Manufacturing and the Environmental Impact of Bamboo Flooring
With environmental awareness growing, bamboo flooring has become a popular material for those homeowners who wish to replace their floors without using wood from old growth forests. While earlier bamboo floorings were expensive and difficult to find, newer products are inexpensive and can be found in many chain home improvement centers.
Bamboo flooring is manufactured into three distinct types
- The first is horizontal flooring, where the knuckles of the bamboo are clearly visible. Each piece of bamboo is steamed and flattened and then each piece is attached to several other pieces until a piece of bamboo lumber is made. Then the resulting lumber is milled into planks.
- Secondly, vertical flooring is manufactured in a similar manner, except the knuckles of the bamboo are not seen. Instead, the sides of the bamboo pieces are exposed, giving the bamboo a striped appearance.
- The third type, strand flooring, is made of the wasted bits of bamboo flooring. Together with a resin the bamboo pieces are compressed together and made into lumber. When the lumber is milled into planks, strand bamboo flooring has little resemblance to wood floors.
Buy EPA Certified Bamboo Flooring
The greatest allure of bamboo flooring remains its appeal as a sustainable material. However, the resins used to manufacturer bamboo flooring can be toxic and create significant off gassing. For this reason, it is important to buy bamboo flooring that meets EPA standards. You should also check with the manufacturer to find out what their environmental policies are as well as the standards they follow when creating their products.
Bamboo Can Take It
In the past there have been valid concerns about the sturdiness of bamboo flooring. However, if you are sure to purchase from a reputable manufacturer, bamboo flooring should have the same hardiness as a hardwood floor. If you are very concerned about the longevity of your bamboo flooring, consider using strand flooring, which has been shown to be the strongest type manufactured.Install Bamboo Flooring Similar to Hardwood Methods
Installing bamboo flooring is as easy as installing hardwood flooring. Like hardwood, bamboo flooring should be carefully tested for moisture levels and allowed to acclimate in the space before installation begins. These precautions will reduce the chances that you will have any unsightly gaps in the flooring.Bamboo Flooring is Easy on the Wallet
Using bamboo flooring is a great first step into the world of green building products. With its price and installation costs comparable to hardwood floors it's an easy way to support sustainable products without a significant dent to your pocketbook.
Hi
Very interesting info. We are trying to develop as much data as possible on bamboo. Can you put in your knowledge to this article in the site? This is for mass consumption.
http://www.copperwiki.org/index.php/Bamboo
Bamboo does cost less to grow and takes less time to mature than hardwood, but the cost of bringing a product to market is not only the cost of materials. Extensive marketing and product development of a relatively new product also drives up costs. Also, one way to indicate that you are competing with a particular market is to price your product accordingly. Bamboo flooring is making a play for the hardwood market- therefore its price reflects that. I'm sure that as bamboo flooring gains in popularity there will be more competition between bamboo manufacturers and the price will drop.
As for the sustainability of bamboo, embodied energy is just one facet of a sustainable product. Bamboo does not have to be fertilized or replanted and sequesters more carbon than hardwoods. Also many people choose bamboo for the same reason they buy a hybrid car- they want to support the technology, even if it is not necessarily the "greenest" option available. Green building products are market driven, therefore the more sales of a particular product, the more reason to further develop it.
One last thing- not all bamboo flooring contains formaldehyde and many manufacturers of bamboo flooring have excellent labor policies. Like anything you buy, it is important to check with the manufacturer to make sure that you are purchasing a product that reflects your environmental and social concerns. Undoubtedly if you live near an area where you can purchase local, certified, sustainably grown hardwood flooring you should consider that choice when buying flooring. However, if you live in other parts of the country I would argue that bamboo flooring can be a very environmentally responsible choice as well.
Bamboo is also being advertsied, as mentioned above, as "sustainable flooring". Shipping bamboo hals way around the globe from CHoina is not sustainable!
Bamboo certainly has many excelletn features. I do feel, however until we can grow bamboo more locally, glue it without formaldehyde and compensate the plantation workers fairly, bamboo would not be my top choice for flooring, cabinetry or furniture.
also be sure that the bamboo flooring you're purchasing doesn't use any formaldehyde bonding agents. yuck!
personally, i think it's a sham and a horrible display of eco-capitalism that bamboo flooring is "comprable" to other hard woods in price. IT SHOULD BE WAY LESS! Depending on the variety, it can mature and be ready for harvesting every 3 years...instead of 300 for a maple. For that reason alone it should be considerably cheaper...but it's not.