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BAMBOO BASICS
As a flooring product, the benefits of bamboo are unbelievable. Given
its hardness, durability, beauty, and environmental friendliness,
bamboo is
a simple, common-sense alternative in a complicated world.
Strength And Durability
When you think about a thin bamboo cane, it might seem almost flimsy.
In comparison to Red Oak, the most commonly installed wood flooring,
it is 25% harder and just as strong. Bamboo is even harder than Rock
Maple, making it an incredible durable, impact-resistant form of flooring.
Better yet, it expands and contracts 50% less than other hardwoods.
As a result, bamboo can be used in homes and climates where a high
humidity or temperature variation makes hardwoods impractical.
Available Options
our vendor partner offers more brands and more selection than anyone online or
offline. Available as a high-quality, tongue-and-groove, precision-milled
board, we offer a vertical-grained orientation as well as a horizontal-
(face) grained orientation. In the vertical grain, the individual nodes
are hard to discern, resulting in a consistent coloration and even
grain.
In the horizontal-grain orientation, each individual node (the characteristic
joint in the bamboo cane) is visible with about four node strands apparent
per piece.
Though these two options differ in appearance and offer customers more
visual choices, they offer the same strength characteristics.
Colors
There are two main colors of bamboo flooring to choose from. First is
its natural blonde hue, which reflects bamboo’s true color, along
with its beautiful grain, growth patterns and joints. Bamboo is also
available in darker, amber tones that are achieved through a smoking
process. When bamboo is smoked, the carbonized grains take on a darker,
caramel or amber tone throughout.
Environmentally speaking
Bamboo is probably the most environmentally sound flooring available,
offering a responsible, sound alternative to hardwoods. While offering
the beauty, strength characteristics and hardness of hardwoods, bamboo
is technically a grass that can be harvested in about five years. Recognized
as the fastest-growing plant on earth, bamboo offers 25 times the yield
of hardwood, yet is much more sustainable and renewable.
It can be harvested and replenished with virtually no impact to the
environment. Harvesting does not kill the plant, because it constantly
regenerates itself by sending out runners that result in new canes. Bamboo
can be grown in soil damaged by overgrazing and poor agricultural techniques,
and topsoil is not damaged when the cane is harvested. Not only does
the topsoil stay in place, the plant’s dense leaf cover actually
improves the soil over time.
While protecting the environment and reducing the demand for over-harvested
hardwoods, bamboo offers a strong, durable, beautiful flooring that can
accentuate any home or business.
See information listed under individual brands for specifics on finishes,
styles, and coloration.
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