Analyzing Bamboo Flooring Pros and Cons
Bamboo has recently come on the scene as a great alternative for lots of home building options, including flooring. Although bamboo flooring is not for everybody, many people feel it is a fantastic way to ‘go-green’. If you wish to find out if this is the right choice for you, then read on.
Bamboo Flooring – The Pros
Bamboo is exceedingly renewable. Some varieties grow up to twelve inches per day. At that growth rate, you can understand why bamboo is considered rapidly renewable, particularly when compared to typical hardwood trees that can take up to 120 years to achieve maturity.
Bamboo is very strong. It is normally harder than many hardwoods used for flooring purposes. Additionally, there are some species of bamboo that have a hardness rating higher than that of maple, and nearly double compared to oak flooring.
When looking at bamboo flooring pros and cons, it’s also important to note that bamboo is additionally quite resistant to moisture. Being basically a tropical grass, bamboo is exposed to vast amounts of moisture so it resists spills very well. Contrary to common belief, it’s in fact a notable option for kitchens and bathrooms – both places where traditional hardwoods can be a problem.
Once it is installed, bamboo flooring is very simple to care for. To keep your flooring looking like brand new, damp mop the floor weekly. Additionally be sure to keep dust and dirt off the surface with regular sweeping or vacuuming.
Lastly, due to its natural cushioning properties, bamboo is very easy on your joints. This is somewhat surprising because it is actually stronger than some other hardwood flooring options.
There are unfortunately, some negatives associated with the use of bamboo flooring as well. In order to fully understand whether a product will suit you needs we need to study both sides of bamboo flooring pros and cons. Therefore, we will examine some of the negative aspects of bamboo usage.
If you’re trying to live an eco friendly lifestyle, perhaps the biggest obstacle to bamboo, as a flooring alternative, is that it’s typically grown in China. The means that in order for bamboo to be available to most consumers other than the Asian Continent, it has to be shipped very long distances. Even though I love the outstanding aspects of the environmentally-friendly growing aspects of this product, I genuinely dislike that it is shipped so far. For those of us in the USA, there has been a movement to raise the bamboo much closer to home and this may not be much of an issue to us in the future.
Additionally, unless you are careful when choosing your manufacturer, some bamboo flooring may have been produced using glues and finishes with high levels of VOC’s. Volatile organic compounds or VOC’s are very unhealthy for both the installing contractors, and even more unhealthy for the home occupants. VOC’s impact the indoor air quality of your home, as they off-gas for many years. VOC’s are connected with many health issues and should be avoided whenever possible. If you are planning on installing a bamboo floor, be sure to gather the MSDS sheets on the product as that will allow you to evaluate VOC data.
There is a wide variety of quality levels in bamboo flooring and if you aren’t careful, you can purchase flooring that isn’t very tough. You should search for bamboo that has been allowed to fully mature for about 5 years of growth. Bamboo that is harvested after 3 years is not nearly as durable as mature bamboo. Cheaper usually means inferior when it comes to bamboo flooring. Watch out for cheap products that are priced too good to be true. It usually is!
Last and not least, there is a possibility that the finish may fade. Even though some products are finished with high performance UV resistant finishes, avoid installing bamboo flooring in areas that are exposed to prolonged direct sunlight.
There are many pros and cons you need to examine when purchasing bamboo flooring. Even with the list of cons, I believe that the pros far outweigh them. Bamboo flooring is a notable way to contribute to your environmentally-friendly lifestyle. More than anything else though, be sure to do your research on each product. One product may perform perfectly for one family and not at all for another.
If you wish to learn more about the Pros and Cons of Bamboo Flooring, visit our article Bamboo Flooring Pros and Cons. Another article addressing sustainable flooring choices is Bamboo Flooring Pros and Cons Reviewed.

