Bamboo Flooring: Environmentally Friendly, But How Good Is It?
Bamboo flooring is growing in popularity. If you head to the local Lowe's or Home Depot, you find it in their flooring section. Turn on HGTV and you can find it featured on several different shows.
Bamboo is an eco-friendly alternative to traditional wood flooring. It is a grass, not a wood, and grows in tropical regions where hot, humid and rainy conditions exist year-round. And it can grow 24 inches a day, given the right soil conditions. These two factors make bamboo both a sustainable product and a naturally moisture-resistant product.
But will it work in a house?
The Verdict
Yes, it is a pretty good material for flooring, especially in kitchens and bathrooms.
As bamboo flooring is laminated, it is less prone to warp. And it even beats hardwood when it comes to the "dropping something really heavy" test that inevitably happens in the kitchen. The softest bamboo product is harder than white oak flooring.
Going Green
Using building products made from sustainable resources is becoming more and more popular.
This makes using bamboo a logical choice, because bamboo matures to about fifty feet and is ready to harvest within five years. And unlike trees, after bamboo is harvested, it re-grows on the same plant, harvest after harvest.
Contrast that to hardwood trees, which take at the minimum 30 years to mature. So bamboo is the natural choice for the environment.
Tips
- When selecting bamboo flooring, purchase a little extra in case you need to replace a small amount later. Matching bamboo can be difficult if it comes from a different production batch.
- Bamboo flooring only needs to be swept to remove the dirt, dust and other natural particles that are brought in everyday. Mop once a week or as needed depending on the amount of traffic and outside conditions.
- Bamboo with a horizontal grain in a light, natural shade will be the hardest and most durable.
- Bamboo with a vertical grain and a natural shade would be slightly softer.
- Although it is considered a hard floor, bamboo isn't as stressful on legs and feet as other traditional flooring.
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