Why Bamboo May Be the Right Choice for Your Flooring

In our culture, people are always looking for the "next big thing". As that applies to flooring, you should give serious consideration to bamboo if you are looking for options. Whether you're replacing an old floor or building a new home, bamboo flooring can provide a distinct and unique look to your household.

With all the concerns today about the global environment, bamboo flooring makes perfect sense, as it is very much in tune with those sensibilities. Classified as a grass, bamboo is the fastest growing woody plant in the world, and as such is a remarkably renewable resource. Considering how wood resources are being gobbled up worldwide despite recycling efforts, bamboo offers a great environmental alternative to wood flooring.

Amazing as it sounds, research has determined that bamboo is harder than oak. Through laboratory tests, bamboo flooring, even though technically a grass, has a 6% degree of hardness over oak. It is stronger andmore durable than any type of hardwood flooring, and especially resistant to normal wear and tear. Bamboo has such a great reputation for outlasting similar wood coverings, that numerous makers of bamboo flooring offer a warranty for the lifespan of the floor. This also makes bamboo very economical, since a longer lasting floor keeps down the expense per year of use.

Look no further for proof of the strength of bamboo than the fact that it is commonly put to work in construction as rebar for beams of reinforced concrete. This is because bamboo actually has a documented tensile strength of 28,000 pounds per square inch as opposed to only 23,000 for steel.

One of the most appealing factors in favor of bamboo is that once made into flooring, it has an innate beautythat rivals that of any wood flooring. You can coat bamboo flooring with a finishing product and even apply a stain in order to add some color. Bamboo has an attractive allure and charm that makes it the equal of most types of wood.

Resilience is another of bamboo's hallmarks. Once again, because it is a grass, it does not shy away from moisture. Quite the opposite, actually, as bamboo holds up extremely well when faced with rot or decay. It flourishes in moist climates, with a natural absorbency that is still retained even after being pressed into serviceas flooring. Because of this, bamboo will thrive in areas where wood flooring would have trouble surviving for very long.

Perhaps most important in considering bamboo flooring is the fact that upkeep and cleaning is remarkablyeffortless. Of all flooring varieties, bamboo is one of the easiest to care for, at least as easy as wood. Since no vacuum is needed, you can use a broom or dust mop. Periodically, run a wet mop over the bamboo using soap and water. This is very low maintenance flooring material, as opposed to tile floor, for instance, where problems with grout create work on the maintenance front. With bamboo flooring, you'll find you can devote more time to other issues of care in your house.

Wood is just outclassed when it comes to the versatility of bamboo flooring. It's eco-friendly, durable, reliable, easy to maintain and beautiful. Quite simply, you will soon realize that no other flooring can match the strengths of bamboo.

* Five Reasons to Choose Bamboo Flooring, Flooring-BuildDirect.com

*Bamboo, Wikipedia.org