The title chosen for
this article isn't entirely accurate as some
consumers have had good experiences with
bamboo flooring. For others, since bamboo floors
became popular, much has been discussed on the
topic of being a maintenance problem. More likely
they scratch, ding, and dent far too easily and
the salesman or manufacturer claimed they were
harder than maple floors. Why they chose maple
floors as a barometer is beyond me. Maple flooring
can be a problem due to it's open graining being
more susceptible to show damage compared to other
hardwood species.
Horizontal Carbonized Bamboo
When bamboo floors were introduced in the USA over
a decade ago there was very little information on
the subject with flooring. We heard all the claims
from being the most often used form of building
material in many parts of Asia. What else would
they use in the far east? Bamboo is abundant,
grows fast, can be replenished faster than common
hardwood, and is stronger than common pine used
here in the states for residential construction.
The marketing angles were there, many took the
strategies and ran with it. Bamboo was an ideal
selling item. For some reason it was being
compared to being just as hard as maple and more
stable than red oak...or something to that extent.
These claims were abundant in the early days.
Here's The Gist
Bamboo being manufactured into flooring can be of
different quality. Harvesting too early results in
a weaker and softer bamboo. Many of the scratching
and denting claims by consumers are directly
attributed to this. Bamboo needs a maturity time
during the growth cycle to achieve it's hardness
properties. There are no common standards to
oversee production as there are in the states.
Sure bamboo may be an ideal construction material,
but had it been tested as a flooring material to
be sold in the USA? American consumers desire
durable quality. Somebody did not put two and two
together. Considering there was very little effort
being handled to assure us we are getting a good
quality bamboo, any 'ole group of people could
suddenly become an exporter.
Price
Pricing differences are large. More times than
not, lower priced bamboo floors are priced low for
a reason. As in other forms of retailing, pricing
typically dictates quality. Green bamboo is far
more abundant than more mature higher quality
bamboo.
How To Shop For A More Durable Bamboo?
You could simply try the fingernail test while
shopping. You may want to try the test first on a
common sample such as a solid red oak. Grab a
sample and press your thumbnail into the surface.
Bamboo that has not reached maturity will be much
softer, the indentation will be larger and more
noticeable.
Site Of Interest:
Tree Hugger - great feedback from many in the
bamboo industry.
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