I am working on replacing the carpet in the my Great Room and decided to go with wood flooring. I have always liked the look of Bamboo because of the fine grain, but the light tones usually associated with Bamboo does not fit my personal Design Style. I prefer medium to dark tones to ground an interior. Also I prefer a wider plank. I was happily surprised at some of the options I found and decided to go with this:
FYI- Bamboo is an attractive alternative for flooring because of its physical similarities to hardwoods. Bamboo floor manufacturers and sellers promote its strength, durability as well as resistance to moisture while having the added benefit of being eco friendly.
Compared to wood it grows much faster because bamboo is a grass not a wood. Moso Bamboo is the primary species used for the manufacturing of flooring and plywood. Moso bamboo can grow up to 47 inches in 24 hours and 78½ feet high in 40 to 50 days. It takes about 3–5 years for bamboo to reach full maturity. Traditional hard woods can take 20 – 120 years to mature.
Bamboo can be harvested without the need to replant because the root system is left intact when it is harvested. Bamboo reaches maturity in five years which is the optimal age to harvest. In a sustainably harvested forest only 20% of the forest is harvested annually allowing for 100% harvest in a five year period. In its natural environment it will need no irrigation, no pesticides, and no fertilizer. Bamboo can sequester up to 70% more carbon per year than a hardwood forest. All these factors keep the carbon footprint low.
I will be posting about the project as it unfolds.
