Bamboo flooring crashed onto the scene when consumers began demanding alternative, more eco-friendly sources for our flooring, and bamboo was the answer. Bamboo is actually a grass, but incredibly hard (25% harder than red oak and harder than maple, ash or beech). Bamboo can grow as much as 1-3 feet per day during its peak growing time and is virtually the fastest growing plant on our planet.

Typically, bamboo takes about 5-6 years to reach full maturity and can grow up to 125 feet tall and reach thicknesses of up to 2 feet. And because the roots spread like wildfire, bamboo never has to be replanted, giving us a sustainable and renewable resource that we can count on for many generations to come.

Many people know bamboo as being Panda food, and while earth-friendly, no one wants their flooring to come at the expense of the Panda. The good news is, there are many different species of bamboo and the kind that's used to make bamboo flooring is not the same type of bamboo that the Panda bears eat. China is the largest producer of bamboo in the world and most of the bamboo forests are found in the eastern part of the country, while pandas occupy different areas at higher elevations. So when you buy a bamboo floor, you're not taking the food out of a Panda bear's mouth.

Natural and Carbonized Bamboo

Because bamboo is a grass, it can't be stained like hardwood flooring. As a result, ther haven't been a lot of options when it comes to the aesthetics of bamboo flooring and in the beginning was only offered in either natural or carbonized finishes.

When a bamboo floor is carbonized, it's exposed to intense heat, literally caramelizing the sugars inside the bamboo. In turn, this changes the color of the bamboo, but also softens it. Don't worry, this doesn't change the durability. Today's durable aluminum oxide finishes more than compensate for any softening due to carbonizing.

As technology has progressed, so have our options. Bamboo has come a long way and is now offered in a variety of looks (vertical bamboo, horizontal bamboo), finishes and is manufactured several different ways (engineered bamboo, solid bamboo, solid strand woven bamboo,engineered strand woven bamboo). You can even get hand-scraped finishes, something only recently offered by today's most bold and cutting edge manufacturers.

Vertical Bamboo and Horizontal Bamboo

When shopping for bamboo flooring, you've likely heard ""vertical bamboo flooring"" or "horizontal bamboo flooring". The only difference is the way the bamboo slats are laid when assembling the plank. In essence, you're just looking at different sides of the bamboo, but the durability is unchanged. It's simply a matter of personal taste.

Advantages of Bamboo Flooring

Bamboo is an eco-friendly, sustainable and renewable resource Bamboo is extremely durable Bamboo is very easy to maintain Due to its abundance, bamboo is a great value

Disadvantages of Bamboo Flooring

Somewhat limited color selection, but even that's changing