As a flooring material bamboo has many of the same benefits and drawbacks of hardwood flooring like wood flooring bamboo is an attractive natural material that generally adds real estate value to a home.
Is bamboo hardwood flooring any good.
Floating engineered floors work best.
In addition bamboo doesn t have a grading scale like most hardwood floors.
Bamboo floors have become more popular in recent years due to their many similarities to hardwood flooring.
Look for flooring with a substantial warranty.
Bamboo is harvested after three to seven years making it an excellent renewable resource for flooring.
A closer look at bamboo flooring.
Bamboo flooring has an average price of about 3 80 per square foot within a range of 2 to 5 per square foot.
This lack of scale can make choosing a quality bamboo flooring brand more difficult.
You won t find too many choices in this category is bamboo flooring good.
Bamboo does have a couple of downsides.
Cali bamboo s fossilized bamboo flooring is the strongest bamboo flooring on the market today and has a score of 5 000 on the janka hardness test.
For example bamboo flooring that isn t properly boiled steamed and dried can shrink after installation causing unsightly gaps.
The tongue and groove edges of the planks mean that anyone can install them including diy homeowners.
But understanding the benefits and drawbacks of any type of flooring before installation is.
As long as they re installed and acclimated correctly over a suitable subfloor.
Because it s grass not wood it s.
Our experience in hot or dry areas such as arizona colorado or california is that floatingengineered floors seem to work best for both bamboo and hardwood.
The least expensive bamboo option is engineered bamboo flooring.
But like wood bamboo can be scratched and it is prone to cracking in conditions where humidity levels swing dramatically.
For those who prefer modern décor bamboo flooring has a clean contemporary look.
It has a thin layer of bamboo laminated onto plywood the same type of construction used for other engineered flooring.
Bamboo is a grass that grows very quickly which means that bamboo flooring is more sustainable than hardwood flooring which requires felling trees that are decades old.
However not all bamboo flooring is created equal.
The company states that their fossilized manufacturing process results in bamboo flooring that is twice the density of any other hardwood floor in the world.
The pros cons.
However bamboo does have a few detracting points.
Bamboo flooring has a chic exotic look but is still relatively inexpensive which makes it a highly appealing flooring option for many.
Hardwood flooring costs roughly 4 to 8 per square foot for standard materials such as hard maple or red oak while more unusual hardwoods can cost upwards of 10 per square foot.