Which bamboo flooring is the best

Others will come in a click-together configuration. It all depends on the specific floor you choose. Whatever you decide on, though, we would definitely recommend having a professional do the installation; when it comes to organic flooring products, there are a lot of tricks to the trade. Example: did you know that you should let organic flooring products acclimate for a couple of days before installation to prevent warping?

Bamboo is often thought of as a sustainable flooring option. But: most bamboo is manufactured overseas, which means it has to be shipped—hugely contributing to its carbon footprint. Additionally, there have been huge issues with bamboo forests being illegally clear-cut by unscrupulous producers who then sell their products under false pretenses.

Worse, there has been evidence showing that some bamboo manufacturers use formaldehyde and adhesives that emit volatile organic compounds VOCs after installation. We can not stress this enough. The environmental impact is significant, and VOCs can be extremely harmful especially to children —so do your due diligence before you purchase! We hope this guide to bamboo flooring has been helpful! Associate Director of Content Marketing at FlooringStores and its parent company, Broadlume , Samuel is a former travel writer, English teacher, and semi-professional trivia host.

Your email address will not be published. November 5, The best flooring: what is it? Is it hardwood? There is no such thing as a solid plank of bamboo. When you see planks listed as solid bamboo, it is actually several bamboo slices pressed or adhered together. In truth, a solid bamboo is a mix of various sub-categories. These all listed below are strands, vertical and horizontal bamboo. Each one looks different, has various hardness levels and overall costs. The one thing about solid bamboo is that it is highly recommended that it is installed by a professional.

DIY installation is not something solid bamboo is known for. Strand woven bamboo is a form of solid bamboo where the fibers are woven and pressed together. For all testing and purposes, strand woven is the hardiest and toughest of all bamboo options.

Vertical bamboo is made when the strips are adhered together in a vertical manner. This removes all bamboo knuckles and gives the planks a solid, uniform appearance. It is strong and durable, yet remains easy to clean. Horizontal bamboo is just the opposite. Here the bamboo is cut horizontally and the knots, or knuckles, are kept in place. This gives the planks a more natural look and will be more recognizable as bamboo when installed.

Carbonized bamboo is another form of pressed and woven bamboo. The big difference here is the coloring. Carbonized bamboo goes through a special treatment process that darkens the color of the bamboo strands. When bamboo is left natural there are very few dark strands.

Most of the natural bamboo will have a pale, soft color, much like pine flooring. Carbonized bamboo has many shades and can go from a darker pale to almost black. Tiger bamboo is also woven. It is a blend of natural bamboo and carbonized bamboo.

The machines that weave and adhere the strands are fairly even in their selections so it is rare to get wide variations in the color choices. However, when installed tiger bamboo is quite eye catching. You can get separate shades of tiger bamboo if you want a more random appearance. However, professional installation may not pull from the boxes in as random of an order as you would with a DIY install. Stained bamboo is just that; natural bamboo that has been dyed a specific color.

This is how you get unnatural bamboo colors and various shades. Most people that want bamboo floors choose the flooring type for its natural or carbonized coloring. Engineered bamboo is similar to engineered hardwood. The wear layer is made from solid bamboo and the rest of the plank is composed of layers of various wood types. This creates one of the most durable, moisture resistant and scratch resistant types of bamboo. It is also one of the highest priced.

The strength and durability alone, though allow you to install this flooring in high traffic areas without much worry of damage, marring or scratches. Before you head out and pick up the next box of bamboo flooring you find, there are several factors that you need to consider. Below, these considerations are briefly outlined and explained for you. The first choice is to decide which type of bamboo you want. It is possible to buff away small scratches, and better-quality bamboo floors can be resurfaced a number of times.

Bamboo flooring is also one of the most environmentally-friendly flooring options on the market. Drawn from a natural source, it grows and renews 15x faster than most of the other wood used for flooring.

