Bamboo Flooring Is Taking The Design World By Storm
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Are you looking for something different for your house? Maybe you do not want to be like all of your neighbors and you want to stand out from the crowd? Alternatively, perhaps you simply need a flooring option that will stand up to a lot of wear and tear and you like the natural look? Whatever your reasons are, bamboo flooring is a hot new trend in the interior design world and for good reason.
The Benefits Of Bamboo Flooring
The three main reasons to use bamboo flooring are very simple.
1) The Properties of the Flooring
2) The Aesthetic Beauty of the Flooring
3) The Environmental Benefits
The Properties Of Bamboo
When you choose flooring for your home, you typically want a long lasting and durable floor. You do not want install a floor only to have to replace it in a few years, so you need to choose a floor that will stand up to the test of time. Bamboo is a strong floor that is actually harder than most of the standard hardwoods. In fact, it was given a strength rating higher than maple and almost double that of red oak!
Because bamboo is so tough, it will stand up to a lot more wear and tear than the standard hardwood floors. It is a very resilient material and is able to take a much bigger impact without leaving a dent.
One of the best features of bamboo flooring is the fact that it is a water resistant floor covering. Bamboo is naturally moisture resistant because of the environment where it is grown. In addition, for added moisture protection, bamboo undergoes a lamination process making it even more resistant to warping and gapping.
In fact, because of the excellent moisture resistant properties of bamboo flooring, it is recommended for use in kitchens and bathrooms where regular hardwood flooring and even laminate flooring types are not usually advised.
The Aesthetic Value Of Bamboo
Bamboo is not a wood product, which is commonly thought. In fact, bamboo is a grass plant, not a tree like most people think. Because it is a grass, bamboo has a much different look than traditional hardwood floorings. The color of the floor is naturally quite light with some darker bands from the nodes of the bamboo plant. In addition, bamboo floorboards have a very tight grain and are uniform in color, which makes them very easy to match.
Because bamboo is naturally light in color, you may be thinking that it is not very good for interior designs where you need a darker flooring color. Bamboo flooring can be darkened with a carbonization process where steam and pressure turns the sugar in the bamboo a darker color. The darker shade will usually turn a honey brown color. Now with more advancements, bamboo can be stained in many different colors. In fact, you can find bamboo in over thirty different colors and styles. Therefore, there is something for everyone and everybody's homes.
The Environmental Benefits Of Bamboo
In an age where environmental concerns are in the forefront of everybody's minds, bamboo flooring is a perfect route for an environmentally conscious consumer. Because bamboo is a grass plant and not a tree, it is a renewable resource. After every harvest, the plant will grow back to be harvested again, while an oak tree for example, will not.
A bamboo plant takes only five years for it to reach maturity at 50 feet high. Traditional hardwood trees take at least three decades to reach maturity, sometimes taking 200 years. Once you cut down a tree to make hardwood flooring you cannot reuse that tree.
Because bamboo is such a resilient flooring material, and does not dent, scratch or wear as quickly and easily as traditional hardwood flooring, there is much less maintenance and repair needed. Environmentally conscious consumers will recognize that, if a floor covering requires fewer chemicals to clean and repair it, it is a much more environmentally friendly material.
Bamboo is also treated to be mildew and insect resistant which makes it an excellent choice in areas where you need to be concerned with termites, or if there is a lot of moisture in the air. This process is done safely and without the use of harsh chemicals that can be a concern for environmentally conscious consumers.
Because consumers are becoming more environmentally concerned, builders and developers are also becoming more attuned to environmental issues. They are more often turning to bamboo flooring because of all of the "green" properties that it possesses.
Final Thoughts
If you are looking for a flooring option that is different and will provide you the unique benefits of laminate flooring, but a strength and durability stronger than traditional hardwood floors, than take a look at the options provided with bamboo floors.
© 2005 http://www.laminate-flooring-now.com
Kevin Brown is successful author and publisher of many informative websites including http://www.laminate-flooring-now.com. His websites offer tips and advice on a wide array of topics including laminate floors, bamboo flooring, cork flooring and more.
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