Going Green With Bamboo Floors

By Marifer Vergara

Are you environmentally conscious? More and more people are

these days, and that's caused an explosion in the popularity of

bamboo flooring.

Bamboo is like a hardwood, but is not a wood at all. As a

hollow-grass, it is considered a renewable resource because it

grows rapidly, replenishing itself. Bamboo can reach maturity

in 5-6 years, growing to 80 feet in height. Considered

environmentally friendly, many people are taking a whole new

look at bamboo flooring.

Did you know that bamboo is the fastest growing woody plant on

this planet. Some species of bamboo can grow as much as 1 meter

per day.

For the environmentally conscious, bamboo is critical in

emitting oxygen in to the atmosphere; generating more oxygen

than an equivalent stand of trees does. As the fastest growing

canopy, bamboo lowers light intensity and protects against

ultraviolet rays, while acting as an atmospheric and soil

purifier. Simply put, bamboo is a plentiful natural resource

and a viable alternative to deforestation of the world's trees.

Choose a bamboo floor and you are helping to curb the problem of

global warming.

Bamboo a Practical Flooring

Bamboo floors have a similar hardness to any hardwood floor.

When bamboo goes through the manufacturing process to become

flooring, the bamboo becomes hard enough to be made into solid

and engineered floor planks. You would consider installing

bamboo flooring in any similar location that would be good for

wood floors.

Just like wood, bamboo will scratch. So, look for bamboo

flooring with a solid finish on it for durability.

And just like wood, bamboo flooring can be stained. Although

many people leave their bamboo floors natural preferring the

lighter blonde coloring that the naturally milled bamboo

offers. Keep in mind, that just like woods all stain

differently, so it's also true with bamboo. So, expect some

variation in your plank colorings.

Bamboo flooring comes in both a vertical and horizontal

graining pattern. Check for samples to see which style you

prefer ... with the grain or cross-grain cuts. The grain

patterns are very different from each other, so be sure you

choose the bamboo cut that is right for you.

Installing your Bamboo Floor

Bamboo can be glued to concrete slabs, stapled to wood

sub-floors, and floated over most existing floor coverings.

Anything you can do with wood flooring, you can do with bamboo

flooring. Bamboo floors are also available in floating floor

styles as well.

Installing your bamboo floor is much the same processes as with

conventional hardwood flooring. The type of bamboo flooring you

pick will dictate the installation process. Want to learn more

about the types of bamboo floors available, visit

www.FastFloors.com.

About the Author: Marifer Vergara writes about Bamboo Flooring

for http://www.FastFloors.com

Source: http://www.isnare.com

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