You might have heard a lot about bamboo flooring recently, since this interesting flooring type has been getting more and more attention.



Many of us who haven't seen bamboo flooring find it hard to envision. We're pretty sure it's not made up of round poles, but it can be hard to imagine how those poles are processed into bamboo.

Bamboo, unlike hardwood floor sources such as maple, beech and oak, is a grass. It doesn't look like one, though.

Bamboo is an extremely large grass. There are some species than can grow to be a foot in diameter and over one hundred feet tall - don't mistake it for a tree.

Despite its classification as a grass, flooring made from bamboo still has a lot in common with wooden floors. Maintenance is very much the same, and the look is similar, too.

This kind of flooring is also hypo-allergenic, since there are no places for dander, pollen, mildew and dust to hide. It's warmer than tile and other materials and beautiful to look at.

Bamboo's durability is also something special, since this material is about ten percent harder than floors made from red oak. Installation of bamboo flooring can only increase your home's value.

Bamboo flooring is made through splitting the stalks of the bamboo, then flattening them under immense pressure. These flattened stalks are then laminated together with glue.

What results is a bit like a hardwood laminate floor. It's multi-layered, pre-finished, and offers tongue and groove installation. These extremely regular planks can even be installed by homeowners themselves, if they have a little experience.

In addition to being strong and beautiful, bamboo's environmental record also gets a lot of press. Most of us have heard that using bamboo as a flooring material is very environmentally friendly, but we might not know why.

This is because bamboo grows very quickly, and needs little in the way of fertilizers and pesticides. To create a bamboo floor, plants need to grow for only five or six years, and regenerate quickly after they've been harvested.

That's why bamboo is considered a sustainable, renewable flooring option. However, buyers should take care when choosing their floors.

Since bamboo is so popular, some have decided to use unnecessary fertilizers and pesticides in the growing process, and make flooring using lower quality techniques to get a quick sale. Anyone who's worried about how long their floor will last or its environmental impact should avoid using these products.

Fortunately, this is isn't really difficult. Most distributors and manufacturers of bamboo flooring want you to know all about their products and the benefits of installing them, so avoid cheap floors and people who don't want to talk about their flooring or its origins.

Bamboo flooring is an excellent investment, both for the beauty and value of your home and for the environment. Most of our waste each year comes from the housing industry - if you choose an environmentally friendly option for your home, you're cutting down that waste.

When the time comes to pick your home's new floor covering, think about bamboo. This beautiful natural material will last a long time and it's good for the environment.