improvement stores also carry bamboo hardwood flooring, and they are a good option if you care more about great customer service than the lowest price possible. You can get everything from advice to complete installation if you need it. When it comes to bamboo hardwood flooring, the possibilities are nearly endless!
Find the perfect bamboo hardwood flooring option for your home when you search NOW!
