There has been a shift toward more environmentally friendly home building materials in recent years to such an extent that it is possible to build an entire home from materials that have been manufactured using more sustainable methods and materials. If you are remodeling your existing home you can choose from among these green products for your home improvement projects as well.
Strand bamboo flooring has become one of the more popular green building materials in recent times. To make it, many small bamboo fibers are compressed and bound together with adhesive to create planks. The adhesive used in the manufacturing process of this type of bamboo wood flooring makes it harder than almost all other types of wood flooring.
There are all sorts of advantages to strand bamboo flooring. The major one is that it can withstand almost any kind of treatment and endure over a long period of time. It is so strong and impervious that you can do nearly anything to it without causing damage. There are other types of bamboo flooring that are softer and more likely to show scratches, but this woven bamboo flooring will hold up beautifully.
Another one of the benefits of this kind of flooring is the beauty that it will bring to the area where you choose to install it. Because of its durability, strand bamboo can be used indoors and out in almost any part of the home. The floor looks like hardwood flooring, but provides you with more ease of use and durability than hardwood floors.
Strand bamboo flooring is considered the latest material to provide the beauty of hardwood floors without the worry about depleting the environment. Bamboo grows rapidly and replenishes itself continually, making this the choice of environmentally aware citizens. If your desire is to "go green" then the unique qualities of bamboo will fill that need. You will be proud of your home when it is enhanced by this kind of flooring.
So, if you are looking around for strand bamboo flooring, check out the Internet first. You'll locate lots of companies that have all sorts of flooring options that would work for you. Get precise room measurements first, so you can get the best possible estimate. It doesn't matter where you buy it, with all the beautiful bamboo flooring options available, you can't go wrong!
Today, many people are using ecologically responsible home building materials. Strand bamboo flooring is one of the most popular "green" building materials. The flooring planks are made of fibers bound with an adhesive, making this type of bamboo wood flooring even harder than most wood floors. Some kinds of bamboo floors are delicate, but the strand type is durable, easy to maintain, and beautiful. Many styles of woven bamboo flooring can be found online. Wood flooring specialists will be happy to work with you and can give you a price quote based on your room dimensions.
Strand Bamboo Flooring Can Make A Beautiful Difference In Your Home
Bamboo Flooring - 4 Top Reasons Why You Should Consider It For Your Next Floor
Bamboo flooring offers benefits that are hard to pass up. It's durable, visually appealing and green to boot. If you never considered bamboo before, you should at least give it its day in court. And here are the top 4 reasons why you should.
* It's Hard and Durable, Like Wood
Bamboo flooring is as hard as wood and harder than some well-known species of wood like maple and oak. But it's not actually wood. Rather, bamboo is a form of grass. Despite its misleading name however, it feels and cuts just like wood. It even looks like wood, albeit with a slightly different grain pattern.
* It's Attractive, Visually Interesting and Exotic
Bamboo offers just as much if not more visual interest in a floor as does wood. Bamboo flooring comes in a couple of natural shades depending on how it's processed but it can also be stained like wood. When it's manufactured in a horizontal grain pattern, it presents a unique, almost exotic grain orientation, thanks to the "knuckles" that are naturally present on bamboo stalks.
* It's Eco-Friendly and Sustainable
Bamboo is a green material because it's renewable and sustainable. Bamboo reaches maturity in 3 to 7 years, dependent on its intended use. This quick growth means it produces material that can be harvested in a fraction of the time it takes some hardwood trees to mature. Another plus is that the bamboo plant itself isn't consumed in the harvesting process. Only the culms or "stalks" of the plant are cut with no detriment to the plant itself. Once cut, the plant regenerates new culms to be grown and harvested again. So not only is it a renewable resource, it's highly sustainable given its fast regeneration.
* It's Readily Available in Various Forms
Despite its exotic nature and far-off origins bamboo flooring is easily obtainable. There are a plenty of resources available and you can buy it in several forms with options on how it's installed. For example, you can buy bamboo flooring in solid planks, similar to conventional hardwood flooring or as an engineered product to be installed as a floating floor.
Is bamboo perfect? No. But no flooring material is. However it's durability, aesthetics and 'green-ness' certainly make it a top contender in any flooring decision.
Robert Levesque is the founder of Home Style Choices LLC and is passionate about helping homeowners make choices on the products available to fashion their new or remodeled home.
To find out more about bamboo flooring as well as considerations and resources, visit http://www.home-style-choices.com/bamboo-flooring.html
Comparing Bamboo Flooring And Laminate Flooring
You might want to know about the history of Laminate flooring. It might be good for you to know that a Swedish company introduced Laminate flooring in 1977.
The housekeepers do not think about the maintenance and the cleaning process of flooring. That is why they are being ignored every time. There are ways that you can get your flooring installed in such a way that they never get spoiled. Laminate flooring is such flooring that needs to be installed in the house that they never get spoiled. They do not need any special maintenance and they are very easy to maintain. All you have to take care of is dusting.
If we see the other dimension of flooring type, we will find out about wooden flooring. Actually wooden flooring is a natural flooring material and if you install it, you will give your floor a natural and new look. The demand and the high rate of purchase of this type of flooring in the houses are due to its design and look on the floor.
These days, when people look for wooden flooring, they mostly go for bamboo flooring. This is due to the reason that only design and look is not the only thing that people look for. There are also many aspects that might inspire people to buy some specific kind of flooring material. Bamboo is such a material that gives you look, inspiration and also the guarantee to fight against insects and moisture.
