About Bamboo Flooring

As one of the hottest flooring trends today, bamboo is captivating consumers with its beauty, durability and earth-friendly story. Bamboo is actually a grass which grows at an astonishing rate of one to three feet per day during its peak growth cycle, reaching heights of 125 feet or more and diameters reaching two feet. Bamboo reaches maturity after five to six years and ends its growth cycle making it then ready to be harvested. When one stalk of bamboo completes its growth, the roots which have spread regenerate the bamboo, making it so bamboo does not have to be replanted.

The forests of China, Indonesia, Vietnam, Philippines and Korea are the main sources of bamboo used in manufacturing flooring and other related products. China is the largest producer of bamboo products in the world, and the Chinese government owns most of the bamboo forests. Readers concerned about the well being of China's endangered panda population, you can take comfort in knowing that giant pandas do not eat the species of bamboo used in flooring and other bamboo products. Pandas live at much higher elevations and in different provinces than where the majority of bamboo forests are located. Most of the best bamboo is found in the eastern provinces, which is a non-panda dwelling area for the most part.

Style and Colors:

There are two basic colors of bamboo available, natural and carbonized (fumed). Natural bamboo looks just like it sounds, although it actually receives a bleaching treatment to accomplish the light tone. Carbonized bamboo, on the other hand, undergoes a heating process. This darkens the wood and produces a rich caramel color. Both colors have WIDE variations in the actual shades.

Bamboo is most commonly available in looks referred to as horizontal and vertical. The difference is a matter of how the individual bamboo slats are put together to make the flooring. The direction of the slats, changing from laying the flat horizontal to the lengthwise vertical assembly, transforms the entire look and feel.

Horizontal Bamboo Veritcal Bamboo
Solid Engineered Horizontal Natural
Wider, flat looking grains		 Solid Engineered Vertical Natural
Thinner, narrower bamboo

Another style available is strand woven bamboo. This bamboo is literally shredded then glued together and cured. This technique provides a very heavy floor in sheer weight, which also increases its durability; however, the quantity of glue required to create this type of bamboo causes many manufacturers to use inexpensive adhesives which contain levels of formaldehyde. These adhesives prevent most strand woven bamboo from meeting appropriate formaldehyde emission standards.

Upside to Bamboo

  • Bamboo is a durable product with an aesthetic appeal that’s becoming increasingly popular. With the proper finish bamboo makes a durable floor AND brilliant fashion statement.
  • Bamboo is affordable.
  • Bamboo can be installed in most areas of the home, including over concrete floors.

Downside to Bamboo

  • Colors and styles are limited. Bamboo is available in only two colors - natural and carbonized. The vertical- and horizontal-grained versions are available in both colors. There are a few companies that offer a wider choice of stains and other innovations like hand scraped or strand woven bamboo.