Along with choices in style you may wish to consider in bamboo flooring, there is also the question of color. Bamboo flooring is available in two color categories – natural and carbonized. The color is determined at the boiling process. Natural bamboo appears in a creamy blonde color that is known to add a touch of brightness to an interior. Carbonized bamboo is characterized by its smoky, caramel hue which is the result of a longer boiling process which causes the remaining starches in the bamboo to caramelize. It should be noted that by the end of the respective boiling processes, the natural remains to be the slightly harder bamboo flooring. The carbonization process which defines carbonized bamboo reduces the bamboo’s hardness by about 30%. It must also be noted that even though this is true, both colors of bamboo flooring can still be classified as being as hard as some hardwood species.

Subtle shades

The difference between the two categories of bamboo flooring colors exists on a spectrum. Within the natural and carbonized subsets, there are further shade variances that might make one batch of bamboo lighter or darker than another. When seeking to color match your bamboo flooring, talk with your sales rep about how variance is managed. Distributors often arrange batches of bamboo according to color in this respect, depending on the grade of bamboo flooring. However, some people like to have such variance available to them as an option for their design sensibilities. It really depends on the effect you want to achieve with your bamboo flooring. Once again, your sales rep is a good resource for you to address the issue of color variance.

Strand-Woven Bamboo Flooring

In the continuing spirit of a “green” flooring option for which bamboo has come to be associated, strand-woven bamboo flooring is the product of a process that leaves very little wasted. The excess material left over from the filleting process which goes into making natural and carbonized bamboo flooring are intertwined, compressed, and bound. The binding agent is a safe, UV resistant and scratch-resistant resin which also makes the bamboo even more resistant to moisture. The process of compression results in a very hard, very durable type of bamboo flooring typified by grain patterns that are more like those of a hardwood floor. The strand-woven bamboo is then cut into planks and is ready to be shipped – no further compression is needed in this case, unlike regularly manufactured bamboo flooring.

Bamboo flooring can in turn renew any interior for attractiveness as well as practicality. As such, you will gain both the time it would take to maintain many other types of flooring, as well as the many compliments you’ll receive from visitors!

Learn more about bamboo flooring here: http://www.builddirect.com/Bamboo-Flooring.aspx

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