Among all the new forms of flooring that has been introduced recently, bamboo flooring would probably be the most sought after. There are quite a few reasons behind such popularity. In the following section of the article we will try and look at some of them and explain this growing popularity for bamboo flooring.
The Look
What makes bamboo flooring unique the moment you look at it is its distinctive look. Quite different from that of hardwood, the bamboo flooring are mostly laminated. Since a lot of treatment is required, the bamboo floors are generally available pre-finished. The most common shade in which they are available is their light, natural color although darker shades of the floor are available. Such shades are achieved by a process called carbonization. Carbonization results the sugar in the bamboo to darken and gives it a honey-brown color. The more you carbonize the darker will the bamboo become. The choice of bamboo floors is further increased by the different kinds of planks available to the customer. They are divided according to their construction:
Vertical solid construction
Horizontal solid construction
Engineered construction
Woven stranded construction
Besides the uniform color, the bamboo floors are distinct in the kind of dark bands it has, formed from the nodes, and the tightness of its grain.
The Features
Science classifies bamboo as grass, but when you compare the hardness of it to most of the well-known hardwoods, bamboo comes on top, easily. In fact, some species of bamboo are twice as hard as red oak. And that’s not all. Even when we factor in resilience, bamboo scores more. Being more resilient they are more resistant to dents.
Since bamboo is grown mostly in tropical regions, it is also much better equipped to deal with moisture. That allows it to deal much better with standing water or other spills. Additionally, bamboo floors are laminated, which gives it further protection against moisture. So chances of cupping, warping or gapping are greatly reduced.
Environment Friendly
In today’s time of global arming and deforestation, it is difficult to endorse hardwood floors as any hardwood floor will mean felling of trees. One understands that new trees are being planted for every tree felled and effort is on to protect the environment. At the same time, it must also be understood that each hardwood tree can take up to anything between 30 and 100 years to reach maturity. On the other hand, a bamboo tree is ready for harvest in just five years. And since it’s a form of grass it can grow from the same place. This makes bamboo a more environment friendly choice.
