Every week, a million acres of the world’s forest disappears due to logging. If that sounds upsetting to you, you’re not alone. Many of us are rethinking the wood and paper products we buy for daily life and for our homes.
A tree harvested at sixty feet long may take a half century or more to be replaced by a new one, and wood is being harvested far more quickly than that. Bamboo, by comparison, takes only about sixty days to replace a stalk of the same length, making it one of the world’s fastest growing plants. Bamboo is a great choice in many of the same uses we currently require wood for.
Under the right conditions, bamboo can even replace steel – it’s been used successfully in concrete, instead of steel rebar. Bamboo is also a great choice for beautiful flooring that looks and acts a lot like hardwood. It’s a great choice to help save trees.
Flooring constructed from bamboo feels much like wood and is as easy to keep clean and allergen free. It’s also very easy to install, with a natural, warm tone to it that makes a home feel welcoming. Bamboo flooring is also sustainable and environmentally friendly when grown correctly, and has its own special look.
Most bamboo flooring is what’s called compressed bamboo, though veneered laminate flooring is also on the market. The majority comes pre-finished and is ready to install right out of the package, with many versatile installation options. Make sure you know what you’re buying and what you’ll need for installation before you dive in.
Make sure you learn a little bit about the flooring you buy, since not all bamboo is as sustainable as it could be. When bamboo is grown properly, it doesn’t need much in the way of chemical fertilizer or pesticides. Not every grower takes the time and effort to grow it the right way, however.
Another thing that can affect the quality and sustainability of bamboo flooring is the way it’s manufactured. Bamboo that’s not up to grade, has been grown as a monoculture, or is put together with toxic glues can be unhealthy to have in your house, unsustainable to produce, and may wear out more quickly.
If you’d like to have a new floor in your home, and you want to make sure you do as little damage to the environment as you can, bamboo is a real possibility. When it’s grown the right way, it pulls carbon dioxide out of the air, decreases erosion, and can even clean up contaminated soils. Add in its fast growth, and bamboo is a viable alternative to wood.
Many different colors and styles area available, according to how the bamboo is treated and how the flooring is made. That means that you’ll be able to find the color and look that fits best with your home. Remember that darker bamboo isn’t as tough as lighter bamboo, since the heat treating used to color it also softens the material.
If you want a great new floor that offers everything wood can, plus some real environmental benefits, it’s time to take a long look at bamboo. It’s beautiful, easy, nice to look at and environmentally friendly, too.
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