In the tropics bamboo flooring is a favorite hardwood used for homes and small structures found along the beach not only because of its beauty but also because it is very versatile and durable.
What many people don’t know is that, while bamboo is often referred to as hardwood, it is actually a type of grass. Once properly matured and processed, it comes in two popular varieties: regular bamboo hardwood flooring and bamboo laminated flooring.
The quality between the two types of bamboo is practically the same, so you are not really sacrificing a lot in terms of cost.
For easier installation, bamboo laminate flooring is better favored by interior designers and contractors, and can be bought pre-cut and arranged in any order. For beach homes, they are often nailed to the floor, but for regular homes, a combination of wood glue and nails are used to secure the narrow planks on the floor.
They are often a good choice for elevated outdoor kitchens or outdoor showers because they can accommodate moisture well.
Like all organic floor materials, bamboo wood flooring can potentially accumulate moss on the surface, making it slippery. So it’s important to keep the floor dry at all times to stop people from slipping on the floor. For a more natural and less engineered finish, the heads of the nails can be hidden by wood glue or wood cement.
Because they are relatively inexpensive compared to other hardwood floors, bamboo hardwood flooring is easily maintained simply by removing damaged planks and replacing them with new ones.
When selecting the planks for your floor, it is good to pay attention to the conditions in which the bamboo was grown. This is because the environment greatly affects its color and flexibility. So a good rule of thumb is to purchase your planks from only one supplier (if at all possible), and to purchase extra planks in case your floor suffers any damage.
Should you install bamboo flooring indoors, keeping it dry and clean is much easier and pain free. Simply sweeping the floor does wonders. However, if you want to give it some kick, some inexpensive scented wood oil will seal in the shine and make your room smell pretty nice.
It’s very sturdy so it will not suffer much breakage even if you drop something on it (unless of course what you dropped is a bowling ball). Surprisingly, it is also easy to clean up spills because it just rolls off the top.
For bamboo laminates, spills may make the surface sticky so just use a cloth with water, and avoid using anything with solvents, to clean it.
Looking for ideas for the best type and colors of bamboo flooring be sure to check out the online retailers as they offer better selections that can’t be found in any retail store.