Bamboo flooring pros and cons you need to look into
Bamboo floors are becoming increasingly popular among homeowners, mainly because they provide any room a stunning look, not to mention adaptability to any decorating style. Indeed, a home that has bamboo flooring is bound to elicit a lot of oohs and aahs from visitors.
While bamboo floors offer a lot of benefits, they are not without drawbacks. If you’re planning to have bamboo floors installed for your home, here are some pros and cons of bamboo flooring that hopefully, will help you make an informed decision.
Pro: Bamboo floors are stylishly elegant
The sleek appearance of bamboo flooring can instantly turn the look of any space from plain to elegant. Hardwood floors do the same thing as far as appearance and feel are concerned, but bamboo floors have a very distinct and different quality to them. Many designers think of bamboo as more subtle than wood, which makes it absolutely perfect for contemporary and modern design schemes.
Pro: Maintaining a bamboo floor is easy
All the maintenance a bamboo floor would need is regular sweeping or vacuuming to remove small particle debris. You can also choose to mop it every now and then. Some homeowners also use hardwood or bamboo floor cleansers to clean it.
Con: Bamboo flooring can scratch easily
Maintaining a bamboo floor is relatively easy, but nasty scratches are particularly unavoidable. Furniture legs, pet claws, high heels and even tiny bits of dirt or sand can easily scratch the surface of a bamboo floor.
Pro: Bamboo floors can be easily refinished
Bamboo flooring may scratch easily, but it’s a good thing the surface can be refinished quite easily. All you have to do to give it a fresh look is have it sanded down and applied with a new finishing coat.
Con: A general lack of hardness
While they are similar in other respects to hardwood floors, one thing that bamboo flooring doesn’t have is the former’s hardness. This is especially true of bamboo planks that are darker in colour. This lack of hardness is often blamed on the carbonisation process used to colour the wood. Then again, there are certain bamboo types that can be quite durable such as natural, un-carbonised bamboo and strand woven bamboo.
Pro: More water-resistant than the average hardwood
Compared to the average hardwood floor, bamboo floors are slightly more resistant to water and all the damage it brings like stains and warping. However, being a natural material borne out of organic elements, bamboo floors will still warp or even allow mould growth with excessive moisture. When it gets flooded, a bamboo floor will sustain severe water damage.
Pro: Bamboo floors are greener
Few construction materials taken from nature grow as fast as the bamboo plant. If hardwood trees could take a couple of decades to mature and be suitable for construction, bamboos reach that point after only three to five years. It’s a highly renewable resource that no other natural construction material can top.
Con: Bamboo floors cause environmental concerns
Now, this may seem contradictory to the preceding item, but let us explain. The bamboo per se will always be a highly renewable resource, and therefore a more environmentally-friendly one. It’s the process of turning the bamboo plant into bamboo planks that trigger environmental concerns.
You see, bamboo floor planks are manufactured by slicing or shredding the stalk of the bamboo grass plant. These pieces will then be put back together using heat, pressure, and an adhesive. Over time, this adhesive, which is often resin-based, will release volatile organic chemicals or VOCs into the atmosphere of any given interior space. Considering that most bamboo floors in homes today have this adhesive in them, this should be cause for concern.
Con: No independent grading system in place for bamboo
Unlike with hardwood, there is no independent grading system that would give people an idea about the quality of the bamboo materials they are purchasing. The system being used by retailers today is mostly an arbitrary one, and that’s why you are going to need a reputable flooring installer and dealer to make sure you’re buying only top quality materials for your bamboo floor.
If you are looking for help with your flooring the Tradebusters free tradesmen concierge service can help you connect with tried and tested local floorers. Visit www.tradebusters.com.au and find a flooring specialist near you.
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