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Return To Bamboo Article Archive   Search the Article Archives Bamboo 101 By bambooandhardwoodfloors.com Bamboo is a great floor product. Its popularity as a flooring option has recently gained momentum recently, driven by the unique look and amazing durability it offers. Bamboo floors rival rock maple in strength and exceed red oak's Janka rating by 25 percent. Another great factor to consider when choosing Bamboo for your floor is expansion and contraction - Bamboo expands and contracts 50 percent less than hardwood floors. Better still, bamboo is naturally resistant to insects and moisture. Bamboo floors are a great choice for the environmentally conscious buyer. It is derived from a highly renewable source that can be replenished with virtually no impact to the environment. This grass grows at an astonishing rate of one to three feet a month during its peak growth cycle. Bamboos that are used as flooring today mostly come from the forests of China , which are regulated and managed by the Chinese government. You can rest assured that bamboo-munching panda bears are not in danger of losing their nutrition source and further deflating their endangered population. One of the hottest trends for kitchens today is the use of handscraped bamboo floors. Bamboo flooring can also be installed in most areas of the home, including over concrete floors. At present, bamboo flooring choices are limited. It is available in two variations: vertical and horizontal-grain orientation, providing two very distinct looks. In the vertical grain, the individual nodes (the characteristic joint in the bamboo cane) are difficult to discern, resulting in a consistent coloration and even grain. In the horizontal-grain orientation, each individual node is visible with about four node strands apparent per piece. Though these two options differ in appearance and offer customers more visual choices, they offer the same strength characteristics. Color-wise, there are two bamboo floor options to choose from: nature blonde (which reflects bamboos true color) and carbonized (a darker amber tone that is achieved through the smoking process.). Recently though, some companies have innovated stain-application. You'll find bamboo floors in bold and vibrant colors such as moss green. Bamboo floors comes in solid and longstrip engineered constructions. Solid bamboo floors are available mostly in three- or six-foot lengths and is typically 5/8 of an inch thick. It is made up of individual strips of bamboo glued together in many layers and made into flooring planks by applying heat and pressure. Longstrip, on the other hand, typically measures seven feet long and is approximately eight inches wide. It has bamboo on the surface, a wood core board, and a balancing wooden back layer. For more articles on bamboo and hardwood flooring, visit http://www.bambooandhardwoodflooring.com About the Author: http://www.bambooandhardwoodfloors.com

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