Bamboo Buying Guide Floor Types

Bamboo Flooring Construction

Bamboo has three common types of construction. Each manufacturer may have their own version of constructing bamboo flooring, but they generally fall into these categories; solid bamboo, engineered bamboo and strand woven bamboo (sometimes refered to as compressed bamboo).

Solid bamboo flooring

Individual strips of bamboo are glued together to create solid planks of bamboo flooring. These planks are installed with either flooring adhesives or by nailing/stapling them in place. Solid bamboo flooring is available in two different grain styles:

• Horizontal: Also referred to as "flat–grain," horizontal is a wider cut of bamboo flooring that visibly shows the knuckles (nodes) of bamboo.
• Vertical: Unlike horizontal bamboo flooring where the strips of bamboo are laid flat, vertical bamboo flooring stands the strips on edge. This results in little to no visible knuckles (nodes,) giving vertical bamboo flooring a more uniform appearance.

NOTE: Nodes are often referred to as bamboo knuckles, the nodes are the joints of the bamboo stem located between hollow points along the culm pole. The node is made up of a stiff membrane spanning the culm where buds and branches can be found. These joints help reinforce the bamboo stalk.

Engineered Bamboo Flooring

Engineered bamboo flooring consists of a surface (wear) layer of either vertical or horizontal bamboo. These top layers of bamboo are attached to another layer of wood (such as plywood, pine or fiberboard) with special flooring adhesives under extreme pressure. The result is a floor that looks identical to solid bamboo from above, but the core and backing are non–bamboo materials. Engineered bamboo floors are available in 2 types:

• Multi–layer (or multi–ply): multiple plies of wood (plywood) with a top layer (veneer) of finished bamboo.
• Three–layer (or three–ply): these bamboo planks consist of a backing ply sheet, a middle (or core) layer of wood or fiberboard, and a top layer (veneer) of finished bamboo.

As a general rule, the higher the ply count in multi ply engineered, the more stable the product will be, especially in extreme humidity conditions. Just like hardwood engineered flooring, engineered bamboo floors tend to be more dimensionally stable (surface height and width evenly balanced) and easier to install than solid bamboo flooring.

Strand Woven

Strand woven bamboo flooring is the hardest bamboo floor type available. In fact, it's comparable in durability to many of the hardest wood flooring types, and is nearly two times stronger than Red Oak and horizontal/vertical bamboo flooring.

Strand woven (compressed) bamboo flooring is made from strips of bamboo that are shredded into thin strands (or fibers) and combined with resins in rectangular steel molds. (These resins help protect the finished product from moisture, scratching, and UV light exposure). Under high levels of heat and pressure, the strands are pressed together to form a dense bamboo beam. These beams are then cut into floor planks and sent to the milling machine, where a tongue and groove is cut on all 4 sides. The planks are sanded until smooth and sent to the finishing line to receive multiple coats of finish.

Bamboo Colors

Bamboo floor comes in three common color types; natural, carbonized (amber) and stained.

Natural

Natural bamboo flooring is literally just that, the natural pale golden tone of bamboo. The color is neutral, and pairs well with most décor, and can truly light up your living space.

Carbonized

Bamboo contains natural sugars. To achieve a darker color, natural bamboo strips are steamed which caramelizes the natural sugars and darkens the bamboo. The longer the bamboo is steamed, the darker it becomes. Shades will range from light amber to dark brown. The steaming process adds extra stress to the bamboo which weakens it slightly compared to natural bamboo; check the Janka Hardness scale for the differences between natural and carbonized bamboo.

Stained

Many bamboo flooring manufacturers are now staining bamboo to offer a wider variety of colors. Stained colors vary and can resemble the colors of natural wood flooring species or can be extreme colors for an artistic statement. While you can sand and stain bamboo flooring that is already installed, it is more cost effective and easier to purchase a pre–stained and finished product.

Bamboo Floor Construction

Bamboo flooring is manufactured using various construction processes. Read below about the different types of edges and milling available.

Edges

Square Edged

The edges of bamboo flooring are cut at 90° angles so when individual flooring planks are placed together, the transition is smooth with no groove between the edges.

Micro Bevel

Micro–beveled bamboo flooring has very small angles cut into the edges so when flooring planks are placed together, a small groove or seam will appear. The main reason for this type of milling is to hide minor imperfections that may be in the subfloor. Subfloor imperfections can cause squared edged bamboo flooring to have areas that are higher or lower than others.

Milling

Milling refers to the type of bamboo locking or fastening mechanism. There are two popular types; tongue and groove and click lock.

Click and Lock

Click and lock bamboo flooring is individual planks of engineered floor that quite literally click together, requiring no adhesive between the planks. This type of floor is meant to be "floated", meaning that flooring fasteners such as nails or staples are not used. For more information on floating click and lock engineered flooring, refer to the Bamboo Installation Instructions at FindAnyFloor.com.

NOTE: Floating is the installation method used when a floor is placed on top of a subfloor, only separated by an underlayment and not fastened using adhesives, nails or staples. This is considered the easier and quickest of all installation methods.

Tongue and Groove

Tongue and Groove (T & G) is the most common milling system used for bamboo and wood flooring. T & G bamboo planks are manufactured like puzzle pieces, with a groove in one side and a tongue–shaped ridge on the other. The grooved side acts as a slot for the tongue–shaped edge, minimizing the space between planks. Most tongue and groove floors are installed using flooring fasteners (nails or staples) or special flooring adhesives. Some T & G engineered floors can be floated by applying glue between the tongue and the grooves to hold the planks together.

Bamboo Flooring Finishes

Bamboo flooring is manufactured with two finishing options; Pre–finished (finished) or unfinished.

Pre–finished

Pre–finished bamboo floors are sanded and coated with flooring finish at the factory. This allows the bamboo to go from the factory to the floor with no additional processing. After bamboo flooring has been constructed, milled and sanded at the factory, multiple coats of finish are applied using a process called UV finishing. This finish bonds quickly to the surface with the help of ultraviolet lamps. Many manufacturers are starting to use water–based (environmentally friendly) finishing systems rather than the common types which are urethane–based. Some manufacturers also add a product called Aluminum Oxide or Ceramic to the finishing process to promote a more scratch resistant and durable product.

Unfinished

Unfinished bamboo floors require sanding, staining (if you want a color other than natural or carbonized), and several protective coats of finish after installation. Warning: Unfinished bamboo floors can only be sanded and finished once the boards have had time to acclimate (or adjust) to the environment where installation is taking place. Finishing floors after installation lengthens the installation project time line, and will always be more expensive then buying pre–finished bamboo flooring.

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