What Are the Types of Bamboo Floors?
- Solid bamboo floors are not a single stalk of bamboo, as the name suggests or as consumers might expect when they compare it to a milled piece of hardwood. Solid bamboo floor planks comprise several milled splits of bamboo. Floor makers glue the bamboo splits and press them together. They run all of the grain of the bamboo in the same direction. The planks look like solid hardwood, but it expands and contracts less than hardwood. Installers nail or glue solid bamboo; it is not suitable for a floating installation.
- Engineered bamboo floors consist of layers of bamboo glued together with a resin. The back of the flooring is a made from wood. Manufacturers typically use fir or pine. Installers may choose to glue or nail the flooring in place. Alternatively, they can float the floor by attaching the pieces to one another rather than nailing or gluing it to the subfloor. It is common for manufacturers to use formaldehyde as the resin to bind the layers. Some manufacturers are producing formaldehyde-free laminates in response to consumer demands for a safer flooring option.
- Manufacturers weave together strips of bamboo strands to form planks. The strands are a byproduct of the process of making standard bamboo planks. They cut, boil and dry the strands, then flatten dry strands under pressure. They glue the strand woven planks of bamboo together to produce a product similar in appearance to hardwood flooring. The Bamboo Floor Guide notes that strand woven bamboo flooring tends to be more moisture resistant than traditional bamboo flooring.
- Carbonized bamboo flooring is distinct from other bamboo floors because of its caramel color. The color is not because of a chemical stain. Manufacturers steam or kiln-dry bamboo stalks to break down the bamboo's natural sugar content. The process yields a bamboo with a richer, more caramel color. The longer the bamboo undergoes the steam treatment, the darker the resulting bamboo. The process also weakens the bamboo and leaves it more prone to dents and scratches than standard bamboo floors.
