Teragren Bamboo Flooring

Modern housing techniques have introduced several new products to give you rooms, houses, offices or business premises with enhanced attractive looks and added comfort. Stylish floor covering, aka sub-floor, is one of them. There are many online flooring stores providing a wide range of floor covering options to choose from.


Teragren Bamboo Flooring
As the ecology movement grows there is also a growing demand for Eco friendly flooring options. One of the best options is bamboo flooring. Bamboo flooring does have it's pro's and cons, but it seems the pros are winning out with home owners. Recent growth in popularity of this particular green flooring shows that the green movement can have major effects on all types of industries.

Bamboo Flooring Pros and Cons

Bamboo Flooring Pros and Cons
As a fast emerging type of flooring material, bamboo brings plenty of positive qualities on the table. Originating in Asia and manufactured there for thousands of years, bamboo has been further popularized around the world by floor making companies that have incorporated advanced technologies used for processing hardwood and laminate floors. As a result, bamboo flooring is rapidly taking over the lead for preferable choice in both commercial and households.

There are many Pros of bamboo flooring and very few Cons, so overall it can be said that bamboo floors are a definite choice for the environmentally aware person who wants a floor that would last for decades. By taking a brief look into both sides of the coin you can make up your mind if bamboo is the right type of floor for you.

Starting with the positives, since bamboo is not a tree but a rapidly growing plant, the ecological benefits of using it instead of regular wood are great. Forests are ever diminishing with each year because of all the industries that cut massive amounts of trees for their production and floor manufacturing plays a big part in that. Bamboo effectively replaces these needs with its unique characteristics and ease of cultivation, treatment and preservation.

A big misunderstanding is that bamboo floors are expensive while it's quite the opposite, with the exception of hand-scraped models. Very inexpensive compared to traditional hardwood and stone floors, bamboo-made floor covers also require less maintenance care and their installation is straightforward. Bamboo floors can last a couple of decades if basic care is taken for their preservation. They are naturally resistant to infestation, moisture, dirt and weight load, and require just regular mop and sweep to keep at their best.

Carbonized Bamboo Flooring

Carbonized bamboo flooring is a type of flooring with carbonized finishing, offering a dark amber shade on the surface similar to the color of young teak. Usually, bamboo flooring is available in two colors: natural and carbonized or caramelized.

Carbonized bamboo flooring is obtained through a process called carbonization. The longer the process, the darker the bamboo flooring will be. Dark color on the bamboo flooring is acquired when bamboo undergoes pressure heating, which is a part of the process. During pressure heating, the sugar contents in the fiber darken and attain a coffee-colored tone on the surface. However, this pressurized heating might weaken the bamboo flooring from 20% to 30%.

Carbonized Bamboo Flooring

If the freshly cut bamboo strips are carbonized within two hours and are not exposed to treatment with boiling water, the flooring gains 8% more hardness. Boiling water treatment is, however, used in the normal carbonization process.

Carbonized bamboo flooring is available in two varieties: vertical carbonized bamboo flooring and horizontal carbonized bamboo flooring. The difference lies in the alignment of the bamboo strips.

Bamboo Laminate Flooring

Bamboo Laminate Flooring

Laminate flooring has become one of the most preferred solutions today in the world when it comes to picking a flooring type for the home or the workplace alike. With a boom in real estate around the world like no other, and the associated growth of construction, the flooring industry is going through never-before growth rates breaking all records with each passing phase of time. And given the economic outlook of the world, there is only one way this industry is going to go and that is up!

Bamboo Laminate Flooring

Laminate flooring while bearing close resemblance with hardwood flooring has a few fundamental differences that start from the way it is constructed right up to the maintenance measures that need to be taken post installation. Depending on where you want the flooring to be done, the kind of traffic it will need to take and the weight of movement involved, you can choose the laminate flooring of the right strength that will best suit your needs. To do that, i.e. pick the right laminate flooring over hardwood flooring, you need to understand how laminate flooring is graded and what grade makes the most sense for you to buy. Net-net, you want to know what AC rating is all about for laminate flooring.

The European Producers of Laminate Flooring or the EPLF as they are commonly known is an organization that standardizes the types of laminate floorings available in the market today by classifying them according to various categories based on the permissible stress levels. These stress levels could be tested for scratching, denting on impact, abrasion resistance, staining, reaction to fire among several such parameters. Based on this, the suitability of the laminate flooring for a certain place of installation is determined and an AC rating given. The AC rating is an indicator for the customer on whether the laminate flooring under consideration will perform well at the chosen place of installation.

