About Bamboo Flooring

Here are some important facts you should know before selecting your bamboo floor:

Bamboo's hardness varies.While northern red oak's characteristics are the same regardless of where it is grown, the same cannot be said for bamboo grown in the different Provinces in China. Although bamboo used for flooring is always the same species, there are significant differences caused by enviromental conditions. Where it grows, what time of year it is harvested, the age of the bamboo, the soil chemistry and the amount of rain are all variables that will affect the hardness and stability of bamboo.

During the carbonization process, bamboo loses about 20% of its hardness. The fibers are weakened by the presence of high pressure steam, which is used to change the bamboo strips to a coffee color. The color change is found throughout the entire plank. Carbonizing creates many different tones which cannot be precisely controlled.

Maximum stability and hardness in bamboo. The best bamboo for flooring grows on the top portion of a mountain with moderate rain, is five to eight years old, is harvested in the winter, is five to seven inches in diameter and is located in either the Fujian os Zehjiang provinces in China. The bamboo harvested in these provinces is harder and more stable than other locations due to the enviromenatal conditions.

It must use low formaldehyde adhesives. Bamboo flooring and panels are strips of bamboo glued together. The glues produced and consumed in China typically are laden with formaldehyde. Our manufacturers use only European manufactured low formaldehyde adhesives

Occasionally one will find cetain engineered bamboo flooring at very low prices relative to the 'going price'. One wonders why?