Why Bamboo?
With growing consumer environmental awareness, interest in bamboo flooring, building materials and furnishings has soared. As an attractive and sturdy alternative to hardwood flooring, bamboo is tough to beat.
What is Bamboo?
Bamboo is a type of grass with a hard, woody, hollow stem and is an extremely hard substance. Since it is fast-growing and can grow in dense conditions, it is considered one of the best renewable resources on the planet.
China is one of the few countries in the world rich in bamboo resources and is the largest producer of bamboo products in the world. Bamboo use in China dates back over 4,000 years. The flexibility and durability of bamboo products is what made the material very popular and reliable. Many ancient cultural artifacts for daily production and living were made from bamboo, as were the earliest suspension bridges in China.
Bamboo harvesting provides a sole means of making a living for many bamboo farmers in the poor mountainous regions in the south. This bamboo industry is also supported and encouraged by the local government.
Environmentally friendly and ecologically sustainable product
Bamboo's environmental benefits arise largely out of its ability to grow and spread quickly without the need for fertilizers, pesticides or much water, reaching maturity after four to six years (compared to 10-20 years for hardwood). Bamboo has a very extensive rooting system, from which new bamboo grows after harvesting. It is so fast-growing that it can yield 20 times more timber than trees on the same area.
Harder than Oak and Maple
Bamboo flooring is stronger, denser and more stable than many hardwoods. Janka ratings have shown strand woven bamboo to be 13% harder than maple and 27% harder than northern red oak, on average. Bamboo expands and contracts 50% less than timber and is 99% termite safe.
Not Easy to Shrink, Swell or Curve
Bamboo fibers are vertical, meaning they are processed in the same direction as the fibers. This reduces the opportunity for moisture absorption compared with traditional woods where the fibers are round. n process, bamboo is steamed and dried to reach the moisture at to 8-10, which prevents curving after installation and also anti-mildew.
Installation is quick and simple
Like its timber counterparts, bamboo flooring shows variations in color across the laid floor. It is similarly priced to quality tongue and groove hard timber flooring, but has an advantage in that sanding and sealing is not required on installation, it is ready to walk on immediately.
