What kind of flooring is objectively pleasing aesthetically, cost efficient, eco-friendly and high quality? If you answered bamboo, congratulations! While there isn’t a prize for answering correctly, you’re awarded with knowledge.
First off, the flooring industry in the United States is growing, growing as well as properly maintained bamboo. Just last year, the flooring industry saw growth in both income and volume at a rate of 3.85 percent and 3.2 percent, respectively. The American Institute of Architects, alternatively known by its acronym AIA, Consensus Construction Forecast has estimated yearly growth from 2017 straight into 2018 will rise between 3.5 percent to 4 percent.
With that being said, what is bamboo? Bamboo is wood grass that favors warm climates like the tropics. If you had to describe it to someone who has never seen bamboo before, you would say it’s like a miniature hollow tree with a few leaves on top.
Why should you consider bamboo? It doesn’t sound all that special. One of its many strengths is its growth rate. Of course there are different types of trees just like there are different types of bamboo with various growth rates. For example: Fargesia bamboo grows about one to three feet annually. Phyllostachys bamboo grows around three to five feet annually, and is favored for its flooring. Furthermore, when bamboo is properly cared for you can expect to see a matured vegetation of bamboo in three to five years. This growth rate cuts the wait time for construction pieces considering the alternative of hardwood trees taking as long as 20 years to be of age. Not to mention solid strand bamboo flooring outshines oak flooring by being three times tougher.
The toughness of a material used for flooring is done so by the strangely named Janka test. Flooring like hardwoods and bamboo are put to the test to see how much force it would take to embed an 11.28 millimeter steel ball through half its diameter. Its rating is determined by those results with higher ratings favored. Most strand woven bamboo and eucalyptus lots are shown to reach 3,000-4,000 on the Janka rating scale, with an average rating hovering around 3,800.
If you’re looking for something to transition between floors, bamboo can be a favorable choice. Transition between floors are the small strips located when one room ends and another begins. Regardless of your use, prices for bamboo flooring are the best of both worlds for your wallet and quality.