But bamboo is certainly not a perfect floor. It scratches, just like hardwood, and has a shorter lifespan and adds less value to your home than traditional hardwood floors. It also does not deal well with water or humidity, so it should not be installed in bathrooms or basements. Also, while there are cheap bamboo floors out there, they are often less durable than they seem and can come with VOCs, which can result in serious medical issues.

But the right bamboo flooring can offer an attractive and affordable flooring solution that you can enjoy for years to come. Has anyone had experience with the Cali Engineered Bamboo? I understand the solid bamboo is quite susceptible to warping and shrinking, but what about the Engineered? Also, is there one installation method that seems to reduce the amount of issues? Thank you for all this valuable information!

I do wish, however, that some of the questions asked were answered. I am curious if anyone has tried the Reward Bamboo floor? I was going to install bamboo in almost my entire home and I am so glad I read the reviews but again I am back to square 1.

Any suggestions? I have Cali bamboo throughout the house except for bathrooms. It can be resurfaced up to 10 times and has a 50 year guarantee. I absolutely love it. We have 7 animals.

We put Cali Bamboo on the second level of our three story home. We could not be more impressed. The flooring has been in for two years and shows no wear. Let me elaborate. The dogs are at an age where they at times use the floor as a bathroom. Our basement level walkout was done with a laminate and has radiant heat under it. It has not held up and gaps with expansion and contraction. The edges are a problem as they are not water resistant.

I will never put laminate in my house again. I cant believe Shaw does not do more to make their product more water resistant at the edges. That brings me to the Cali Bamboo floor. The dogs pee on it and it wipes up. When we take a vacation and the dog sitter does not do her job…. It is crazy how the bamboo holds up.

I do not work in any flooring business but do own many rental properties and will put strand Bamboo everywhere from now on. This is the review I was looking for. I have a rescue Chihuahua that was abandoned, and had been attacked by a larger dog. That trauma either caused some brain damage, or she was just born incredibly dumb. She literally just pees as she walks when she feels the need.

I have a couple of other dogs that are completely trained, but are getting to the age that training may fail from time to time. Bamboo has been under high consideration, but I only ever hear people talk about scratches. We are on a concrete slab and have kids and pets, so I need something that will hold up! I am trying to make the same decision: AquaGuard bamboo or laminate. Have you decided or can you point me to any other info you may have found in your research.

Hi Greg and Jennifer, did either of you decide and mind sharing your thoughts? I am trying to make this very decision. Installed sq ft of Aquaguard Beachwalk late May. Went on 2 month vacation, came home and found some cupping on various places all over the house.

Installers came back and pulled up quarter round, dound uneven expansion, cut larger expansion gap, but they have no idea what has caused the problem. We are in Southern California. Temperature is usually 70 or higher. Any suggestions or comments?

Hi Gus! What did you end up doing? We too are in Southern Cali and after reading some of their reviews we are apprehensive to move forward. Would like to hear your experience.

It is terrible. The installation was done by company name removed , Cincinnati, Ohio. I have a few big gouges in very obvious places, so as soon as you enter my home you can see them.

I clean it properly, almost every other day. We are only two people living here, I would have expected more from this product. I also purchased Cali bamboo floor, sq ft, it was one of the worst decisions I have ever made. The floor was cross stacked and acclimated for 3 weeks. When installed it looked beautiful but about 3 weeks later I noticed cupping and gaps in various locations.

I live in Illinois, I have been trying to get this resolved for over a year and a half, Cali is blaming the installers and me, the home owner. I bought the meter to monitor temp and humidity and have done everything they told me to do. I live alone and have 2 small dogs, so not a lot of wear and tear on the floor. Over the last year the gaps are getting worse. I am told too much humidity because of the cupping and not enough as the boards are shrinking, no one can explain how this is happening.

How can you have both conditions happening at the same time? The meter is never above or below the recommended levels by Cali.

I am so glad to read your reviews because something was telling me NOT to do it and the cost also! Are the problems everyone had on click or nail down floors? I had a great experience with nail down — and all the above problems with click and huge parts of an entire floor pulling one way or another.

