Bamboo Flooring

Bamboo is a tough grass that has been growing in China for over four thousand years. It is used for furniture, decorations, paper, and utensils. Because of its tenacity it is now being used to produce building materials such as flooring, paneling, pallets, rebar to reinforce concrete beams, shipping crates, and veneers. It is capable to take more tension per square foot of pressure than even steel; the strong and flexible bamboo is a great material to use for construction purposes.

The bamboo used to make bamboo flooring is harvested in Hunan, a province in Southern China. Because the center of bamboo is hollow, it must first be sliced into long strips. Then, the pieces are boiled. This helps to remove the starch from the plant fibers. The four sides of the strips are carefully ground into rectangular shapes and soaked in a special preservative solution to protect the bamboo from insect infestations and decay. Some bamboo strips will remain in the natural shade, while a carbonization process in a pressure chamber designed specifically for this purpose will color others. After this, the bamboo strips will be left to dry in a kiln for a few days. When all the moisture evaporates, the strips are sorted by color, glued together, and assembled into bamboo flooring. To ensure that the bamboo flooring will be able to withstand pressure, the assembled pieces will go through presses that exert approximately one thousand tons of pressure.

The price of bamboo flooring ranges approximately from four to eight dollars for each square foot, bamboo flooring is slightly more expensive than standard hardwood floors commonly found in homes. However, due to the resistant and durable nature of bamboo, bamboo floors are not so badly affected by moisture, and as a result, bamboo flooring has a significantly less tendency to warp. As more and more consumers learn about this innovative type of floor covering, the percentage of bamboo flooring sold in place of other types of floor cover options in the flooring industry has been steadily rising with the passage of time.

You can have designs and patterns according to your personal preferences. Bamboo flooring can be done in interesting patterns and colors like honey, dark and light wood, amber and natural wood colors. Patterns can be either flat grain or vertical. Unfinished as well as pre-finished panels are also available. The varieties of colors are got by the varying rates of carbonization and pressure.

Bamboo flooring is resistant to scratches and dents in the same manner as oak. It is also very stable. The general thickness for bamboo flooring is 5/8 inches, while width could vary between three and four inches. Lengths vary from two feet to six feet. The longer the sheet better are the designs.

Bamboo floors are very easy to install. Flooring profiles may be panels, strips or tongue and groove. Such floors can be nailed, glued, installed on plywood or floated. Pneumatic nail guns are used to nail the panels down. The expenses range from $4 to $8 per square foot, excluding the installation costs. Bamboo provides a very cheap alternative to most hardwood floors. Bamboo floors are easy to clean. They are ideal for allergy sufferers as they do not promote dust or harbor dust mites. Bamboo flooring is an inexpensive alternative to hardwood flooring, usually costing 25% to 50% less than hardwood. Bamboo flooring can be installed over numerous types of sub-floors such as: wood, sheathing grade plywood, vinyl tile, or Oriented Strand Board. Bamboo floors are environmentally friendly. They are made with safe resins, they have extremely low formaldehyde emissions.

Bamboo floors are also very convenient and cost effective to maintain. They do not require staining or re-staining as the color comes during the manufacturing process itself. However, too much dampness may spoil the flooring sooner, causing it to warp.