Mar 15 2010
Vertical Bamboo Flooring
Bamboo flooring is a very strong, durable flooring choice that will beautify any room of the house for many years to come. There are different types of bamboo flooring that can be used when outfitting a home with new floors. Vertical bamboo flooring is one choice that should be considered an option.
Before looking at vertical bamboo flooring and other types of bamboo flooring available, it is helpful to understand a little about bamboo and how it is used in flooring. Although it is considered a hardwood flooring choice, bamboo is actually a grass that can reach height of a hundred feet or more and do so in three to five years. This is much faster than it takes an oak tree to reach maturity and be ready for harvest.
The stalk of the bamboo plant is what is used to make flooring and other strong durable products. The Chinese people have known for hundreds of years that bamboo is an excellent choice not only for flooring but also for walls and other structural components. Today, bamboo is being used as a flooring choice around the world.
Modern Asian home with bamboo flooring
Vertical bamboo flooring is the result of the bamboo being laid on edge with the wider side of the bamboo planks being glued together to form a tight bond and create a vertical look. Many decorators use vertical bamboo flooring in smaller areas and horizontal bamboo flooring in larger, more open areas.
Horizontal bamboo flooring is created by laying the bamboo strips in a stacked manner, one on to of the other and using an adhesive to bond them in that position. The bamboo strips are usually wider in horizontal bamboo flooring that they are in vertical bamboo flooring.
Having different options to choose from when looking for bamboo flooring doesn’t stop at vertical or horizontal. There are many color options to choose from in the bamboo flooring family, some created using stains and some created using a natural process.
Natural bamboo is a blond color that is light and beautiful. It is inviting in any room of the house. This same natural bamboo can be altered to have various amber colors using a process called carbonization.
During carbonization, before the bamboo is transformed into vertical or horizontal bamboo flooring, the bamboo is boiled to high temperatures. This high heat causes the fiber of the bamboo to become amber in color. The longer the bamboo is exposed to high heat and the higher the heat, the deeper the amber coloring will be.
If ambers and blonds aren’t enough color choices, homeowners can also choose from many colors that have been made using stains added to the bamboo either during the manufacturing process or after the planks have been made and cut. Colors range from light to deep cherry and everywhere in between.
Vertical bamboo flooring is but one option that consumers have when choosing their new floor. Careful consideration and window shopping should be used before making that final purchase and installing the new floor.
-Sharon Chapman
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