Bamboo Wood Flooring - Beautiful, Renewable, And Easy To Install

Bamboo wood flooring is a truly beautiful form of flooring that will greatly add to the appeal of your home. For hundreds of years, bamboo flooring has taken the form of portable mats made from long slices of bamboo strips bound together with twine, which is often also made from bamboo. This form of bamboo flooring is still popular today. However, modern bamboo flooring (which has only been in existence for around a decade) takes the form of flat, machined planks. These planks can be treated so that the wood is comparable to other forms of hardwood in terms of longevity and toughness.

Bamboo flooring is available in several different forms for use, such as snap-together and floating flooring. Each form has its own advantages. Snap-together flooring has purpose made joints that fit into each other. It is a relatively easy way to install flooring, although there is certainly still cutting involved to get complete floor coverage.

Floating flooring is a very interesting way of laying bamboo flooring. In this technique, a thin bamboo veneer sits atop a high density fiberboard core. Two major advantages of this technique are that the flooring is stabilized by the core and that it makes for a much less messy and complicated installation than nail/glue down solid flooring. You just roll out the underlayment and then lay the bamboo on top.

Bamboo has an advantage over many other forms of wood flooring in that it is a much more environmentally friendly resource. Bamboo is a renewable resource in that bamboo reaches maturity in just a few years, compared to decades for other forms of wood. Bamboo is actually a tall, tree-like grass that grows all over the world, although much of the bamboo used for flooring comes from China. Some species of bamboo grow well in poor geography, and most species can grow very quickly (sometimes as much as three feet a day!). Bamboo reaches full maturity in four to six years and can be harvested at a rate of around 25% per year. So bamboo is a short-rotation plant that can be harvested over and over. In addition to being a good material for flooring, bamboo also has edible parts which can provide sustenance for both humans and wildlife.

From a cleaning perspective, bamboo should be treated like any other wood flooring. Sweep regularly to avoid buildup of abrasive particles and lightly damp (not wet!) mop with a wood cleaner. Any excess water that gets on the flooring during cleaning should be removed immediately. Never use ammonia-based chemicals or cleaners. The flooring should be vacuumed and cleaned regularly. Furniture placed on bamboo flooring should have protected padding. And it is strongly suggested that a high quality door mat be used to prevent dirt and moisture from getting spread to the bamboo.

Bamboo is an environmentally friendly flooring option that is extremely beautiful. If properly cared for, it will last for many years, and there are installation options that can make installing it a breeze. It will add to the value of your home and to the quality of your home life.