All about bamboo floors
Bamboo is a type of grass. However, you might think that it is as soft and brittle as the typical grass species we know and can not be used as a building material. However, bamboo has proved to be very strong and flexible, making it the material of choice for many structural builders.
The cost of a bamboo floor averages between $ 2 and $ 4 per square foot, which is about the same price as oak. It's a fair price considering the many benefits it offers.
The installation of a bamboo floor does not require any special technique. In fact, you can put them in different ways. You can float, nail or glue them. Bamboo is also easier to obtain than oak, as it only takes about 3 years to mature, unlike oak, which can take up to a hundred years to mature.
It is important to note that bamboo is not a wood, but an herb. So we can not talk about hardwoods. However, this can last as long as the standard hardwoods we have, which is probably why most people take it for such.
To make a flat, solid floor, the bamboo tubes are cut into strips. These are then boiled to remove the starch. The boiled strips pass through the drying and laminating process and are ground to become strip floor boards. It's the same process as hardwoods like maple or oak. Finally, the strips are treated with a preservative to slow down the decomposition.
Bamboo floors give a room an ethnic and earthy atmosphere. Because hardwoods such as oak are rather dark and therefore look too rich and heavy, the use of bamboo as flooring makes your space brighter, more airy and less artificial.
