How to make Bamboo Flooring and its Benefits
Bamboo is a great flooring option for the environmentally conscious homeowner. If cared for properly, bamboo flooring is a very sustainable choice, and for those concerned with the chemicals used to treat wood, choosing a reliable manufacturer is the best way to ensure the bamboo was cultivated and treated in an eco-conscious manner.
While bamboo is considered a “wood flooring” option, it’s technically a form of grass. It’s a highly efficient form of vegetation to manufacture on a large scale because it only takes three years to harvest versus other types of hardwood that can take decades. There are even some forms of bamboo that can grow up to 120 feet within just those three years and don’t need to be treated with pesticides to flourish.
Harvesting Bamboo for Flooring
When bamboo is cut, the grass is not damaged, nor is the stumps of the stalks. Once bamboo is cut, it continues to grow and produce. The most ideal time to harvest bamboo is during the fall and the winter as those are the driest months of the year. During the summer, the curing process can cause the bamboo to fracture due to the humidity.
After the bamboo is harvested, that’s when the process becomes slightly more difficult. The green part of the bamboo that you normally see is removed and the stalks are cut into long strips. These strips are then boiled and dried to remove the natural sugars and starches within the bamboo as well as any other moisture.
Benefits of Boiling Bamboo
1. The finished product is less attractive to insects since the sugars are extracted.
2. Boiling prevents the bamboo from expanding in humid environments overtime like other hardwood flooring options do.
Once the bamboo has been properly treated, it’s time to add the finishing touches. Coloring the bamboo happens during the carbonization process which relies on steam and pressure, the combination of those two elements darkens the future flooring.
Bamboo flooring is innovative and eco-friendly, and if you’re considering it for your home, contact us at Alliance Woodworking. We offer several different types of wood flooring options (bamboo included) and install each one of them perfectly
