Should You Choose Timber Flooring Or Bamboo Flooring?
Timber flooring has long been a primary choice for many people. It you want to avoid carpet or include the warm look of wood in your home, it’s been the best option for a long time.
Now, however, bamboo flooring offers a comparable, environmentally friendly, durable alternative to traditional timber. Here are some facts about how bamboo flooring performs against popular floating timber floors.
Floating timber floors, unlike the more expensive solid timber type, are made of a layer of wood veneer a few millimeters thick, laminated on top of a less expensive timber, or even a composite material made from waste wood. Bamboo floors are made of solid bamboo, offering greater durability over time for less than you’d pay for a solid timber floor. Plus, bamboo is a stronger, harder to damage material than almost any wood.
Unlike a floating timber floor, bamboo flooring is permanently attached to the surface it rests on. That allows more stability and less opening of and movement in the joints between individual pieces of flooring.
You also won’t have to deal with the hollow sound that many timber floors make when you walk on them, or the easy scratching. Bamboo flooring is solid sounding, easy to clean, and resistant to scratches and dings.
Since there’s little to no movement between pieces of bamboo flooring, you can easily refinish your floor. Bamboo provides a better surface than solid timber, and veneered timber can’t be resurfaced at all!
Instead, the damaged portion of the timber floor needs to be replaced. Bamboo can be resurfaced many more times than other types of floor, and could last another five to ten years longer because of it.
If you’ve got environmental concerns about the materials you put in your house, you’ll probably prefer bamboo. While both of them are renewable resources from natural sources, it takes a lot longer to replace timber forests. While veneered timber flooring uses less valuable hardwood in its manufacture, it relies on wood waste and softwoods to provide support for the veneer. Composites used in this material may use toxic glues, as well.
You’ll find these kinds of practices mostly in China and other countries where regulation is minimally enforced. Fortunately, it takes only a little research to tell you if you’re getting some of the large percentage of products made from sustainably produced bamboo.
You may find that bamboo looks a lot different than ordinary timber. While the appearance of this grass is appealing to many, it might not work out well if you really love the feel and look of hardwood. For many people, however, the lack of environmental damage and durability of bamboo makes the appearance change worthwhile.
Where contraction and expansion are issues, you’ll find that bamboo offers a favorable performance. Unlike hardwood veneer floorings, bamboo will hold up to a number of resurfacings, and there’s no treatment or waxing required. To make sure you get a product that’s non toxic and fully sustainable, look for flooring that uses glues that won’t off gas and don’t contain toxic chemicals.
Anyone who’s curious about how bamboo flooring holds up when compared to hardwood should take a look online. It’s easy to see the whole range of available products and find out more about this great type of floor. It could be right for your home.
