Bamboo flooring: Everything you need to know

Flooring

Oct 11, 2022

Horizontal bamboo ideas for your home - Beautiful Homes

Determine whether bamboo flooring is the missing piece in your home with this quick guide

What is Bamboo Flooring?

Bamboo is a natural material that can be used for various applications. Although bamboo is a type of grass, when treated, it mimics wood in properties and appearance. And so, bamboo "wood" flooring behaves much the same as any hardwood flooring. It is available as bamboo tiles, bamboo plank, bamboo laminate, and strand woven bamboo flooring.

Types of Bamboo Flooring

The different types of bamboo flooring are based on how each is manufactured or constructed.

1. Horizontal Bamboo

Strips of bamboo cane are laminated and layered to form planks. The strips are laid flat with the skin side facing up. Its make gives horizontal bamboo a pronounced grain pattern, quite similar to hardwood floors. A great way to identify this type of bamboo is to look for the knuckles of nodes typical of bamboo stalks.

2. Vertical Bamboo

The construction of vertical bamboo involves stacking the cane strips, much like books on a shelf. They are then glued together with adhesives. The product is more uniform and streamlined compared to horizontal bamboo. The stalk nodes are few and far between due to its design.

Vertical bamboo for your home interior design - Beautiful Homes

Bamboo flooring for your interior design - Beautiful Homes

3. Strand Woven Bamboo Flooring

Strand woven bamboo flooring is made much the same way as engineered wood. First, bamboo stalks are sliced strands. The strands are then combined with resins and hydraulically pressed to form logs or planks. The process yields a highly consistent product without any typical nodes or joints. But you also lose the wood-like grain. This type of bamboo flooring is the most durable due to the manufacturing process.

4. Engineered Bamboo Flooring

This kind of bamboo flooring is made by attaching a layer of bamboo atop MDF or plywood core. While it may be the most affordable option, it is the least durable and cannot be refinished.

Horizontal bamboo flooring looks the most like bamboo, while strands are woven the least. But the latter is more suitable for areas with greater footfall than traditional bamboo flooring, i.e. horizontal and vertical types. For more options in terms of colour, bamboo flooring is either carbonised in ovens or stained.

Engineered bamboo flooring ideas for your home - Beautiful Homes

Tongue & grove installation method for bamboo in your home - Beautiful Homes

How is Bamboo Flooring Installed?

Irrespective of the mechanism you go with, before installing traditional bamboo flooring, ensure that the layer beneath is clean and dry with low moisture levels. Additionally, like other natural materials, bamboo "wood" flooring needs to acclimate to the environment. Allow the bamboo tiles or planks to rest in the room for a couple of days before installation.

1. Tongue and Groove Method

Both strand woven and traditional bamboo flooring is available as planks with tongue and groove mechanisms. You can either glue these together or nail them down. These can be installed over both a subfloor and flooring underlayment. You can choose to keep them floating or fix them to the surface underneath.

2. Click Fitting Method

With this mechanism, you just fit or lock two planks together. When it comes to fixing the flooring to the surface underneath, you can let it float or use adhesive to affix it. With click fittings, the installation time is quick, and the process is easy. You also do not require any binding material, making it fuss-free.

How much does Bamboo Flooring Cost?

The bamboo tiles or plank price averages between ₹150 to ₹300 per sq. ft. But the cost may rise depending on the bamboo flooring's treatment, application, and thickness. The installation cost for bamboo tile flooring is around ₹80 per sq. ft. It may vary given your location, the installation mechanism, the area, etc.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Bamboo Flooring

Advantages:

Compared to Harwood, bamboo is a more sustainable material. While the former takes decades to grow and harvest, the same bamboo stalk can be harvested every 5 to 6 years.
Its fast growth rate and lightness make it a more affordable choice.
Through carbonisation and staining, you get as many colour variations as hardwood, only at a fraction of the cost.
Bamboo tile flooring is pretty easy to maintain. Simple dusting and occasional moping are enough.
Its new and distinct look makes bamboo tile designs excellent options for contemporary interiors. But bamboo flooring is aesthetically versatile enough to fit in with most design styles.
Horizontal and vertical bamboos have long life spans. You can refinish them numerous times.

Disadvantages:

While more resistant to scratches than many hardwoods, it isn't wholly scratch-proof, particularly engineered bamboo flooring.
Bamboo flooring may be more sustainable but isn't eco-friendly on all fronts. The binding materials and adhesives used in the manufacturing process can be toxic and emit VOCs.
Significant shifts in humidity levels can cause irreparable damage to bamboo tiles and planks.
It is susceptible to swelling, shrinking, buckling, discolourations, marring, etc.
Tongue and groove mechanisation requires professional help for installation, making bamboo floor tile and planks non-DIY-friendly.

How to Clean Bamboo Flooring?

The frequency of basic cleaning depends on the location and traffic in a room. In a house, cleaning bamboo floor tiles daily or every second day is ideal.
To avoid permanent damage, always clean up spills and splashes immediately. Instead of wiping and scrubbing, ensure to blot.
To avoid any moisture-related damage to bamboo tiles design, opt for weekly damp mopping.
Use non-alkaline, non-acidic and wax-free cleaners—cleaning products used for hardwood flooring work just as well for bamboo flooring.
To avoid abrasions, use microfiber mops, rags, and soft-bristled brushes.

How can Beautiful Homes Help you with Bamboo Flooring?

With Beautiful Homes' interior design services, you hire professionals who deliver your dream home with custom design and décor solutions. The home interior design service includes furnishing, wall treatments, lighting, décor and more. Visit our website to check the various options we offer and projects executed by us so far.

Book a consultation call to learn more about the service's process. Find our state-of-the-art stores in Amritsar, Tumakuru, Raipur, Jaipur, New Delhi, Kochi, Karur, Coimbatore, Bengaluru and Nashik, and soon in several other cities.

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Bamboo flooring: Everything you need to know

What is Bamboo Flooring?