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Bamboo Flooring

Bamboo is one of the most environmentally – sustainable flooring finishes but it also has many practical and aesthetic qualities that appeal to consumers and specifiers alike.

Unlike traditional hardwood trees, which can take up to 100 years to reach maturity, bamboo is a fast growing, sustainable resource. Although bamboo is often labelled as ‘wood’ it is, in fact, a grass, although its cell structure gives it very similar properties to wood. Furthermore, once acclimatised, bamboo exhibits virtually no expansion or contraction under normal atmospheric conditions, this makes it ideal for use in high humidity or damp areas such as bathrooms. Bamboo has been used in Asia for thousands of years. Not only is it 27% harder than red oak and 13% harder than maple, it is also lighter than most hardwoods. Bamboo is simply outstanding for use as a flooring material.

Unlike the thin poles familiar as garden supports, the flooring industry uses thick sticks with a diameter of around 300mm, up to 15m in length. Bamboo can be harvested from the mother plant without causing lasting damage. The mother plant produces new shoots every year, with stems maturing to become sufficiently hard and woody for harvesting within four to five years. In contrast, it takes in excess of ten years for Oak, Cherry or Maple to reach maturity.

 

How it’s made

Bamboo has a round section with a hollow core. After the bamboo is harvested it is split into strips using parallel cutting saws. The finest strips are then selected for the manufacture of floors, and the inside knot and outside skin removed. The ‘wood’ is often treated at this point with an insecticide to protect against infestation. The sticks are then kiln dried, planed flat and then glued together to form a laminate under high pressure; the result being flat, strong planks. These planks are then planed and machined to produce the required joints, and sanded to an excellent finish, before being cut to length.

Bamboo flooring is available with either horizontal or vertical laminations. It is normally available in two colours; the natural pale hue or a darker caramel or coffee colour. The latter is achieved by carbonisation in a kiln, which creates a rich permanent colour through the ‘wood’.

How it’s laid

Bamboo floors can be nailed down, glued down or floated and are suitable for use over underfloor heating systems.