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Timber Flooring vs Bamboo Flooring

by: MarkHutchison
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Timber flooring has been around for a long time, in the form of solid wood or veneered (floating timber) floors. It's the first choice for people who want their homes to include the warm look of wood, or who just don't like carpet. There haven't been a lot of other options.

However, timber now has competition. Bamboo flooring is a comparable, but durable and environmentally friendly floor alternative. Against the popular floating form of timber floors, it performs favorably.

Floating timber floors, unlike the more expensive solid timber type, are made of a layer of wood veneer a few millimeters thick, laminated on top of a less expensive timber, or even a composite material made from waste wood. Bamboo floors are made of solid bamboo, offering greater durability over time for less than you'd pay for a solid timber floor. Plus, bamboo is a stronger, harder to damage material than almost any wood.

Unlike a floating timber floor, bamboo flooring is permanently attached to the surface it rests on. That allows more stability and less opening of and movement in the joints between individual pieces of flooring.

You also won't have to deal with the hollow sound that many timber floors make when you walk on them, or the easy scratching. Bamboo flooring is solid sounding, easy to clean, and resistant to scratches and dings.

The lack of movement between the pieces of flooring also means that if your bamboo floor needs to be refinished, you'll have a much better surface to work with than you would on solid timber. Veneered timber flooring cannot be refinished, since the wood surface is so thin.

A veneered wood floor that's damaged must be replaced, while a comparable bamboo one could be resurfaced. That means you could get up to another decade out of your floor.

Those who are worried about the environment will probably choose bamboo over timber. Both are natural, renewable resources, but timber takes a long time to replace itself. Veneered timber flooring uses less hardwood, but other woods are still used, and composite fillers often involve toxic glues.

Bamboo, on the other hand, recovers rapidly from being harvested. A single bamboo grove can be harvested once every five years. Look for products with non toxic glues and water based surface coatings, and you'll be able to be certain that there's less damage from flooring manufacture, too.

If durability is a serious concern, bamboo is the better choice over hardwood. Bamboo stands up well to daily wear, and there are a number of floors that come with a warranty. You should, however, be willing to spend the money for a quality product that will last out the years.

Where contraction and expansion due to weather are problems, bamboo holds up well. Compared to a hardwood veneer, it can be resurfaced more often, and needs no treatments or waxing to keep looking good. However, some products do contain environmentally unfriendly glues - look for nontoxic types when you buy your flooring.

If you're interested in finding out how hardwood flooring and bamboo compare, an online search will quickly tell you. You'll be able to view a wide range of products and see what all your options are. Bamboo could be the right floor for your home.

About the Author

Bamboozle, located in Perth, makes a superior bamboo floor product (called Bamwood), due to inherent weaknesses they found in "normal" compressed bamboo floors. Bamwood was designed for the harsh Australian environmental conditions. Visit bamboozle.com.au

Timber Flooring vs Bamboo Flooring

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