A common error some people make about bamboo is that it is a type of hardwood. Not to be confused with common associations of many species of grass, bamboo is actually a type of grass which matures into a material that can rival the hardness of maple! Well adapted to their environment, bamboo plants thrive in areas of fair-to-poor soil quality and still remain one of the fastest growing plants in the world. Controlled harvesting has very little impact on each individual stalk, which will continue to grow long after harvesting. This is what makes bamboo such a renewable source of flooring material, and why it is often associated with environmentally minded choices for flooring. The fact that it is so uniquely attractive makes bamboo flooring an extremely beneficial choice for your own interior environment!

How Bamboo Flooring is Made

Once the bamboo has been harvested, the outer layer of green skin is removed and each stalk is cut into lengthwise strips or fillets. These curved fillets of bamboo are milled along their outer edges in order to flatten them. The excess elements of this process will go into another type of bamboo flooring that is called strand-woven bamboo flooring. The flattened strips of bamboo are then kiln dried in order to remove the natural moisture in the bamboo, and are then boiled. The bamboo fillets are now ready to be glued together to make a solid, dependable surface that is more than suitable for flooring. The bamboo undergoes one final compression stage, which makes it that much more durable and ready to ship. Tongue-and-groove elements are added in order to make installation as easy as possible. The outcome of this manufacturing process is dependent on which kind of bamboo flooring is being made. There are several types of bamboo flooring, both in terms of cut and of color, and some differences in how they are processed.

Horizontal or Vertical Bamboo Flooring

During the gluing process, the bamboo can either be bound with the narrow edges facing up, which results in a thin, channel pattern, or so that the broader surface of the bamboo is bound facing upward, making for a surface that is more akin to traditional hardwood patterns. These styles of bamboo flooring are known as vertical and horizontal bamboo flooring, respectively. There are visual benefits to each one, depending on your personal taste, but both remain decorative choices. The horizontal style is striking for its knuckle or node patterns (the pattern naturally occurring in the bamboo that is the equivalent of growth rings in many hardwood species). The vertical style is a unique surface that remains unmatched by any other natural flooring material.

There is very little wasted material during the bamboo flooring manufacturing process, making bamboo a truly renewable and sustainable source of flooring materials.
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This article was provided by BuildDirect. BuildDirect offers durable and attractive bamboo floors at less than retail cost. Order in pallet or container quantities securely online. Or call BuildDirect toll-free at (877) 631-2845.

posted by Nikki Rollins
nrollins@homerenovationguide.com