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Home & Garden Articles
The Advantages of Bamboo Flooring
Sat 25 Nov 2006 - 14:08
The Advantages of Bamboo Flooring
By Lee Dobbins
Bamboo flooring is fast gaining popularity across the European and North American regions. Nowadays, the floor type is being preferred and recommended by more interior designers, who cite bamboo flooring's unique characteristics and aesthetic appeal.
Of course, as the name implies that these flooring materials are made out of bamboo, a grass plant which is the tallest and most sturdy of its kind. It is believed that bamboo flooring products have originated from China.
Looking initially at its appearance, bamboo flooring is considered unique to the oriental culture. Thus, you can see native houses using bamboo products as floors not just in China, but also in other east Asian countries like Japan, Vietnam, the Philippines, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand and Indonesia.
Contemporary interior designing is truly adopting the use and aesthetic value of bamboo floors. There are more than enough reasons why people from around the world should start using bamboo for their floors.
Alternative to hardwood flooring
Bamboo flooring is undoubtedly a modern, durable and environmentally friendly alternative to widely used construction material, hardwood.
Because bamboo is a type of grass, it is considered as a sustainable resource. Compared to timber, bamboo is as flexible and strong as a building material. It is also as hard and lasts as long, if not longer.
It takes about 15 to 20 years before timber hits maturity and becomes appropriate to be used as flooring material. On the other hand, bamboo plants only need about three to five years before its wood can be used as a perfect raw material for construction, particularly in flooring.
Timber resources have been robustly depleting in the recent years. Because wood flooring has been increasing its popularity as a top flooring choice for establishments for years now, demand for timber flooring can be hardly sustained currently.
Thus, prices for timber flooring is shooting up. On the other hand, bamboo as a flooring material is quickly gaining resilience, just like the bamboo plant itself, which is known to bend down when winds and rains hit it so it would not break.
Bamboo floors in Asia
Because of bamboo's abundance and widespread use across Asia, bamboo is the basic material choice of home builders and property developers in the region. The practicality and comfort brought about by bamboo floors are rapidly convincing Western counterparts to adopt the use of the material as well.
Western interior designers are now agreeing with Asian counterparts' opinion that bamboo floors are not just practical, but are also timeless in beauty and functionality. Experts note that bamboo flooring is widely known and tested for its natural ability to resist moisture and a host of health-detrimental insects.
Researchers believe that bamboo floors have been devised by ancient east Asian civilizations because the region is highly characterized by its tropical climate. One characteristic notable at bamboo floors is the materials' ability to defy the current hot temperature.
For example, during summer, bamboo floors make home owners' lives more comfortable by allowing cool breeze to seep inside the house structure.
Bamboo flooring processes
Bamboo flooring are made using three different methods. Each technique makes fitting the bamboo flooring into the house structure much easier. Aside from that, the processes are not as pricey, helping make up for bamboo flooring's competitive price advantage.
One technique is nails bamboo flooring 'secretly' into a sub-floor, which usually consisting of wood. Second, the bamboo flooring can be made by simply gluing the bamboo material into a sub-floor. And lastly, the bamboo flooring can be made to appear as if its is floating by nailing or gluing it to underlay structures.
Pricing
Of course, with the ever-growing abundance of bamboo in the Asian region, bamboo flooring is significantly more affordable than any other flooring made from different materials.
The methods of putting up the flooring is also far less complicated compared to industry counterparts. Thus, it would certainly be not surprising that prices of bamboo floors are far less.
During these trying times, comfort and reasonability can spell a lot when you are building your place. Consider using bamboo flooring and see how your house would stand out.
Lee Dobbins writes for http://www.refinishing-hardwood-floors.com where you can learn more about all types of flooring including bamboo flooring.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lee_Dobbins
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