Wood Bamboo Flooring

Wood Bamboo Flooring

A little known fact: bamboo is technically not a tree at all, but a grass that includes over 1,000 species. Even without planting, bamboo naturally grows back, and it reaches maturity in only four to five years. These qualities make bamboo an excellent, forest-friendly source of wood for flooring.

Bamboo flooring may be new to North America but there are already several importers. Almost all bamboo imported to Canada and the United States is grown and manufactured in China though, it can be found in all of Southeast Asia.

Wood Bamboo Flooring

Bamboo flooring is durable, and has a warmth and beauty that makes it especially desirable for flooring. Though there are many species of bamboo, only some are suitable for making flooring. Moso, for instance, is a common choice that reaches 40-50 feet high after just one year of growth. In another three years, the reeds are mature enough for harvesting. After harvesting, the bamboo is dried in the sun and then cut into strips that are shaped and planed. From these strips, bamboo flooring is made through a process of laminating and staining. The two main colors available for bamboo flooring are natural (a light woody color), and carbonized (an amber shade). There are also other color variations depending on the staining method.

Bamboo Wood Flooring

Bamboo Wood Flooring
Bamboo flooring is one kind of wood flooring that is gaining immense popularity, especially in the Southeast and on the West Coast. This popularity is because of its hardness and appearance. Manufacturers are using bamboo to design exotic flooring patterns comprising of borders, accents and beautiful medallions. Bamboo forests are mostly found in the Hunan province of China.

Bamboo is highly eco-friendly since it is a kind of grass. Additionally, it can be replenished and harvested again even on damaged soil. Moreover, it just takes three to five years for bamboo to mature as compared to 50-100 years for other hard woods. It is thus a renewable source, with the promise of almost stable prices over the years. Bamboo is very similar to wood in color and form. Flooring made from bamboo is almost as strong as steel.

Bamboo Wood Flooring
Bamboo flooring can be done in interesting patterns and colors like honey, dark and light wood, amber and natural wood colors. The dark color is obtained by pressure steaming and carbonization. Patterns can be either flat grain or vertical. Bamboo flooring can be floated or nailed. Unfinished as well as pre-finished panels are also available.

Bamboo flooring resists dents almost as well as oak. It is also very stable. The general thickness for bamboo flooring is ½, ¾ or 5/8 inches, while width could be between three and four inches. Lengths vary from two feet to six feet, thus designs and patterns can be more creative.

Bamboo Hardwood Flooring

Bamboo Hardwood Flooring
Installing hardwood flooring is a very popular home improvement project. This is particularly true now that more and more people are learning that carpets can hide mildew, mold, pet dander, dust mites, and other tiny particles that can make trouble for allergy sufferers. Hardwood flooring is easy to keep clean, and there is no place for potential allergens to hide. Wood floors also have the added benefit of looking gorgeous.

Okay, okay, you're probably already sold on hardwoods or you wouldn't be reading this article. What you may be wondering now is what type of wood is best? Should you go with oak, or maple? A soft wood such as pine? Something more exotic such as teak? Or maybe you have considered bamboo flooring, which is actually a grass instead of a wood but that has many of the qualities of hardwoods.

Bamboo Hardwood Flooring
The truth is that each type of wood I've mentioned can be used, and each has different characteristics, such as color, grain, and hardness. It may simply come down to what wood you think looks best. I'm going to give you the characteristics of some of the more popular choices in order to help you decide. Let's get started:

Oak Flooring

Oak is very popular because it is a heavy and hard wood, which makes it quite durable. It can resist the wear and tear of an active family. This species is also handsome and comes in a range of colors, depending on whether you choose white oak or red oak.

Maple Flooring

For folks who want something a little lighter colored than oak, maple is a popular choice. It varies from a pale white to a reddish brown and has a uniform texture. Because it's a very hard wood, it stands up well and resists scratches and dents.

Pine Flooring

Pine is actually a "softwood" so it is more susceptible to scratches, dings, and dents. However it is still enjoyed by homeowners who prefer the character of a worn floor. Since it was used widely in the 18th and 19th centuries, the wide knotty planks are popular in historic houses and log homes because they can create an authentic rustic feel. Pine is also less expensive than oak or maple.

Teak Flooring

Teak was once used predominantly outdoors because it is so resistant to insects, fungi, rot, and temperature shifts. Its handsome color, which can range from yellowish brown to a dark golden brown, is prompting homeowners to use it indoors now as well. Because of its natural resistance to dampness, it can be a good choice if you want hardwood floors in the kitchen or even the bathroom (though you still need to apply a good finish).

Strand Bamboo Flooring

Strand Bamboo Flooring

Bamboo has been around for millions of years and all of its uses have not been discovered yet. It is a very versatile product and the most popular item that it is used for in today’s world is bamboo flooring. This high quality flooring has become very popular. This is also a renewable source, which adds to its popularity.