Actually one of the advantages that bamboo flooring can give you is that this flooring is durable. You can see if bamboo is in some house or some office, no matter what pet tries to destroy it or whatever is the reason, bamboo flooring remains durable.
As a matter of fact, if you see laminate, then you will find out that it is not actually a natural material. If you are looking for maintenance and its cost and reliability, then laminate flooring comes to the top of the list. This is due to the reason that you can apply water easily on this floor and nothing will happen to it. If you have split something on the floor then there is no need to remove it quickly. The stain can be removed any time you want because of the reason that it does not soaks any thing.
It reduces the cost on the maintenance of the floor also. Unlike wooden floors, these floors do not require waxing, oiling or staining. This is probably the best quality of laminate flooring that people demand.
The reason of high usage of bamboo flooring is due to its durability and if you have applied wax on the floor, then it also prevents from insects and other such aspects. Bamboo flooring is also good for moisture, i.e. it does not get soiled after moisture and can be cleaned.
That is why, you can choose from any flooring material in your house making sure what your requirements are.
For more information about flooring please visit http://www.therightflooring.com
Is Bamboo Flooring The Green, Environmentally Friendly Home Remodeling Option?
Bamboo flooring has a robust attractiveness that is catching the eye of many a home remodeling enthusiast. However, this is by far not the only use for this renewable resource. A vast range of household items are available to complement a bamboo floor, including clothing, towels and bedding. The material is gentle enough to be used for baby socks, yet sturdy enough to be utilized in bicycles!
Bamboo is a grass that ranges from being a ground cover to growing into monstrous plants of more than 70 feet. Although China has always been the main producer, plantations are now fairly commonly found in the USA, for example in the Oregon and Washington areas. However, local rainfall patterns will never match those of Asia, and the main areas of supply are therefore unlikely to change.
This extremely durable eco-friendly product is harder than many of the real woods, and comes at a fraction of the price of hardwood. It is easy to maintain and asks for minimal cleaning. The affordability is largely due to the rapid regrowth rates of the grass. It can be harvested repeatedly. Even though it usually needs to mature before being harvested, it still has a much faster growth cycle than a tree. The plant matures within 5 to 7 years, whereas it takes 50 years and longer to replace a tree.
The other vital environmentally friendly role this grass species plays, is in its release of high oxygen levels and the way in which the grass devours harmful carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. If you need re greening, this is the way to go.
There are of course also questions about the bamboo explosion. One of the main concerns is the use of vast amounts of chemicals in plantations. There are also worries that eventually commercial varieties may displace the natural sources on which animals such as Pandas rely for food. Another major factor is that forests are cleared to make room for this option, which is deemed to be more viable economically. This is an unacceptable practice and defeats the whole purpose of finding a sustainable wood substitute. There are also concerns about the working conditions and wages of the employees in this industry.
It is vital that every consumer who installs a bamboo floor checks that it has Forest Stewardship Council certification. This reassuring stamp means that the grass comes from a forest that is sustainably managed and cultivates a biologically diverse range of plants. Buyers should also opt for flooring manufactured with formaldehyde free glues and with the lowest possible volatile organic compounds or VOC emissions The best manufacturers use the moso variety that is at least six years old. This gives the most robust floor. Always ask for a line with an environmentally friendly, non-toxic finish.
After harvesting, the grass is sliced into strips. These are boiled in water that contains a preservative. The strips are then pressed flat, before being laminated in layers and kiln-dried. An engineered floor is also offered. In this case, a thin layer of bamboo is laminated over an unrelated base. Alternatively, a tongue and groove product is produced using the waste left over from floor manufacturing. Coloring varies from natural to amber. The darker hues are due to a pressure steaming process which deepens the color by carbonization.
As with laminates, a complete range of complementary products are on offer, from baseboards, to transition pieces, staircase pieces, and vent covers. The floors can be glued down or nailed down. The engineered bamboo flooring is also available in a floating design. The floor covering can be fitted over concrete or wood sub floors.
Many retail outlets now opt for bamboo in their designs. The material fits in superbly with an environmentally friendly approach. The Australian Crocs retail store recently brought in Strand Woven Bamboo Flooring. This means that they judged the product to be robust enough to cope with high traffic loads. They also see the flooring as eco-friendly and easy to install.
Fashion stores have also discovered the appeal of this plant. If a store owner is into organics, using this material for flooring, counters and furniture will create an eco-friendly ambience, as well as a warm atmosphere.
Bamboo flooring can be professionally refinished as many as eight times, meaning it can last a lifetime if handled with care
Provided that you support a reputable manufacturer, bamboo floors are known to be resistant to fading, molds, termites, fire and surface damage. It is also ideal if you are battling with allergies. It also sports remarkable moisture resistant characteristics.
Bamboo flooring allows you to make an affordable, lasting home improvement.
Awnings-and-Blinds.com - Also read Rika Susan's 15 Bamboo Flooring Installation And Maintenance Tips and many other flooring and window treatment articles at Awnings-and-Blinds.com. At Article-Alert.com Rika Susan shows you how to develop your turnkey business idea into an Adsense empire. Copyright of this article: 2007 Rika Susan. This article may be reprinted if the resource box and hyperlinks are left intact.
