Facts To Remember When Installing Bamboo Flooring

Prior to installing bamboo flooring in your home or commercial enterprise, there are some crucial factors that you must keep in mind. Remember that something as natural as bamboo has many benefits. So you can get economical and eco-friendly flooring for your home that is sustainable and durable too. But you must also consider some of the cons that you may face during the installation process. Being aware of these will save you the hassle of starting again from scratch. So here are some useful and sensible tips that would help you along the way.

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Consider your climate: As a rule of thumb, it is suggested that you avoid bamboo flooring or installing the same in areas that are prone to humidity wet. The reason here is that the bamboo has a tendency to swell up with humidity and water. You would notice that bamboo in fact, is rather common in areas that are very cold or even on the mountain sides. Why? Because bamboo swells and in these areas the humidity levels are much lower. So there is no risk involved in installing this flooring. On the other hand, if you are living close to the beach and have a highly humid zone, then it is best to keep the bamboo flooring restricted to areas where you don’t mind the regular creaking. In some cases, bamboo tends to shrink too, especially with areas of low RH or low relative humidity. In case you are installing this flooring but live in an area that is prone to either high or low humidity you should buy well-acclimated bamboo.

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Try and understand the Janka hardness scale: Being a natural material, there are a few things unique about the bamboo and one of them is the Janka. Though the fibers in bamboo are strong, you would note that the lignis bonding tends to be on the weaker side. The process of testing this includes pressing a smooth or even any rounded ball into your flooring material. If the bamboo it would definitely resist the ball and turn back springily. But in comparison to other flooring form like oak, bamboo is not really resistant to wear and tear or even cuts. Hence bamboo flooring does have some cons that you should measure out prior to installation. It is best to install bamboos in areas that are less prone to such damage so it obviously excludes the kitchen and garage area.

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Check LEED prior to installation: LEED or the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification system. Like other forms of wood, bamboo too is available under different categories and types. Hence it can be safely said that bamboo flooring that come under the renewable materials category would be suitable. This is not the same as engineered bamboo, because the latter contains wood. Also opt for the bamboo type that doesn’t have urea-formaldehyde. Remember that when it comes to the gluing process of bamboo with this chemical would tend to have problems, especially releasing weird gases. You should pick a type of bamboo that is suitable in this reference. Also, do remember that based on all of the contraction and expansion issues that one faces with the different kinds of bamboo flooring, it is best to leave this task to the expert. Based on the climate you live in, humidity levels, the kind of moisture content around the house and an array of other factors, they would be able to guide you on the entire installation process, thus minimizing risks of creakiness and other swelling problems that happen with bamboo.