Natural Floors by USFloors 3.78-in Natural Bamboo Hardwood Flooring (23.8-sq ft) Item # 142697 Model # 602HNHardwood floors are natural and durable, but expensive. Bamboo floors are cheaper and growing in popularity. While hardwood flooring can last up to 75 - 100 years, bamboo floors have a lifespan of 10 - 25 years. Both types of flooring are prone to warping from humidity in the environment. Bamboo Floor versus Hardwood Floor comparison chart Bamboo FloorHardwood Floor 3.47/512345 3.38/512345 Durability 10-25 years, depending on the nature of bamboo and added material. 30-50 years if maintaiend well and resurfaced as needed. Depends on a number of factors, such as whether the floor is finished, type of wood used, what room it is in, and how well it is maintained. Material Material Mostly Chinese bamboo processed with adhesives. Cost $2 - $5 per square foot. Generally, the harder the hardwood, the more expensive it is, but also the more durable it is.

Source Natural, but with chemical adhesives Installation Nail-down or interlocking Used to be very difficult to install; Moisture resistance Fairly water resistant, but more prone to warping from environmental humidity. Prone to moisture penetration, discoloration, or warping. Restoration Can be easily restored Can be easily restored to like-new condition. Prone to damage Yes Prone to scratching and to moisture damage Introduction A bamboo floor is a type of flooring manufactured from the bamboo plant. The majority of today's bamboo flooring products originate in China and other portions of Asia. Moso bamboo is the species most commonly used for flooring. Wood flooring is any product manufactured from timber that is designed for use as structural or aesthetic flooring. Solid hardwood floors are made of planks milled from a single piece of timber. Contents: Bamboo vs Hardwood Flooring Bamboo flooring can be made from many different species of bamboo with differing properties, but Moso bamboo is the most popular high-quality option.

Harvested at its peak density at 5-6 years of age, it is harder than even maple and oak hardwoods. Engineered bamboo (also called stranded bamboo) flooring material is more durable than natural bamboo, but is highly processed from its natural state, being stripped, boiled, cut, bonded and pressed. Lighter-colored bamboo is harder than darker bamboo, as the carbonization process used to darken the wood makes it softer. Hardwood flooring is made of natural hardwood from the lumber harvested in forest areas. The softest hardwood used in flooring is pine, and it’s fairly inexpensive. Another option for areas prone to moisture, such as a concrete subfloor, is engineered hardwood. This consists of a hardwood layer on top of plywood or fiberboard, which allows for some expansion and contraction. Good quality bamboo flooring can compete with expensive hardwood flooring in terms of durability and appearance. Modern processing techniques allow for all sorts of colors and textures. In terms of comparing hardness between bamboo and hardwood flooring, bamboo is the cheaper option.

Because it is a grass, bamboo performs slightly better than wood in terms of repelling moisture and mold growth.Depending on the wood and treatment, the flooring can be extremely damage resistant and can be repaired or refinished. Pet For Sale Wichita Ks Any of the cheaper bamboo options are likely to be soft and easily damaged, so the higher end products seem to be the only durable choices. Where To Get Used Monster Truck TiresThe harder bamboo flooring products are heavily treated with formaldehyde and other toxic bonding agents. Baby Trend Car Seat Slip CoverHomeowners have reported a tendency for bamboo to begin to loose some of its color in areas that receive constant sunlight. Bamboo floors can warp over time in humid environments.

Hardwood flooring is comparatively more expensive than bamboo. While either hardwood or bamboo flooring can be installed as a do-it-yourself project, both are best performed by professional contractors unless undertaken by an experienced DIYer. Hardwood and bamboo flooring often require steps including placing, nailing, stapling, cutting the baseboard, and filling holes with wood putty. This video shows professional bamboo flooring installation: Wet mops should be avoided when cleaning bamboo floors. Dust mops and stiff brooms are enough for general cleaning, and a well wrung-out mop can be used if necessary. Cleaning agents that are safe for use on hardwood floors and also be used on bamboo. Worn or scratched bamboo floors can be sanded down and refinished, rather than needing a full replacement. The recent surge in the use of bamboo flooring partially be attributed to its being marketed as a green product. It is certainly highly renewable in the sense that it only takes 3-5 years for bamboo plants to mature, as opposed to 70 or 80 years for some hardwoods, and the bamboo plants that are trimmed can regrow.

But the environmental considerations are not that simple. As most bamboo is imported from China, there is some regulation on the environmental impacts of bamboo growth and processing. Bamboo Floors: Pros & Cons - Choices 4 You How to Install a Hardwood Floor - DIY Network Hardwood Floor Vinyl Floor "Bamboo vs Hardwood Flooring." Solid strand woven bamboo in today’s most popular and fashion forward trendsetting styles. The variety of finishes can be tailored to your style; anything from traditional to contemporary. When homeowners want the look of hardwood floors but are on a pretty strict budget, they generally turn to two flooring substitutes: bamboo and engineered hardwood floors. This article will explore bamboo and engineered hardwood floors, what they are made of exactly, how they are manufactured and the various pros and cons of each. Many people are confused about engineered hardwood floors and assume they are the same as laminate floors, but they are not.

