Bamboo flooring is becoming an increasingly popular choice for home owners, architects and for commercial developers because of its eco-friendliness, strength, durability and cost effectiveness. Here are the top 10 benefits of bamboo flooring:
1. Eco-friendly and sustainable
Bamboo is a renewable grass that can reach maturity within five years, making it an excellent eco-friendly and sustainable alternative to hardwood. Once the bamboo plant has been harvested the root continues to grow so that it does not need replanting.
2. Strong and durable
Strand woven bamboo flooring is an extremely strong, natural flooring material, which is over twice as hard as Oak, making it a good choice for both domestic and commercial use. Vertical and horizontal bamboo flooring are also durable and comparable in strength to Oak flooring.
3. Dimensionally stable
Bamboo flooring is dimensionally stable, meaning that it can cope with changes to temperature and humidity, and can be installed in a number of different ways. This means that it can be:
• Installed in areas with large amounts of glazing or conservatories
• Used with underfloor heating
• Installed over any subfloor that has been properly prepared
• Loose laid over an underlay or fixed into position
4. Cost effective
Bamboo is an inexpensive alternative to hardwood flooring while still offering the luxury and character of a natural product. Generally it can be around a third cheaper than an average hardwood floor.
5. Available in different colours and styles
Bamboo flooring is available in three different styles, horizontal, vertical and strand woven. They all have very different appearances due to the way that they have been constructed. The two main colours are natural (golden and pale tones) and carbonised (coffee coloured brown), but it is also available with a rustic appearance, in a Stone Grey colour and with a brushed texture to the surface. All of these options should make it easy to find something that will complement any room.
6. Available with different finishes
Different types of bamboo flooring are available with different finishes. Most have either a Satin-Matt or Matt lacquer added to the surface, but some can be found with additional features such as UV protection, anti-slip lacquer and anti-scratch lacquer.
7. Quick and easy to install
Both types of bamboo flooring (solid and engineered) can be fitted in a number of ways:
• Glued down to the subfloor
• Nailed or screwed down to the subfloor
• Floated over a underlay
Some types of bamboo flooring are available with a click fitting system, making the installation process even more straightforward.
8. Easy to look after
It is easy to look after a bamboo floor. All that is needed is a daily sweep with a soft bristle brush and weekly clean with a PH neutral wood floor cleaning spray. Scratches and damage to the surface of the flooring can easily be prevented by removing footwear, using felt protector pads on the bottom of furniture and wiping away water spills and accidents immediately. For further cleaning advice, see our article ‘Top ten cleaning tips for bamboo floors.’ 
9. Hygienic
Bamboo floors can be an ideal choice for allergy suffers as they do not harbour dirt and dust particles like carpets. Bamboo flooring is also resistant to mildew and mould that can grow and thrive in deep pile carpets and rugs.
10. Long life expectancy
If installed correctly and your bamboo floor is cared for and maintained on a regular basis, it can keeps its freshness and last for decades.
