Bamboo Flooring Pros and Cons

A lot of people believe that the bamboo is a kind of tree. But the truth is, the bamboo is not a tree. As a matter of fact, it is a type of grass, the tallest among all the types. Even if no one plants it, the bamboo will grow back on its own naturally. The maturity of bamboo will occur at around 4 to 5 years. With these qualities, it is no surprise why some love to have bamboo as their flooring for their homes. Although bamboo flooring is just recent in the North America continent, there are already numerous importers from all over the globe. Most of the bamboo plants imported into the United States and in Canada are grown and produced from China, although the whole Southeast Asia is abundant in bamboo. It is durable, warm and extremely beautiful, a perfect taste to your flooring.

Even though there are about 1,000 species of bamboo, only selected species are made into a bamboo floor. For instance, the moso is a common choice. This grows at about 40 to 50 feet in height after a year only. After at least three years, the reeds of the moso are going to be prepared for harvest. Once harvested, the bamboo will be exposed in the sun to dry and then stripped and shaped. The two shades of the bamboo flooring are natural and carbonized shades.

Bamboo undoubtedly has continued to grow in popularity all throughout the 21st century. This is because it brings about numerous benefits. The look of the product is also very unique and will definitely stand out among other flooring materials. Even though bamboo is considered a “green” product, there are still advantages and disadvantages brought about by the material, which range from durability and cost to environmental concerns and human rights factors.

First of all, in the “pros” department, bamboo flooring is widely known and frequently marketed as a highly durable and strong. As a matter of fact, the toughest kinds of bamboo flooring are as equally hard as Walnut trees. The typical bamboo flooring can be compared the best to a maple tree in terms of hardness. There are also types of bamboo floorings that are tougher, according to the way it was manufactured.

Another one advantage of bamboo floors is its sustainability. The basic hardwood floor gets its materials from trees in the forest. Once you cut down these trees, it will take a while for them to grow to its original form. You will have to count decades before it grows back. On the other hand, bamboo is a plant that normally re-grows in a matter of days or sometimes weeks. The bamboo plant has a rapid re-growth cycle, which is why it is known as a fast and renewable resource.

And lastly, the bamboo plant, as mentioned earlier, quickly grows back. It may grow to as fast as three feet within the day. This is why there will be no need for the plant to utilize fertilizers or other chemicals for it to grow immediately. This means less risk for poisoning of the plants. It is also a healthier product, since toxic gases are produced in lower amounts once bamboo flooring is installed in your home.

Now, the “cons” will be discussed. Although there are a lot to be praised in bamboo flooring, it still has its own disadvantages.

First of all, if you choose bamboo, you might spend a bit since the shipping comes from Asia, where bamboo is primarily grown. Also, the fossil fuels used in the shipping may contribute to the destruction of the environment. Plus, there is no current certification process ordered to make sure that the bamboo really is being properly and responsibly harvested. All over Asia, old forests are being cleaned out and cleared so the lot can pave way for more bamboo planting. There is very small attention paid to these kinds of issues. But for hardwood, the Forest Stewardship Council certifies that it hardwood was responsibly harvested. This group is not covering bamboo plant.

And last but not the least, the harvesters of bamboo plants are usually Asian farmers who grow these plants in farms. The wages that are being paid to them are just like any other but are lower as opposed to harvesters of wood in the West. Even though the bamboo plant is cheaper to grow, the floors produced out of hardwood is similar to that of bamboo. Since there are no fair wage laws that are set up, the bamboo-producing nations will continue to make such amounts of money.

Now that you know the bamboo flooring pros and cons, it is up to you to decide if you think bamboo flooring is the one you want. If it is, then I suggest you find a good deal online today.

Even though it is cheaper than traditional hardwoods, one should not expect bamboo flooring to come really cheap. If there is a product in the market that is below the average prevailing price, expect that the quality is poor and that the manufacturing process employed is questionable and not within industry standards. Because bamboo is fast gaining popular, certain groups will want to cash in on the trend. Smaller and startup companies may lack expertise, proficiency, and experience. In an attempt to carve a niche, they will sell their products at strikingly low prices. It is most probable than not that problems will arise later on from replacement troubles to more costs.

Practice good common consumer sense if you’re unsure. Remember that wood flooring is an investment. A good approach to search for cheap bamboo floors is through the World Wide Web. Dealers and manufacturers conduct their business through the Internet. Some of them are credible and established flooring companies that you may not even heard of yet. It is also a brilliant way to learn more about bamboo and wood flooring information with available online literature.

In the following video you can see the proces of bamboo forest to an bamboo floor at your home. It is really a nice movie to watch an you will get a good impression on how bamboo is made into an engineered bamboo floor.