Hardwood floors have always been a very popular flooring material. But homeowners and interior designers, concerned about the environmental impact of hardwood flooring, have started considering alternatives like Bamboo flooring. In the last decade, Bamboo floors have become more common to the flooring choices available in the market. Bamboo is widely used as a construction material in East Asia and the Caribbean. Recently, designers have realized that Bamboo is a great renewable flooring resource.

Natural bamboo is cylindrical, but for flooring applications it is cut, soaked in hot water, dried and laminated. Some types of Bamboo flooring come with snap-and-click options that make installing the floor a breeze. Bamboo flooring is great because it can adapt to many different climates but it is advisable to acclimatize it to the prevailing weather conditions before installation. Carbonized, vertically cut bamboo is the choice of many eco-conscious designers for conveying elegance.

Advantages of Bamboo

• Renewable resource – bamboo is the fastest growing plant in the world. It grows at rates of up to 2 feet per day. Bamboo is thus a resource that can be renewed rapidly. Bamboo can be grown in any place that has plenty of water and sunshine. Another advantage of bamboo is that when grown close to a polluted water source it tends to remove carbon from the water and purifies it.
• Affordable Wood Flooring –at $3 per square foot Bamboo flooring costs a fraction of hardwood flooring.
• Wide range of colors and finishes – Bamboo is available in 50 or more colors and many different finishes.
• Unique– Bamboo flooring has been around for a decade. In spite of the fact that it is readily available to use, Bamboo flooring is not very common in houses across the United States. Bamboo flooring is sure to set your house apart among your friends and peers.

Drawbacks of Bamboo Flooring

• Weak and likely to chip and crack – In its natural state Bamboo is a strong and flexible material. Once it is processed to create flooring, it loses some of its strength.
• Bamboo floors can crack easily when undue pressure is applied. They are also likely to show scratch marks from dragging furniture or from rough shoe soles.
• Easy fading in sunlight – Bamboo floors fade easily in sunlight. To avoid this, rugs and furniture must be strategically placed or furnishings carefully rotated to obtain a uniform fading.
• Rustic Appearance – Some types of bamboo flooring that consist of many layers of bamboo glued together is almost as strong as hardwood but is rustic in appearance.

Buying Bamboo Flooring

Bamboo is a great green flooring material to have in your house provided you have exercised due care in purchasing finishing and installing the floor. Reputed stores like Contempo Floor Coverings invest time and effort in understanding your needs. We also make sure that the products of the best manufacturers are made available to meet your flooring needs.

Bamboo performs best if it is horizontally cut, is at least 5 years old when harvested, and is finished on site. Contempo Floor Coverings offers professional flooring installation services that will make installing any kind of floor a breeze.

Bamboo is one of the oldest construction materials known to the world. Its tough and flexible structure makes it ideal for many uses including roof thatch, ladders and hammocks. It is a grass that grows at an astronomical rate and is therefore a material that can be replenished easily and rapidly. Bamboo has its limitations, but many of those are the result of processing and premature harvesting. If you would like your house to stand out for being eco-friendly and one of unique beauty, bamboo could be the floor you are looking for.

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