Bamboo flooring is an increasingly popular option. It is stylish, similar to traditional wood, and has environmental advantages.
Bamboo is a grass that can be processed to look like wood, or processed to look quite different to wood. It is available in classic solid form or in engineered wide-board. Either way, it is strong and reliable. As with most floors all home owners should take precautions to prevent scratching.
Bamboo can grow to maturity, ready for harvest, in 6 years. This is much faster than traditional timber which takes decades to grow. And as a grass bamboo is harvested without removing the underlying roots, so new bamboo starts to grow without replanting. This means bamboo is a steadily renewable product. It also helps the environment by removing CO2 for the atmosphere.
Wooden floors of all types remain popular.
Traditional wooden floors can last for a century, and be sanded down and refinished periodically in order to look new again.
Prefinished timber is easy to install, leaves no sawdust, and requires no varnish, staining or finish. This mean no fumes. The floor can be used as soon as it is installed.
Engineered timber combines layers of different woods in order to utilize the advantages of each. The top layer is chosen for appearance, the other layers for strength, durability and resistance to warping. Engineered timber will have woodgrain running in cross angles to take maximise strength in all directions.
