Bamboo Flooring vs. Hardwood Flooring

Bamboo flooring vs hardwood flooring is a common question for many consumers.
Needless to say choosing between bamboo flooring vs hardwood flooring should be an easy task. Bamboo offers a unique alternative that a growing number of consumers are discovering. While there certainly are similarities between the two flooring materials, let’s take a look at what makes bamboo floors a bit more special.

Benefits of Bamboo Flooring

As the name of this website can perhaps allude to, bamboo flooring is environmentally friendly. Bamboo is a type of grass that can grow as much a three feet per day, which has contributed to its reputation as a renewable building material. Already, bamboo has been recognized as a “green” material that can be utilized for numerous consumer goods, including clothing! While other hardwoods can also be re-grown, the pace is vastly disparate, requiring longer periods of time between harvests.

Bamboo Flooring Durability

For anyone that has pets, children, or an active lifestyle, bamboo flooring offers incredible durability, and the ability to withstand just about anything you throw at it. There are two main types of bamboo flooring, carbonized and natural. Carbonized bamboo flooring is the softer of the two types, as it has been steamed to provide a darker shade, which ultimately also reduces its firmness. Natural bamboo offers a higher level of durability and a lighter shade. Natural bamboo is also harder than most popular hardwoods, including red oak.

Features to Look For

Perhaps the biggest difference between bamboo flooring and hardwood flooring is aesthetics. While hardwood flooring can offer a great amount of consistency, bamboo flooring is typically less consistent. With natural variations and blemishes, this can often provide a more natural appeal than many types of hardwood alternatives.

What to Consider

When considering bamboo, you have several bamboo flooring installation options. Most commonly, bamboo is installed by gluing planks to hardwood slaps or subfloors. In addition, other installation options include the ability to be “floated” above the subfloor without gluing or nailing it down. When it comes to installation, it ultimately depends of the type subfloor.