Flooring trends in recent years have more people looking at wood and the options available to them with hard woods. Wood floors are timeless and have an appeal for those who love the traditional look or who want to avoid allergens often found in carpeted floors. Warmer and more durable than tile, wood floors have made a strong come-back into homes and businesses around the world.
An often overlooked alternative to hard wood is the bamboo floor. Bamboo is a beautiful and even exotic alternative to other hard woods that is actually more durable, often more affordable, and entirely more environmentally friendly. Bamboo offers consumers the same attractive options as many other wood floors. Choices in grain style and finishing colors will complement any décor. Bamboo is more versatile in that it can be cut in two different directions – vertically or horizontally—creating two distinctive looks. The horizontal option gives a knotty, more rustic appearance that could be compared to burl wood, while long vertical planks have more of a wavy grain that resembles the appearance of oak flooring. Either cut can be finished to the consumer’s personal preferences and will warmly enhance a room’s appearance. Bamboo flooring can be finished in a variety of colors, both light and dark or left a natural blonde color. Pre-finished floors and bamboo laminates are also available alternatives similar to those found in traditional wood floors. These options along with tongue-and-groove planks aid in keeping costs down and installation simple. Bamboo can also be cut into decorative transitional pieces for edging stairs, joining different flooring types or tying one room to the next. The durability of bamboo floors rivals that of hard woods like oak or maple. It is actually 25% harder and more resistant to scratching than the more common woods used in many homes. High traffic areas maintain their new appearance longer with bamboo flooring and require less frequent refinishing. While the image of a bamboo cane compared to a mighty oak may look weak in comparison, the inner core wood used to make the floor produces a material of unbeatable strength. There are dozens of varieties of bamboo plants that are grown in various regions of the world. Japan and China are well-known for some bamboo, but so are the Northern United States and other regions that have cold winters with grounds that freeze. The Giant Timber Bamboo (Phyllostachys bambusoides) can grow to 72 feet (22 m) and 6 inches (15.25 cm) in diameter, while other common varieties grow anywhere from 20-40 feet (6-12 m) in height. Most varieties are between 2 and 4 inches (5-10 cm) in diameter, allowing for wood flooring planks to range in widths similar to other woods cut to those dimensions. The cost for bamboo flooring and its environmentally-friendly attributes go hand in hand. Costs remain relatively low because the bamboo plant is able to replenish itself in a five year period. Bamboo plants can produce 25 times the finished wood product of other hard woods from trees. In addition, the harvesting of the bamboo for flooring does not completely kill the plant as is the case with harvesting tree lumber. Bamboo plants will create growth shoots as canes are cut aiding in the continuous reproduction of plants. Soil and plants are protected alike as the ground around the bamboo plant remains undisturbed while canes are cut. The leaf of the bamboo plant also aids in maintaining the environment by nourishing and protecting the top soil. The bamboo plant’s large leaves can be cut as the plant is harvested or allowed to naturally fall off and further protect the ground surrounding the plant.
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