Every building today has floors in it, and if a building doesn’t use concrete floors (such as a factory or warehouse), then it probably uses wooden floors for people to walk on. Most houses and office buildings, for example, make good use of concrete flooring, and while wood floors are taken for granted, a homeowner may soon notice if the floors are compromised somehow. And the guests in a public building may soon start complaining or making comments if the wooden floors are twisted, scratched, or stained. Thus, the flooring industry works with both the construction industry and the home remodeling industry, and many types of materials are used for this. Hardwoods native to North America are often used, but so is bamboo flooring. Today’s bamboo flooring manufacturers, often in China, are providing premium bamboo flooring as a replacement for traditional hardwoods. The cost of bamboo flooring often competes with that of hardwood, and the same may be said of eucalyptus flooring, too. With the competitive cost of bamboo flooring and how ecologically sustainable this material is, it’s easy to see why bamboo flooring is gaining popularity.
Installing Bamboo Floors and More
Why might someone hire contractors to have bamboo floors put in? Buildings need to have wooden planks and trim installed to make for a complete building, but hardwood logging today has come under some criticism. For flooring and other work, a lot of logging is done, but many argue that it’s not ecologically sustainable. Many trees are cut down, and they take 20 years or more to fully regrow once replanted. But today’s manufacturing can’t afford to simply stop procuring new materials, so a substitute may be used instead. Bamboo and eucalyptus may be that substitute, and clients won’t suffer for it because the cost of bamboo flooring is fairly competitive. The cost of bamboo flooring, even for high quality products, is often economically viable to say the least.
Not only that, but the flooring industry in the United States is growing, meaning that the demand for fresh planks for work will be higher than ever. If hardwood forests in North America are to be preserved, then bamboo and eucalyptus must be ready to play their part. Many flooring industry experts have been surveyed about this, and many of them, such as flooring contractors, suppliers, and distributors agree that the industry may see 3% growth within the next few years. Not only that, but around one in three of those experts predict 8% growth or more, a generous amount.
Bamboo is not a tree, but rather a woody grass that is native to Asia. Unlike hardwood trees, which may need around 20 years to reach maturity, bamboo is known for its rapid growth. New planted bamboo may need only three to five year to reach maturity, and at that time, its woody stalks can be harvested for use. Starting at that point, bamboo regrows with notorious speed, and it can be harvested over and over without even killing the plant. This makes bamboo highly sustainable, and using enough of it will greatly ease the strain on hardwood forests and preserve the natural environment.
Bamboo stalks are not used as-is for flooring, though. Instead, these harvested stalks will be sliced and shredded to form fibers, and these fibers are then glued, heated, and compressed together to form usable planks and floor trim. These planks may then be shipped around the world, and quality planks are as durable as the hardwood planks that they replace, if not more so. Buyers should take caution, however, that they do not buy bamboo flooring made from cheap, cast-off material. Quality bamboo flooring will be roughly similar to hardwood flooring in price.
In the home or in a public building, bamboo flooring is highly durable and attractive, which may make it highly appealing for customers. This flooring offers a clean and fresh look, and needs only minimal maintenance such as wet mopping and refinishing if it suffers from scratches. Bamboo flooring may suffer in humidity extremes, though, since very dry regions will cause it to shrink and crack and very humid regions may cause it to warp and twist. Thus, moderate climates may be best for bamboo flooring to be installed in the home.
