Carbonized Bamboo Flooring

The natural beauty and elegance of your home depends, to a great extent, on the type of flooring you choose. Besides beauty, there are several other factors like cost, longevity and durability, that need to be taken into account while selecting among the different flooring options. Bamboo flooring has gained popularity for being eco-friendly and imparting a natural and fresh look to your home.

Bamboo floors are of two types, natural and carbonized bamboo floors. Carbonized bamboo floors are darker than the natural ones and therefore, can add a fashionable and luxurious touch to your home. They are manufactured by a process known as carbonization, which involves steaming the bamboos under controlled pressure and temperature. During this process, the sugar content in the bamboo fiber breaks down and becomes darker, which lends that beautiful caramel shade to the floor. However, the process may weaken the bamboo.

Types of Carbonized Bamboo Floors

There are two varieties of carbonized bamboo floors, vertical and horizontal, that differ on the alignment of the bamboo stripes. In the horizontal bamboo floors, the individual joints of the bamboo stripes can be easily discerned, while these joints are not distinguishable in the vertical bamboo floors.

Cleaning Carbonized Bamboo Floors

Carbonized bamboo floors are very easy to clean. You can use dust mops or vacuum cleaners, to keep it clean from dust and dirt. Occasionally, a slightly damp mop can be used for cleaning, but do not pour water directly on the floor. Also avoid using harsh detergents or chemicals for cleaning carbonized bamboo floors.

Advantages of Carbonized Bamboo Floors

Carbonized bamboo flooring, with its rich caramel hue, can give that much desired aesthetic and fashionable look to your home. They are also easy to clean and do not attract allergens like dust, mites, dirt, etc. Besides this, they are also resistant to insects and can be easily installed. However, the quality of bamboo floors depends, to a great extent, on the manufacturer and the manufacturing process. As far as the durability and hardness of carbonized bamboo floors are concerned, they depend on the maturity of the bamboos used in producing the floors. So, according to these factors, they can be as hard as wood floors.

However, the most important advantage of bamboo flooring perhaps, lies in the fact that it is environmental friendly. The bamboo plant usually attains maturity within a short period of time, typically 5 to 6 years, and therefore is renewable. On the other hand, hardwoods take several years to mature and their indiscriminate destruction can do irreversible damage to our environment. So, carbonized bamboo flooring can be an environmental friendly alternative to hardwood flooring, without compromising on the style and beauty of your home. They are inexpensive as compared to hardwood floors and can withstand moisture, but to a limit. They may not be suitable for high moisture areas like bathrooms.

Disadvantages of Carbonized Bamboo Floors

The biggest disadvantage of carbonized bamboo floors, is that they are prone to dents and scratches and so, heavy furniture can cause considerable damage to bamboo floors. Besides, there are no strict regulations on the production of bamboo floors in China, which is the main exporter of bamboo floors. Therefore, many believe that the production of bamboo floors may be associated with some toxic byproducts. Carbonized bamboo floors may contain high levels of formaldehyde, as it is used in manufacturing most of the bamboo floors.

So, like any other floor, carbonized bamboo floors also have certain advantages and disadvantages. Therefore, a proper evaluation is required before opting for this type of floor. In addition to this, adequate research on the product and the manufacturer needs to be carried out before installing carbonized bamboo floors. Carbonized bamboo floors are generally long-lasting, but need proper care and maintenance. For preventing scratches on the floor, you can place plastic protectors under the legs of your furniture. Besides this, do not walk over bamboo floors with high heeled shoes, as the floor can easily easily dented.