Floating Bamboo Flooring

Bamboo flooring is a smart and creative option for home and office flooring. Bamboo comes under the category of grass. Bamboo plants grow fast hence, there's plenty of it available for flooring purposes. Walking on bamboo floors feels great due to its smooth and polished texture. Bamboo flooring is available in many designs, colors and styles. This gives a wide choice for those who wish their wall and floor patterns to sync well. There are many types of bamboo floorings like floating bamboo flooring, carbonized bamboo flooring, engineered bamboo flooring, natural bamboo flooring, strand woven bamboo flooring, etc. Out of these, floating bamboo flooring and strand woven bamboo flooring are in great demand.

In floating flooring, the floor is not nailed or glued to the sub-floor, instead, just placed over it. They can be installed in homes and offices and also in places like theaters, gaming rooms, party floors, etc., as it helps to reduce the effect of noise. Preferably, they are not installed in bathrooms as water can seep through the edges and get accumulated under the floor, thus causing damage to the middle, shock-absorbing layer.

Floating Bamboo Flooring

Nowadays, many people opt for floating bamboo flooring. In floating bamboo flooring, the bamboo planks are not attached physically to the sub-floor. Instead, the planks are attached to each other by water glue or sometimes just interlocked and placed over the sub-floor as a single unit. The sub-floor can be made up of any normal flooring material like concrete, tiles or wood. A layer of plastic and foam is placed in between the sub floor and the single unit made out of the planks. Corks made of recycled car tires can also be used as the middle layer, since it acts as a better shock-absorbing material. Bamboo has the tendency to expand and contract with changes in humidity. The same applies to the bamboo planks which make up the flooring. Floating bamboo flooring has an advantage over the usual bamboo flooring. Since the planks form a single unit and are not attached to the sub-floor, they do not bend out of shape. Even so, it is advisable to maintain a half or one inch distance from the edges of the walls or cabinets to allow its normal expansion and contraction process.

Strand Woven Bamboo Flooring

Strand woven bamboo flooring is the most exotic yet, the most cost-effective option of bamboo flooring. It is made from Moso bamboo. It is boiled to remove any sugar content that can attract termites and then dried for a long period of time. After drying, the strands are flattened under high pressure so that planks can be cut from them. Then, they are treated with low VOC (volatile organic compounds) adhesives. This makes the strand woven bamboo twice as strong as the normal one. They are more moisture-resistant than the regular bamboo flooring. Hence, the planks can be nailed or glued directly to the sub-floor or installed as the floating type. Another advantage of strand woven bamboo is, that none of it is wasted. Every bit and piece of the strand is used in the flooring. They are extremely strong and durable which makes them suitable for installation in heavy activity areas.

Bamboo flooring installation is easy and can be done without any professional help. Though it is a little tricky due to the moisture factor, it is manageable. Bamboo flooring has a few advantages and disadvantages. In spite of the disadvantages, many people opt for floating bamboo flooring due to the aesthetic value it adds to the surroundings.