There are many reasons for choosing a bamboo floor. First of all, the beauty of this product is incomparable. It is also bug resistant and very durable, which makes it a natural for floor covering. This flooring is pre fabricated and ready to install and is truly natural flooring that looks like real wood. Bamboo flooring comes in many styles and finishes and will add warmth and elegance to any home when it is installed. The most exciting thing about bamboo is that it is a Green product and that means we are not hurting the environment by using it. It is an easily renewable product that can be put to many uses.

There are three types of bamboo flooring. The first is a solid, which means it comes in various lengths and can be glued or nailed to attach it. The second one is engineered bamboo, which is much like the laminate flooring that floats over the surface. The third is strand woven, which means that strands of bamboo have been woven together to make the most durable floor possible. In fact, some say a bamboo floor is bomb proof. This product is certainly worth considering when you are deciding which flooring would be best for your home.

Bamboo Floors

Bamboo Floors
There are well over one thousand different species of bamboo on earth and most of them will make the perfect flooring for your home or any other house. Your bamboo floor will be like any hardwood floor but others will be even better because you know he held during the years better and it is better for the environment.

This makes bamboo the perfect solution to our lack of trees is that it will grow back completely, even without being planted. In a few short years, this plant is well developed and several feet high. If we all switched bamboo and cut our use of wood we would no longer have to cut down the rainforests and we would still be able to build houses and have plenty of wood.

There are several top importers of bamboo floors in America and they have the corner on the market. These men and women have been and prospects and they saw the value in a market that others have simply disregarded. The vast majority of bamboo that we receive here in North America will come from counties of China but more and more people begin to experiment with growing their own bamboo for export.

Bamboo flooring is strong and beautiful and more importantly, it is durable. In fact this type of flooring is more attractive than your ordinary run of the mill wood flooring which is why it is gaining popularity so quickly around the world. Although there are many different species of bamboo grown throughout the world, only some are capable of becoming flooring of good quality. Moso, for example, is one of the top choices among manufacturers because it can grow beyond 40-50 feet after only one year. Such growth is unprecedented in the trees.

Bamboo Floor

Bamboo Floor
Being environmentally friendly is very important for many people these days but knowing what products to buy for the house is not always an easy task. When it comes to flooring, bamboo is one of the choices you have, not only is it environmentally friendly, but it is also a very high quality, extremely durable and looks hard too.

Strength

Bamboo is a plant that is very versatile and can be used as a food source as well as using traditional building material in Asia. Despite being a type of grass, bamboo has been found to 10% stronger than Red Wood. There are many bamboo products that you can buy for your home, including decorative panels, cooking utensils and kitchen work. Another advantage of bamboo is that it does not suffer much from the expansion and contraction of the way that hardwood floors.

Color

You have two main colors to choose from - blonde and amber. Blond is the color of natural bamboo whereas amber bamboo was "smoked" and called "carbonized bamboo"

Grain

If you are looking for the bamboo for a very simple and clean then go for a vertical, horizontal cut for the nodes appear. Which cut you choose depends greatly on personal choice, so make sure you've had a look at some samples before purchasing.

Bamboo Flooring

Bamboo is a grass

A common error some make about bamboo is that it is a type of hardwood. Not to be confused with common associations of many species of grass, bamboo is actually a type of grass which matures into a material that can rival the hardness of maple! Being well adapted to the environment in which bamboo commonly grows, each bamboo plant thrives in areas of the fine quality of poor soil, and remains to be one of the fastest growing plants in the world. Controlled the bamboo plant has very little impact on each individual stalk, which will continue to grow long after the harvest. This makes bamboo as a renewable source of flooring material, and why it is often associated with the spirit of choosing environmentally friendly for floors. The fact that such an option is particularly attractive parquet flooring bamboo is an extremely beneficial choice for your own interior environment!

How Bamboo Flooring is Made

Once the bamboo has been harvested, the outer layer of green "skin" is removed and each stalk is cut into lengthwise strips or "fillets". These curved fillets of bamboo are milled along their outer edges to flatten. Items exceeding this process will continue in another type of bamboo flooring that is called "strand woven bamboo flooring" - more about that later. The flattened strips of bamboo are then kiln dried to remove the 'natural moisture in the bamboo and then boiled. The bamboo fillets are now ready to be pasted together to make a reliable and solid surface that is more than suitable for flooring. Bamboo is subject to a final stage of compression, which makes it more durable and ready to ship. The tongue and groove elements are added to make installation as easy as possible. It is worth mentioning that the result of this manufacturing process depends on what type of flooring Bamboo is made. There are several types of bamboo flooring, both in terms of cut and color, and some differences in how they are treated.