Laminate floors are not real wood, but engineered hardwood flooring is made of a solid wood wear layer typically laminated to a substrate. So what makes engineered hardwood flooring planks different from solid hardwood flooring planks? Solid wood floors are made of sections of a single hardwood such as maple or oak, and the planks are actually a continuous piece of wood. Engineered hardwood floors, on the other hand, are made up of several layers of different types of wood. The top layer may be cut from just about any species of wood but is thin and glued down to the section underneath it – that top layer is called the wear layer.  Below this top section are many layers (the number of layers can vary) of various woods, and sometimes high density fiberboard (HDF) which is often more dimensionally stable. In some cases you may have a layer of plywood on top of a layer of solid wood on top of a layer of high-density fiberboard. When all of these layers are glued together they create a very strong wooden plank.

Since the top layer of engineered hardwood is actually wood, these floors appear identical to solid wood floors.  When the wear layer is thick enough, engineered hardwoods can also be refinished. Engineered wood floors may be installed in a few different ways; either nailed down, glued down, or using the floating floor method where planks can simply be snapped together like a puzzle without any need for glue or nails. Maintaining these floors is very similar to the maintenance used with solid hardwood floors. They should be swept regularly to keep them free from dirt and other debris as over time the debris may scratch the surface. Spills should be wiped up immediately, and harsh chemicals should never be used to clean. It’s also a good idea to avoid using wax-based cleaning products. One of the benefits of engineered hardwood over solid hardwood floors is they hold up to moisture and can be installed as a floating floor, including in basements. The layers actually help dissipate moisture at the same time as adding stability to your floor.  

These floors are not as susceptible to moisture, swelling or warping as solid wood floors. Engineered floors are also much easier for a homeowner to install themselves, cutting down on installation costs. And speaking of costs, the price of these floors is also a big selling point as engineered floors typically cost less than traditional hardwood floors, and since they use less wood they’re often better for the environment. You’ll need to do a fair amount of homework to make sure you find a manufacturer who produces a “solid” product (pun intended!). Some producers manufacture planks with veneers that are much too thin which won’t allow the homeowner to ever sand and refinish. This cuts down on the life of your floors significantly. Some manufacturers will also try and cut corners by using inferior core layers made of regular fiberboard, not high-density. This can greatly compromise the stability of your floors. Bamboo is another attractive alternative to traditional hardwood floors.

These floors are known for their strength and durability and also their resistance to bugs and water. The hardness of bamboo planks can range from 1500 (carbonized horizontal) and newer manufacturing methods like strand woven flooring can score upwards of 4,000 on the Janka hardness test. These impressive numbers indicate that strand woven bamboo is several times harder than oak, maple and Brazilian cherry.   Bamboo comes in a variety of styles and construction that are comparable to hardwood. Bamboo planks are composed of strands of raw material that are weaved together and then pressed. The strips are first boiled to remove any starch or sugars, then dried and planed. Natural bamboo is a very light color similar to blonde. Should a darker color be desired, the bamboo may go through a carbonizing process where the bamboo strips are steamed under controlled pressure and heat, and bamboo is also stained many different colors.  There are many types of surface treatments available for bamboo flooring as well.

Like engineered hardwood floors, bamboo can also be installed using either a glue-down method, nail down or floating method, but care should be taken only to use engineered bamboo flooring in a floating installation as solid locking bamboo flooring has a nasty reputation for having shrinkage problems – especially with certain brands (do your research!). Bamboo is very versatile and comes in a wide variety of stains and styles. Again, depending on the manufacturing process, these floors are highly durable and resilient and harder than many hardwoods. They are the most environmentally friendly floors on the market today because bamboo has a quick regenerative rate. Bamboo can typical renew itself in as little as 5 – 7 years. Compare that to hardwoods which can take as long as 30+ years to grow. Bamboo floors are very easy to clean and maintain. Bamboo floors can last for 30 to 50 years, and will easily biodegrade when removed. As we mentioned earlier, bamboo is very moisture and insect resistant and because of this makes an excellent choice for high traffic areas such as kitchens, powder rooms, laundry rooms, and entryways, as well as for people who suffer from allergies.

Installation of bamboo floors is a fairly quick and easy process, and generally it does not require sanding and multiple coats of toxic varnish. Bamboo costs a fraction of what traditional hardwood floors cost making it a great choice for home owners on a budget. Like engineered and solid hardwoods, bamboo manufacturers should be researched before making a buying decision as there are many inferior bamboo products on the market.   Some brands shrink a lot more than others, and a simple web search on the brand name and “shrinkage” or “complaints” will turn up good information.  Also, although bamboo is a very green choice for your home, all bamboo flooring comes from China, where there are no government standards or regulations concerning environmentally-friendly practices, so researching the importer for negative reviews is of utmost importance. So is there a clear winner in this flooring challenge? Both are more affordable than traditional hardwood floors, both are durable and stand up against moisture, and both can be installed in a variety of ways and by the homeowner.