Most people have heard of the benefits to hardwood flooring, which can increase the value of a home, but may not be as familiar with a material with a similar look and feel. In terms of the way it looks, bamboo flooring has a lot of the same advantages to hardwood floors. Bamboo comes in a number of colors and hues an can add the same classy look and feel to a home as hardwood can. There are many kinds of bamboo flooring accessories that can be used to enhance the look of the bamboo flooring.
Most bamboo flooring is made from a number of different kinds of bamboo. Each kind of bamboo comes with its own unique characteristics and look. Many manufacturers of bamboo flooring prefer to go with the Moso variety of bamboo. Moso is a very high quality material. Bamboo is harvested when it reaches between five and six years of age. It is known to be harder than hardwood. Bamboo is even harder than even oak and maple.
When bamboo flooring is made, manufacturers use the fibers. Other kinds of flooring is made by using strips into strips. These fibers then are softened with either a mixture of lime or boric acid. That removes the starches and sugars that are naturally in the fibers. The fibers then get separated. After that, they are formed into planks. These planks then get sanded. An aluminum oxide finish is applies to complete the process. This makes the flooring more resilient.
There are a lot of advantages of natural bamboo flooring and bamboo flooring accessories rather than hardwood, or other types of floors. Here are some of them:
- Bamboo flooring is very eco-friendly. When you buy bamboo flooring and bamboo flooring accessories, you are doing something good for the environment. Bamboo is one of the most sustainable materials on the planet. It takes at least 20 years for trees to get to the point where they can be used for hardwood floors. By contrast, bamboo is harvested to use in a variety of products when it is only five or six years old. It just grows so much faster. The bamboo used in the flooring is only harvested from Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) forests. At every step along the way to make the flooring, the environment is taken into consideration.
- Bamboo flooring is easier to maintain. Both the bamboo flooring and bamboo flooring accessories are low maintenance options. The main thing people with this kind of flooring need to do is to keep it free of dirt or debris. This can be done by using a soft broom or a dust mop. It can be easily mopped using cleaning products that are made for bamboo flooring. Water soluble products that are made for hardwood flooring can also be used, if the other kind of cleaning products are not readily available.
- This kind of flooring is more water resistant. The material itself can resist damage from water better than hardwood flooring can. Though water and other liquids should never be left to sit in for long periods of time on a bamboo floor. Spills should be cleaned up as soon as possible to prevent possible staining or warping of the flooring.
- Bamboo is very durable. Bamboo is one of the most durable materials around. Experts in bamboo and hardwood flooring say that the fibers in bamboo, which are not carbonized, can be as strong as oak wood. When it comes to bamboo flooring and bamboo flooring accessories, the way the material can be woven into strands only enhances its natural durability. Strand bamboo flooring can be as much as three times stronger than hardwood flooring.
- It is affordable. The average cost of bamboo flooring is somewhere between $3 to $5 for every square foot. That is a lot less expensive than hardwood floors are.
- It works better in high traffic areas. Bamboo flooring, because it is so much harder than hardwood floors, is ideal for homes with a lot of people coming and going, children or animals. It can also work very well in kitchens, which is something cannot be said of hardwood flooring.
At the end of the day, bamboo flooring is a really great option.
