February 20, 2010

Inquiries about Bamboo Flooring have increased during the past year at Professional Floors of St. Louis. Even though Bamboo is not as commonly used in the midwest as other hardwood flooring species, such as Oak and Cherry, it does have it's advantages in certain applications. Onlinetips.org lists Bamboo Flooring as having these positive attributes:

Hardness and durability

Bamboo flooring is extremely hard and interestingly, is stronger than many hardwoods. Some species have been rated higher than maple and almost double that of the red oak. It is also extremely resilient and can take tougher treatment from dropped, heavy items than a lot of hardwoods because it resists denting.

Another of bamboo flooring’s advantages is that it is highly moisture resistant. After all, it is a tropical grass – not a wood – and has already been subjected to humidity, rain and other elements. It resists spills beautifully and so is an excellent choice for bathrooms and kitchens. Try installing hardwood in those rooms! Being a laminated product, bamboo flooring is less likely than hardwoods to cup, warp or gap.

An environmental darling

The world’s precious natural resources are ever-depleting so materials that are more readily sustainable are growing in popularity. Bamboo’s advantage is that it matures to around 50 feet and can be harvested within 5 years and then re-grows on the same plant, over and over again! A single hardwood tree takes at least thirty years to be ready to use and deforestation is a serious problem in some parts of the world. Even plantation forests, purely designed to produce wood are not as environmentally friendly as bamboo’s ongoing re-use.

Is Bamboo Flooring for you? Give us a call at Professional Floors of St. Louis or visit our web sites at www.profloorstl.com or www.hardwoodfloorstlouis.com and we can assist you in the perfect new hardwood flooring materials for you!