Bamboo Flooring

Bamboo is actually a grass, not a wood.  It regenerates faster than wood, typically regenerating within four to eight years of sprouting, making it a truely renewable resource.  The process of milling partially determines its quality and performance.  There are over 1200 species of bamboo and most of which are not appropriate for bamboo flooring.  This accounts for the wide range of prices and performance of bamboo products available on the market.  Buying from a reputable manufacturer is imperative.   The adage about getting what you pay for is the same with bamboo as with other items.

    Horiz  Natural       Horz. Carbonized  

   Vertical Carbonized          Vertical Natural

There are two ways to harvest bamboo, by cutting the shaft vertically or horizontally.  This gives two distinct looks.  The vertical cut makes the product harder and more stable than the horizontal cut.  "Carbonization" is actually cooking the bamboo, so that the color changes all the way through the board, as opposed to staining just the top layer.  This is important because bamboo can be refinished and will retain the original color you purchased it at, if it is carbonized.

Often times, the "discount" bamboo pricing from smaller bamboo flooring companies is not only inferior in quality, because of type of bamboo, but also because of time of year of harvest,  storage, or a variety of other possibilities.  Also, these bamboo flooring  companies often do not sell moldings, such as transitions to doors, tile, carpet or sliders.  Then you must purchase them on your own through another bamboo flooring  company, with no assurance of the right fit or matching look. 

There are also stained bamboos.  The color is thick, sometimes looks almost painted on, and is very consistently colored.

The next style is "stranded" bamboo.  It is shredded, dipped in acrylic, and pressed to create a composite product that is much more dense than regular bamboo, which makes it more dent resistant.  The look is unique, though still noticably a grass product.  These also come in different colors and styles, as they can be made to look very "tiger stripped". 

solid constructionengineered construction

Bamboo is often sold as "solid", but the natural thickness of bamboo prevents "solid" pieces being possible.  "Solid" bamboo just mean that all three layers are bamboo, not that they are all the same piece.  Engineered bamboo often has comparable wear layers, but the cross-ply construction provides more stability.

Not all bamboo is created equal, and Teregren is the company that sets the standards of excellence in bamboo flooring.  On their website they explain that hardness is the main factor in durability. Bamboo flooring can be as soft as pine and harder than maple depending on the species of bamboo used and when it was harvested.  Their standards of quality management, FSC certification (look to "Going Green!" for more information) and style choices exceed other bamboo manufacturers. 

These are some of their stranded bamboo styles:

   Java (strand Bamboo) Chestnut

Greenwood Bamboo

Greenwood is a great company because it emphaiszes quality and is environmentally friendly.  As Stated on Greenwood's website:

Although more than 1,200 species of bamboo have been identified worldwide, only Phyllostachys pubescens (known in China as Mao, Moso or hairy bamboo) has the wall thickness, color, structure, density, and strength to provide the necessary raw material for bamboo flooring. Mao bamboo grows up to two feet on the first day after sprouting from its underground root and attains its maximum height of 60 to 90 feet in six months.

Maturation to the point of harvesting requires at least four years. However, greater hardness is obtained when the culm is allowed to continue growing until the bamboo reaches six to eight years old. This is the age range required by GreenWood.

They have four new stain products in addition to the traditional natual and carbonized. 

They have a new line of hand scraped bamboo products.

 Cordovan Brown

  Black

"Building a company that is environmentally, socially and economically responsibleŽ"

   Teragren is the leader in quality, ecology and performance in the bambo industry. MOSO Bamboo used in all Teragren Products is plantation grown in managed plots by independanct farmers in the Zhejiang Province of China.  The culms are harvested at maturity at 6 years, leaving behind a thriving plant and new shoots.  They pride themselves on being "environmentally smart" and out-performing other bamboo products through higher manufacturing standards.

   They also offer unique looks and are changing the bamboo industry by providing new styles first of floating bamboo, glueless clic systems, hand scraping and distressed floors, stains, and strand bamboo.