The Pros and Cons of Hardwood Flooring Vs. Bamboo
Durable and plentiful, bamboo has been used as a construction material for centuries; it’s also a floors option that was viable. Considerations include cost, ease-of-installation, appearance and wearability, when choosing between bamboo and hardwood. Hardwoods offer you a larger selection of colour and grain pattern, although on most counts, both of these materials are equal. There are species of timber than bamboo, and hardwood planks come in a larger variety of sizes.
Environmental Concerns
Bamboo is a bud that is fast-growing, and the turnaround time for a stand of a species , such as moso, is just three to five years. People entice to choose bamboo that it’s a construction product than hardwood. A lot of this benefit is lost, however, in the fuel requirements for transportation of materials to delivery, processing and the factory. Trees take 20 to 30 years to grow enough for processing into flooring, but timber that comes from them may be just as eco friendly as bamboo, if not more so, if they are grown sustainably on plantations.
Hardness and Moisture Resistance
Organic bamboo has a Janka hardness rating of approximately 1,380, whereas, even heart pine, is not a little more, although considerably less than darker carbonized bamboo, using a Janka rating of approximately 1,180 making it tougher than most national hardwoods. The harder the material, the better it resists scratches, especially if it has a durable end, as do hardwood boards that are engineered and bamboo. Hardwood is vulnerable to moisture damage with or without a factory-finish, and you need to avoid it . Bamboo isn’t resistant, but it will ditch lengthwise, which is easier to control. Moreover, bamboo has a natural resistance to insects and mould.
Shade Variations
The colour of bamboo ranges from whitish-yellow into honey-gold; coffee and chocolate tones are produced by carbonizing, and you can also buy pre-stained bamboo in colours. Bamboo flooring has a grain which does not show much color variant, so any colour you choose is the predominant colour of the ground. It fits well in a room with a lot of color activity. The same is true for a few hardwoods, including maple and mahogany, however some, like hickory and birch, show contrasts which can liven up a room with a one- or – two-tone color strategy. Oak — among the most frequent floors materials — has more colour contrast than bamboo.
Installation and Care
Both hardwood floors boards and bamboo are milled using a tongue and groove, and the setup procedure for both goods is identical. That hardwood planks come in random widths and lengths provides you more creative capacity than is possible with the uniform widths and lengths of bamboo floors, which may appear generic in certain situations. Bamboo might be sensitive to moisture than hardwood, but manufacturers discourage wet-mopping it as they discourage wet-mopping a wood floor. The very best approach is to wash it periodically using a hardwood floor cleaner that is water-free and to remove dust regularly.