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Posts Tagged ‘strand woven bamboo flooring’

Bamboo is an good alternative material to hardwood. It is not a wood. It is a grass. In this piece of writing I will talk about the benefits of using strand woven bamboo flooring and the problems with strand woven bamboo flooring.

Firstly what is strand woven bamboo flooring? It is a solid bamboo plank that is made by taking bamboo stalks and boiling the stalks to remove the sugars in the bamboo. It is necessary to do this because the sugar in bamboo attracts termites and other unwanted pests. Then the bamboo is allowed to dry. Next, the bamboo strands are pressed and flattened under high pressure with an glue. This process makes a plank of bamboo nearly twice as dense as standard bamboo flooring.

The other types of bamboo flooring are antique, tiger stripe and cherry. This is made by laying out thin strips of bamboo either down the length of the room (vertical flooring) or across the width (horizontal) of the room. The other type of bamboo flooring is engineered bamboo flooring. Engineered bamboo flooring is made by pressing bamboo into plies with pine. The pine makes the flooring harder but less environmentally friendly. The most important problem with these different types of bamboo flooring is that they are not as tough and durable as strand woven bamboo flooring. Solid bamboo flooring looks attractive and like planks of hardwood but this type of flooring is not strong and marks easily. Engineered bamboo flooring is stronger but it is not 100% bamboo. For those people who want a ‘natural’ and eco-friendly flooring material this is undesirable.

The main benefits of using strand woven bamboo flooring are environmental. Bamboo is an wonderfully environmentally friendly material. Hardwoods take between 60 to 150 years to reach maturity. Whereas, bamboo is ready to harvest in 4 to 6 years. It is a plant that doesn’t require planting because it has an extensive root system that naturally puts out new shoots. Bamboo contains a ‘kun’ substance that is naturally resistant to pathogens and pests. Thus, bamboo can be grown organically, without pesticides and herbicides. Bamboo is also amazingly versatile. It can be used as a building material. It can be used to make paper. The shoots are edible and a good source of nourishment. Bamboo can be made into paper and the Chinese and Indians use bamboo in their traditional medicines. Bamboo is more important to the well-being of the planet than trees because it produces 35% more oxygen and absorbs 20% as much carbon dioxide as an equivalent strand of trees.

In particular strand woven bamboo flooring is a good natural material to use for your flooring purposes because it looks attractive – a lot like oak. It has a beautiful natural grain. It is also easy to clean and helps keep your house allergens free unlike carpeting which attracts allergens. Also strand woven bamboo flooring is 50% cheaper than hardwood flooring. The other benefit of strand woven bamboo flooring is that it is easy to install. It can be directly glued to the foundation; it can allowed to ‘float’; or it can be nailed or stapled to the foundation.

Regrettably, strand woven bamboo flooring does have some negative points. Bamboo has grown in popularity over recent years and this has lead to cut clearing of forests in China. The over-use of pesticides, soil erosion, an increase of soil toxicity and the loss of natural habitats. Very few bamboo companies have credible environmental certification and fair trade certification. Furthermore, many bamboo floorings use adhesive containing formaldehyde. Formaldehyde is very bad for the environment. The other problem with strand woven bamboo flooring is that it is not as strong as oak. It does dent and scratch and can warp under too much sunlight.

When choosing a new flooring for your house it is important to consider these key points.

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