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Bamboo, A Hot Trend In Flooring
Sat 18 Nov 2006 - 21:40
Bamboo, A Hot Trend In Flooring
By David Wilding
Bamboo is increasing its popularity as a superb flooring option in our ever more "green" way of looking at things. It may even be an understatement to say bamboo is an extraordinary plant. It is not really a wood, but yet has tremendous potential as a flooring resource. Bamboo is emerging as an alternative resource to other types of wood because of its strength and hardness.
Bamboo Not Wood?
Not being a wood product; then what is bamboo? Bamboo is a grass: a very tough form of grass, but a grass nevertheless. Bamboo is a plant, commonly grown in Asia, but found on almost every continent. Unlike a tree that must be felled before it can be used to manufacture floorboards or make a cabinet, bamboo is a grass that can re-grow after it has been harvested without the need to nurture a new plant. A re-grown plant is ready to harvest in, as short a time, as five years.
But A Wood Replacement?
Bamboo can be a viable replacement for standard hardwood floors. It is a great alternative because the unique, beautiful, appearance of bamboo is similar to wood flooring. It is also, one of the hardest "woods" in existence; harder than oak, even harder than maple. Bamboo thus becomes a serious alternative to other hardwoods. It achieves this durability by being more resistant to moisture, which makes it far more stable.
Where Does Its Strength Come From?
Bamboo flooring is not solid bamboo. It is made up of strips of material, which have been run through a machine, which splits and then sizes the product. The pieces then are laminated together into "solid" planking. Because it is a laminate product it has tremendous hardness and strength. When properly laminated the strength of bamboo approaches that of soft steel. It is any wonder then, the resistance to abrasion and indentation of bamboo is twice that of any similar woods?
Sure, But How Does It Look?
All that strength is great but how does it look? Because bamboo is a natural product, it possesses color variations. Bamboo flooring is subject to fading, so the bamboo must be kiln dried. After drying it is planed and sanded, then treated with a special UV coating to cut down on any fading. Still, as a natural flooring product, bamboo will experience some change of color. It is just a characteristic of any natural product.
Bamboo, The Green Alternative
Flooring can play such an important part in elevating the look of a house. Bamboo is no exception it is an excellent flooring material and so environmentally friendly. It can be a dream material for the environmentally conscious homeowner. Feng Shui uses bamboo to help achieve a positive, favorable energy. As a replacement for hardwood, bamboo can be at home just about anywhere, especially underfoot. It is a great product for floors Consider bamboo flooring when replacing the floors in your home.
More information on bamboo flooring can be found at http://www.BambooLook.com along with other bamboo products and ideas.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=David_Wilding
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