Hardwood Floor Cleaning and Refinishing: All About Bamboo Flooring

Part three of our series on hardwood floor cleaning explores bamboo and why it is a popular floor choice.

Bamboo Floors Require Special Cleaning |(310) 545-8750

Why Bamboo Flooring is Taking Off

Why buy bamboo flooring?  Well, for one thing it is about 70% cheaper than other floor types such as oak, teak, walnut or hickory.  In addition, it is much more ecologically sound.  One of the biggest environmental problems that we are going to be facing in the 21st Century is deforestation.  Without trees, the amount of carbon dioxide increases in the atmosphere.  So cutting down teak to make wood adds to this problem.   However, with bamboo, it grows incredibly fast, and as a result, can be re-established a lot quicker.

In fact, according to this article from the New York Times: "bamboo is popular with some designers because of its sleek appearance. It is “more subtle, less ‘knotty’ ” than other wood, said Roger Ferris, an architect in Westport, Conn. “It’s not something you’re typically used to seeing. That makes it really suitable for contemporary and modern design schemes. Steve Appolloni, a designer in Albuquerque, N.M., likes it for its “durability, cost, eco-friendly qualities and, depending on the source, its thickness and quality. "Bamboo is much denser than oak, Mr. Appolloni said, so it makes for a stronger floor that doesn’t warp as much. It is also less expensive than many other woods. (The average bamboo floor costs about $5 to $7 a square foot, not including installation, whereas walnut or pine can cost nearly $10 a square foot.) Because bamboo plants take only about five years to mature, unlike many trees, which can take 50 years or more, bamboo is environmentally sustainable. Like most woods, though, it can vary in quality, depending on the manufacturer and the finishing technique. Solid bamboo floors, which are the most durable, tend to be more expensive, and can cost as much as $9 a square foot. Engineered bamboo floors, which have multiple layers, can run as low as $3 a square foot, but the quality might not be as high." [READ SOURCE ARTICLE]

Bamboo Floor Care

First off, there is one thing we have to point out.  Technically bamboo is not a wood, it is actually more closely related to grass.  As a result, it is a lot more fibrous than regular wood is and as such, if you wish to do hardwood floor refinishing on it, you must use more than the usual caution.  You could find yourself tearing up the bamboo and shredding it.

So remember, whether you have oak, hickory or bamboo, take care of your floor.  And when in doubt, call in a professional hardwood floor cleaning service in Los Angeles.   

For more information on hardwood floor cleaning, be sure to read part one and part two.  

Morris Cleaning & Restoration
1007 N.Sepulveda Blvd. #1204
Manhattan Beach, CA 90267
(310) 545-8750