All about bamboo flooring

Thinking about changing your flooring ? Whilst carpets make a room feel warm and hardwood floors can be beautiful if well maintained have you given consideration to bamboo flooring? At the end of the day a lot depends on the environment in which you live and what the room is used for when deciding the best type of flooring but bamboo is worth serious consideration

With many more people “thinking green” bamboo is considered a much more environmentally friendly choice. It is a grass and therefore grows at a far quicker rate than trees it is therefore easily renewed and is now “farmed” to provide flooring and other products.

As you would expect prices can vary quiet a lot so it is important to shop around. Initially therefore you need to measure the space, decide how much you are willing to spend overall and then work out the price per square foot. The difference in price is mainly to do with the finish provided. Klumpp lacquer is the finish that most reputable manufacturers will use as this gives an extremely hard wearing finish. Always check the length of the warranty manufacturers give as this will be a good indication of the quality of the lacquer used. Some of the more poplar brands are “Woodstock” “Springwood” “Panda Lumber” and “Envirochoice” although you will find many others as well.

You can choose between vertical or horizontal grain flooring, this just refers to the way the the bamboo slats are laminated together and is a personal choice as to how you want the flooring to look when it is laid. There are more colors and shades becoming available as the poplarity of bamboo flooring grows, so you are sure to find one that matches your requirements.

If you are laying the floor yourself as with any wood flooring you should unpack the flooring and leave it in the room ion which it is to be laid, this will let it acclimatize to the conditions and will help prevent any warping after it has been installed. You also have various choices to make as to how the floor is laid. Many people who are reasonable at DIY choose a floating floor which is just clipped together and laid onto of the existing floor after it has been cleaned and levelled. You also have the choice of nailing or gluing the floor but obviously this is a more complex task which you might want to leave to the professionals

So when thinking about a new floor give bamboo flooring consideration, it can look beautiful and will have a fresh clean look that is probably different from your neighbours.