Bamboo Flooring: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Bamboo flooring is a lovely addition to any room, but as is only fitting it does have its own set of pros and cons.

If you are looking for an alternative to traditional carpeting or wood flooring for your home, bamboo flooring is certainly a meritorious option. It certainly is a lovely option that fits into just about any type of décor very easily, but bamboo flooring isn't all good. As it is with any home improvement option, bamboo flooring does have its downsides. What is important is weighing out the difference between the advantages to having bamboo flooring installed in your home, and the disadvantages to having bamboo flooring installed in your home.

There are over 1,000 different species of bamboo on the planet, making them an interesting option for flooring. It is only the last couple of decades in which Americans have begun to rekindle their love for bamboo flooring, but at what cost?

It is only after examining the pros and cons of purchasing bamboo floors and having them installed in your home that you can truly be able to make a wise purchasing decision. To help you a little bit along your way, here are a couple facts about the pros and the cons of bamboo flooring.

The Good:

Bamboo symbolizes long life! Whether that means long life for your floor covering or long life to you, the home owner is still questionable. Either one will do just fine, won't it?

You can get bamboo flooring in more than one color. While any flooring type can be done in just about any color, there is more than one natural shade to bamboo and depending on its type, you may have a bit to choose from. The main two colors are the light brownish-blonde color that bamboo naturally comes in, and then a darker, more reddish hue of wood, similar to cherry wood.

Bamboo flooring is durable, and strong. This means it can hold up to you, the husband or wife, the kids, the dog, and yes—even the roller blades. Of course it doesn't seem like bamboo would be very strong, but not only is it a great deal stronger than Maple or Oak, but it is more pliable as well.

Bamboo flooring resists moisture and the wear and tear that insects and bugs cause exceptionally well. This means you won't have to worry about bugs crawling into and under your floor boards. While not everybody cares about this, bamboo flooring is also healthier for the environment. It can grow just about anywhere, and it does not damage the area that is left behind.

The Bad…And the Ugly…:

Bamboo is becoming more and more popular these days. This spurs an increase in production which almost always results in a lack of quality. This can go against almost all of the PROS listed above.

Although it is designed to last a while, bamboo flooring usually does not carry a very good warranty. This may be because the company does not offer it and for no other reason, but that calls the quality of the bamboo flooring into question.

The finishing material or liquid can sometimes be somewhat toxic to small animals and children, according to some studies that have been done. Apparently this is not so with regular wood flooring so to be on the safe side, double check all of the materials used with your bamboo flooring.

Bamboo flooring cannot be floated as well as other wood floors, which may present some problems. This depends on the bamboo and the durability of it as well as the quality of your flooring underneath.

In Conclusion

In conclusion, bamboo flooring is not all bad! It is just one of many options available to you as far as floor covering goes but it is not your only option. Weighing the pros and cons of bamboo flooring is the only way that you can go about making as informed a decision as you possibly can about whether or not bamboo flooring is the right type of flooring material for your needs. Who knows? Bamboo flooring may be the best decision you ever made for your flooring needs.