Is anyone familiar with Morning Star Bamboo Strand? Unless you are doing small square rooms without any transitions. I have had horrible results with mass shrinkage after 2 months of acclimation. In fairness I have sq ft in an open floor plan, but even with transitions, lumber liquidators will not stand behind their product. I am looking to throw it all away and get a higher grade product. I put Morningstar at the bottom of the list of quality. Was your floor a click or nail down?

I had a client with another brand — the click type and one with nail down. Nail down fine, click separated and the floor shrunk leaving gaps. I installed Morning Star from LL three years ago — it did not shrink and looks quite good so far. When I installed it I did not read this site and did not think that there might be a health impact. So my concern now is this Morning Star Strand Bamboo flooring bad for my family or it is ok and I can finish one more room?

It looks as good as the day it was installed. Hope it helps! I had mine professionally installed in April. It is now cupping and the whole floor is lifting up. It was properly prepped and installed. I have Morning Star Bamboo. Cupping or peaking happened three weeks after installation. Five weeks after installation the cupping turned into large areas of bubbled floor — no longer glued down.

We live in northern New England, where there are extreme variations in temperature and humidity. This floor has been absolutely wonderful — easy to clean, and beautiful. A few scratches developed over time, where my husband spun on his foot always in the same spot.

When we sold the house in April , the new owners were psyched to have the bamboo flooring. Karen — Did you ever experience any water stains or de-laminating with the bathroom application?

We have installed Eco Forest brand sold by Floor and Decor in the majority of our house. We have already replaced a bedroom, hall and family room and the floors were laid less than two years ago. Does anyone know how to contact the manufacturer? I have looked over every box and all the paperwork and cannot find anything except a phone number, which I never seem to get a live person at.

Maker: Cali Bamboo; Lowe's. Highlights: Stained white and distressed, strand-woven planks are finished with oil. Maker: Teragren; Right Flooring. Highlights: Strand-woven bamboo stained grayish white has a lustrous, modern feel. Highlights: Natural and carbonized strands blended together for a dramatic two-tone look. Maker: EcoTimber; Dwell Smart. Highlights: Surface layer is made from a single bamboo stalk that's cut, then flattened. Maker: Bellawood; Lumber Liquidators. Highlights: Brown-and-tan strand-woven bamboo suggests a tropical hardwood.

Maker: Foundations; Lumber Liquidators. Highlights: Unfinished strand-woven planks allow you to apply a finish of your choice. Maker: US Floors; Lowe's. Highlights: Its locking installation construction means no glue, staples, or nails are required.

The blond vertical bamboo in this formal entry creates a serene backdrop for pale-blue walls, crisp white trim, and dark stair parts. Plus, it will hold up well to traffic, including high heels.

The carbonized horizontal bamboo underfoot has a warm caramel color and a subtly knotty look from the plant's characteristic "knuckles," echoing the room's exposed structural elements. This natural-bamboo floor, with its simple vertical-edge-grain planks, complements the clean lines and broad, flat surfaces of this modern cook station.

The floor's pale neutral hue helps unify the bold palette of black, white, and steel, with occasional hits of brilliant orange. Handsome ceiling beams balance the dark wide-plank, hand-scraped bamboo floor in this fresh-looking blue bath, wrapped with white wainscoting. Cookie banner We use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience on our site, show personalized content and targeted ads, analyze site traffic, and understand where our audiences come from.

By choosing I Accept , you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies. All About Bamboo Hardwood Flooring. By Josh Garskof. Pinterest Email Pocket Flipboard. Photo by Studio Ceja While bamboo flooring is not exactly new, having been around for two decades, it might as well be.

DIY or hire a pro? Which rooms to install it in? How long will it last? Bamboo Flooring Pros and Cons Photo by Dan Cutrona Ease of installation and affordability are pluses with this renewable material, but pay close attention to quality.

PROS: A fast-renewing resource, bamboo is ready to harvest in 5 to 6 years, about one-tenth the time it takes red oak to mature. New stalks regrow from the same plant. Extremely durable, a quality bamboo floor can last decades with care and minimal exposure to grit, high heels, and pets' nails.