Bamboo flooring has made its way into design centers and is quickly being seen as a lower cost and green alternative to traditional hardwood floors.
Because bamboo grows very quickly smaller amounts of land can be used to harvest larger amounts of material. Bamboo can grow to harvest size in just 5 years while traditional hardwoods like Oak might take 50 to 100 years or more.
There are a variety of treatments including carbonizing and staining that can provide a large visual variety to your bamboo floor. If you want a very modern look bamboo accepts bright colorful stains rather well and if not used on the whole surface can be used for inlay details.
Although a very durable material that has been used for building and is said to have similar qualities to steel bamboo will dent, scuff and damage like other hardwoods. If you are placing bamboo in a entrance way you should think about including a rug to reduce wear.
Installing Your Floor
Bamboo is most often available as an engineered product with tongue and grove edges allowing easy install.
You can install it over any stable substrate including concrete.
If moisture is a problem on slabs you should take care to use a vapor barrier as you would for any hardwood.
You can glue or staple the product using standard fastening methods.
Floating floors are also possible and are a good idea for long term renters that may want to remove the floor once their lease is up.
The price of Bamboo can range from about $2 a square foot up to $15 a square foot based on the techniques used to get different textures and stain colors.
Care Of Your Floor
Bamboo is cared for like any other wood floor.
Keep liquid spills to a minimum.
Use a dehumidifier when necessary.
Dust with a clean dry mop and use wax free cleaners to remove spills as soon as possible.
Clean and remove dirt or winter salt from your shoes.
The YouRepair Store carries a full line of hard wood products that can be delivered to your home at very high discounts.