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Bamboo is a popular type of flooring, which looks great and will stand up to both commercial and residential use. In addition, bamboo is a renewable resource, which does not contribute to deforestation. For years, bamboo has been know for it hardness, as well as for its beauty and versatility.

The most common misconception about bamboo is that it is a hardwood. Bamboo is in fact, a form of grass that when matured has a hardness, which will rival that of maple. Because bamboo is one of the fastest growing plants in the world, controlled harvesting has very little impact on the plant, as the stalk will continue to grow. With in five to six years it will be ready to be harvested again, whereas hardwoods such as maple and oak can take upwards of 50 years and more to mature and then, once harvested the tree has been destroyed. This is why bamboo a very renewable source of flooring material.

After bamboo has been harvested, the outer skin of the stalk is removed and the stalk is cut into fillets, or lengthwise strips. These fillets are curved and must be milled along the outer edges in order for them to be flatted. All excess from the process is used to produce strand-woven bamboo flooring, which we will discuss later in this article. Then once the natural moisture in the bamboo has been removed by kiln drying.

Once dried, the bamboo fillets are laminated together using glue, which has been applied under pressure to form a solid, dependable surface suitable for flooring. The bamboo slates then undergoes a final stage of compression, making the product even more durable. Finally, then bamboo boards are tongue and grooved in order to make installation a simple process. This is an abstract of the manufacturing process as the entire process depends on the species of bamboo that is used in the manufacturing of the flooring product. Various types of bamboo are processed differently to produce bamboo flooring.

When the bamboo is glued to form the boards, it can be laminated either with the narrow edges facing up, resulting in a thin, channel pattern, which is referred to as vertical bamboo flooring, or with the broader surface of the bamboo facing upward, which resembles a more traditional hardwood patterns. This is known as horizontal bamboo flooring. The only differences between the two patterns are visual, and which is preferred depend on your personal taste.

The horizontal flooring has a striking node pattern, which is produced naturally in the bamboo and is equivalent to the growth rings in hardwood species. The vertical bamboo flooring has a unique surface that is characterized by narrow channels created by the binding of the bamboo strips. Both the horizontal and vertical styles are available in the natural or carbonized color.

There are only two colors available in bamboo flooring, natural and carbonized. Natural bamboo is a light creamy blonde color that resembles the color of light pine. Many people prefer the natural color, as it tends to brighten an interior room. Carbonized bamboo is a process where the bamboo has been steamed in a large bath, which cooks the natural sugars in the bamboo, caramelizing it. The caramelized sugar then turns brown, which creates the rich dark brown color of the carbonized bamboo. This color is not a stain, but the result of the sugar within the bamboo itself. It should be noted that this process produces reduces the bamboos hardness by about 30%. However, both colors of bamboo flooring are classified as harder than some hardwood species.

During the process, the excess material that was cut from during the filleting process is processed into strand-woven bamboo flooring. The excess material is intertwined, compressed, and bound with an agent, which is an environmentally safe, UV resistant, as well as scratch-resistant resin. The bonding agent also makes the bamboo more resistant to moisture. The strand-woven bamboo is cut into planks, tongue and grooved, then shipped.

Bamboo has many key benefits, which make it a very attractive flooring option, but possible the main reason is that bamboo flooring is an environmentally responsible choice. The harvesting of the bamboo does not harm the plant and in fact, many growers believe that it actually benefits the bamboo plant. In addition, during the manufacturing process of the flooring there is very little wasting of materials. These two factors make bamboo a truly environmentally friendly flooring option.

Other benefits of bamboo flooring are that it is easy to clean and it also adds value to your home. When owning bamboo flooring, just as with any other natural wood flooring there are some dos and donts that you will need to follow in order to ensure they keep their beautiful finish for many years to come.

Before you purchase and install solid hardwood floors, you should understand that it should never be installed over a concrete slab or below ground level. When hardwood is installed in these areas, large gaps can appear, which are due to the wood contracting and swelling because of the change in humidity. In addition, the solid wood planks can even buckle or cup due to excessive moisture, which is why solid hardwood floors are not recommended in wet areas such as bathrooms and kitchens. Because solid hardwood floors swell and contract, enough space must be left to accommodate for this during installation, in addition, the wood flooring should also be acclimated to the room before installing.

When you begin shopping for your solid wood floorings, you will notice that it is divided into three categories of style: strip flooring, plank flooring, and parquet flooring. The difference between strip and plank flooring is the width of the wood as the strip flooring widths are between 1-, 2, and 2- and the widths of plank flooring ranges between 3 and 8. Parquet flooring is made up of wood strips that have been laminated together to form geometrical patterns.

Another term you will hear about is hand-scraped or hand-planed, which are as their name implies in that they are hand crafted. Hand-planed hardwood floors are available in both engineered and solid flooring. Engineered hand-planed hardwood floors have an advantage over solid hardwood flooring in that they are best suited for installation over a concrete slab as well as in high humidity conditions. Several flooring companies market distressed hardwood flooring, which has machine made marks resembling hand planning. Because hand planned floors are hand made, these beautiful floors are extremely expensive when compared to distressed hardwood flooring.

Your beautiful floors have been installed, now its up to you to keep them looking new. Your first step is to purchase and use the cleaning products only recommended by the manufacturer. Secondly, you should vacuum or sweep your floors regularly to remove dirt, mud, grit, and small stones, which will mar the finish. Thirdly, place doormats at all entrance for people to wipe their feet before entering your home, this will great help to protect your wood floors finish. When moving furniture, never push or shove it across your wood floors as this can dent or scratch the flooring. Always lift the furniture. Place furniture coasters or felt protectors under all legs to also prevent scratching and use non-staining, wide rubber cups for under heavy items such as entertainment centers and pianos. Do not use paste wax on the hardwood floor that have a polyurethane finish as the wax will damages the finish. Quickly clean up all spills with a paper towel or damp cloth, then dry the area thoroughly.

Before we get started on Bamboo Flooring, let me explain one little fact: Bamboo is a grass, which includes over 1,000 species. It is not a tree. Bamboo, however, is an excellent environmentally friendly source of wood flooring as it grows back naturally and can reach maturity in four to five years.

To North American, bamboo flooring is a relatively new type of flooring with the majority of it having to be imported. Nearly all l bamboo imported, grown and manufactured in China.

Bamboo flooring has very many remarkable qualities such as durability, warmth, as well as beauty. Though there are over 1,000 species of bamboo, there are only a few, which are suitable for flooring. Moso is a very common species used in flooring. It can reach heights of 40-50 feet tall in only a year and maturity in another three years. Once Moso is harvested, the bamboo is then dried, cut into strips, and planed. The bamboo strips are then laminated and stained. The two primary staining colors for bamboo flooring are natural, which is a light color, and carbonized, which has a darker amber shade to it.

The maintenance for bamboo flooring is the same as with any other pre-finished wood floor product. To maintain, simply sweep or vacuum regularly and occasionally damp mop.

If you are considering bamboo flooring, then you should understand that not all bamboo is equal and not all has been bamboo processed in the same manner. Many discounted bamboo floors are of inferior quality, that wont last. Bamboo that has been processed incorrectly will easily mold, and the flooring will look dull. Therefore, when purchasing bamboo flooring, be sure the wholesaler that you are dealing with is knowledgeable about the product they are selling and that they can guarantee that you are purchasing a quality product.