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Engineered Bamboo Flooring
Engineered bamboo flooring is very similar to engineered hardwood flooring, comprised of multiple layers, cross-banded for stability, glued on a base. However the difference is in the material – bamboo has a lower expansion rate than hardwoods, so an engineered bamboo floor will contract and expand even less in changing moisture conditions. Whether your climate is dry, humid, or best of all fluctuates wildly between the two, an engineered bamboo floor will do the job best.
Bamboo is most commonly found in two colors: a natural hue and a darker, caramelized tone called amber. Natural bamboo is light yellow in color, while carbonizing gives bamboo a richer, caramel color with brown graining. However it’s also possible to stain the natural planks in different colors like wheat, chestnut, charcoal or white, just to name a few of the many options.
Bamboo flooring has many advantages – from the beginning, its high-tech commercial grade finish systems outperform most factory finishes, and are more durable than most job-site applied finishes. Bamboo grows quickly and needs virtually no irrigation, pesticides, or fertilizers, and the root stays alive and re-grows after harvesting, so it is a very eco-friendly choice. Harder and more stable than oak, the strength of bamboo along with its natural beauty and environmentally-friendly characteristics make bamboo flooring a perfect alternative to wood flooring.
A natural bamboo floor is available in two grains:
- Vertical grain is a thinner, narrower grain. It is created from strips on bamboo laid on edge with the wider faces bonded together, which gives the floor more lines within the pattern and a more consistent, even colouring. The look achieved by vertical grain is great for making small spaces look roomier.
- Horizontal grain has a wider, flatter look. It is made by laying wider strips on top of each other (usually three plies thick). Horizontal grain features more of the unique properties of the bamboo grass with more visible nodes (the joints in the bamboo cane) than vertically-grained bamboo.
However, make sure that your flooring is well-manufactured. Many of the less expensive products are grown in the lowlands and harvested every year. The good quality material is grown in the highlands at altitude and is harvested every 5 or 6 years. This makes for a far more durable and dense product. The quality bamboo also uses high quality European adhesives that contain no formaldehyde or other polluting agents.
Another reason to be careful about which bamboo you buy; there are few, if any, regulations and rules concerning quality, grading and color consistency. Bamboo is also often touted as a “green product” simply because it re grows from the root after it is harvested – but the byproducts of the manufacturing process are often disposed of by dumping in the local rivers or streams.
If you are looking for the best and highest quality available, we recommend Teragren, closely followed by Ecotimber bamboo. Architects and designers routinely specify Teragren for high end homes, commercial properties and restaurants and having installed this type in many such buildings.
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