With the big push to protect the environment and go green its no surprise that even materials used for construction are being manufactured in a more environmentally friendly way. Trees used to make hardwood flooring like a oak can take up to one hundred years to mature enough to be harvested. Bamboo on the other hand can reach maturity in as little as three to five years. Bamboo is a type of grass not actually a tree and after it has been harvested new bamboo will grow back from the roots so replanting is not necessary. Harvesting bamboo that will be used to make building materials is how people in some countries make a living. The price difference between bamboo flooring and traditional hardwood floors can be quite a bit when comparing them.
Installation of a traditional hardwood does take a certain skills and certain kinds of tools to do the job. After the flooring is installed it has to be sanded then coated with a stain then coated with a sealer. Bamboo floors have are typically a tongue and groove flooring that is relatively easy to install compared to a conventional hardwood floor The flooring also comes prefinished so there is no sanding, staining and sealing after installation. This is a big time saver. One of the down sides to bamboo floors is that they are not quite as durable as other types of hardwood flooring. The lighter shades of bamboo are less durable than the darker shades so care should be taken to make sure that your application will be appropriate for bamboo floors. In the end installing your new floors with bamboo flooring could save you up to 50% when comparing to traditional hardwood floors. Just take the time to make sure that bamboo flooring is a fit for the room in which you plan on installing it. If you plan doing the work yourself go over the installation process for the type of flooring you plan on purchasing and make sure that you are not biting off more than what you can chew.
