| By Jimmy Sturo
Bamboo flooring is one kind of wood flooring that is gaining immense
popularity, especially in the Southeast and on the West Coast. This popularity
is because of its hardness and appearance. Manufacturers are using bamboo to
design exotic flooring patterns comprising of borders, accents and beautiful
medallions. Bamboo forests are mostly found in the Hunan province of China.
Bamboo is highly eco-friendly since it is a kind of grass. Additionally, it
can be replenished and harvested again even on damaged soil. Moreover, it just
takes three to five years for bamboo to mature as compared to 50-100 years for
other hard woods. It is thus a renewable source, with the promise of almost
stable prices over the years. Bamboo is very similar to wood in color and form.
Flooring made from bamboo is almost as strong as steel.
Bamboo flooring can be done in interesting patterns and colors like honey,
dark and light wood, amber and natural wood colors. The dark color is obtained
by pressure steaming and carbonization. Patterns can be either flat grain or
vertical. Bamboo flooring can be floated or nailed. Unfinished as well as
pre-finished panels are also available.
Bamboo flooring resists dents almost as well as oak. It is also very stable.
The general thickness for bamboo flooring is ½, ¾ or 5/8 inches, while width
could be between three and four inches. Lengths vary from two feet to six feet,
thus designs and patterns can be more creative.
Bamboo floors are very easy to install. Flooring profiles may be panels,
strips or tongue and groove. The floor can be nailed, glued, installed on
plywood or floated. Pneumatic nail guns are used to nail the panels down. The
cost ranges from $4 to $8 per square foot, excluding installation costs.
Warranties for bamboo flooring range from five to twenty-five years, depending
on the manufacturer. Bamboo is thus a very cheap alternative to most hardwood
floors.
Bamboo floors are also very easy and cost effective to maintain. They do not
require staining or restaining as the color comes during the manufacturing
process itself. However, too much dampness may spoil the flooring sooner,
causing it to warp.
There are many manufacturers and providers of bamboo flooring in the U.S.
These can be found over the internet. Exhaustive information about bamboo
flooring is also available over the internet.
Wood Flooring
provides detailed information about wood flooring, laminate wood flooring, hard
wood flooring, engineered wood flooring and more. Wood Flooring is the sister
site of How To Clean Marble. |
