Bamboo Flooring Pros and Cons

Bamboo flooring is fast becoming a preferred choice of flooring for one and all including homemakers, builders, architects, interior designers, etc. Its pleasing appearance along with a number of other benefits has made it a tough competitor to hardwood flooring as well as other flooring types such as ceramic tile flooring and vinyl flooring. Bamboo flooring looks great, is extremely environment friendly and very easy to install. Wow! With the amount of praise being lavished on it, it would appear that bamboo flooring is surely the best thing to happen to the flooring industry. But is it? Is bamboo flooring really that good or does it have a few disadvantages too? The following pros and cons will provide the answers to the above questions.

Pros

• A large variety of designs is one of the main advantages of bamboo flooring. An extensive range that includes vertical bamboo flooring, horizontal bamboo flooring, carbonized bamboo flooring, natural bamboo flooring, hand scraped bamboo flooring, tinted bamboo flooring, etc., ensures that the customer has a pool of options to choose from.
• Another significant point in favor of bamboo flooring is the fact that it is extremely environment friendly. In an age where deforestation is on the rise, bamboo flooring comes across as the perfect solution to the problem of conserving trees and forests. Unlike hardwood flooring, which is based on wood obtained from trees, bamboo flooring relies on the stalks of bamboo plants which are extremely fast-growing in nature. Therefore, there is no threat to the forest cover whatsoever.
• A major reason why people have started opting for bamboo flooring is because of its look and visual appeal. A bamboo floor is at par with, if not better, than a hardwood floor when it comes to looks and appearance. It gives an extremely warm and homey feel to the room and is a treat to look at.
• Though it may come as a surprise to many, bamboo flooring is in fact quite strong and durable. Looks can often deceive and it is completely true in case of a bamboo plant. Though bamboo plants look like midgets when compared to some of the well-known massive hardwood trees, bamboo flooring is equally strong, if not more than hardwood flooring. Another plus point is its longevity. Bamboo floors can, with proper maintenance, last for years on end without developing any sort of major problems.
• Bamboo flooring is water resistant which makes it an ideal flooring option for kitchens as well as dining rooms. It is extremely easy to clean and is unaffected by moisture.

Cons

• Though not many, there are a few cons associated with bamboo flooring. Bamboo floors are prone to scratches and discoloration. The texture of the flooring is such, that sharp objects or heavy furniture items can at times leave dents or scratches on the floor surface. Also, direct exposure to sunlight can cause a bit of discoloration on the floor surface. However, this is not something that is limited only to bamboo flooring; wood flooring is also susceptible to the same condition.
• Although it has good water and moisture resistance properties, one should take care to clean bamboo floors and keep them dry and devoid of moisture. The reason is, water lying on a bamboo floor for a prolonged period of time can eventually seep into it causing the bamboo to swell and weaken.
• Price can also sometimes be a factor for people choosing other types of flooring over bamboo flooring.

Using the above-mentioned points, you should be able to evaluate and decide whether bamboo flooring does, in fact fit into your scheme of things. It should; because as you must have noticed, its pros considerably outweigh its cons.