In recent years, bamboo flooring has gained significant popularity among homeowners and business owners for several reasons. It features a beautiful finish that imparts elegance and a natural touch to any room. Additionally, it costs 50% less per square foot compared to hardwood flooring. Moreover, it serves as an environmentally friendly alternative to wood.
However, despite its many advantages, bamboo flooring presents some challenges and risks for professional installers.
Quality Issues:
Not all bamboo flooring available on the market today is of high quality. There are approximately 1,600 species of bamboo, but only a few are truly suitable for flooring. A large portion of the unsuitable bamboo imported into the country comes from China, where there are currently no regulations governing product quality. In an attempt to make a quick profit, many Chinese companies harvest bamboo before it is fully mature and has reached its optimal potential. As a result, the quality of products can vary significantly from one company to another.
Low-quality bamboo is harvested prematurely and glued together using toxic adhesives. These adhesives can be easily dented by shoes, furniture, children, pets, and fallen objects. If the floors become dented, the finish can easily peel or flake off, leading to costly rework for installers. In fact, many customers have reported scratches and dents on the floor on the day of installation.
Currently, there are no useful quality standards or grading systems for bamboo flooring. The National Wood Flooring Association (NWFA) has been requested to develop standards, but this task is nearly impossible as many issues are beyond the NWFA’s control. For instance, many of the early stages of the harvesting and manufacturing processes in China are beyond the NWFA’s purview as they are subject to human error and corner-cutting. The only way to establish effective standards for bamboo flooring is to control the entire process from start to finish.
Moisture Control:
Drying bamboo in factories is a difficult task due to the challenges in measuring moisture content. Most Chinese factories do not dry bamboo to a specific moisture content like they do with wood. Instead, they follow a specific drying schedule.
Even if the bamboo is thoroughly dried, maintaining consistent moisture content seems to be a problem for all manufacturers of bamboo strip flooring. Bamboo expands both vertically and horizontally. Due to its high density, the fibers are encapsulated in glue and take a long time to acclimate in the field – sometimes several days or weeks depending on the local climate. Woven bamboo takes even longer to acclimate than other types of flooring.
Installers must give bamboo the same level of attention as the densest tropical species. Carefully measuring the moisture content of the bamboo material using an accurate wood moisture meter can help avoid problems during installation. Ensure that the room is properly prepared and give the floor sufficient time to reach equilibrium moisture content (EMC) before commencing installation.
Molding Problems:
Before installing a traditional bamboo floor, installers should inspect the planks for gray streaks. In most cases, this is the result of fungi attacking the bamboo within a few days of harvest.
Raw bamboo decays quickly and should generally be treated within two days of harvest. If the treatment is delayed, mold may appear on the finished floor even if the fungus has died. In some instances, mold can persist and spread on the floor after installation, even if it is dry.
If mold is suspected on traditional bamboo panels, installers are advised to refrain from using them. Mold is less likely to occur on woven bamboo as the adhesive and curing process kills the spores.
Installation:
Extreme care must be taken when attaching bamboo to the floor substrate. Nails and staples can easily damage bamboo. When installing with adhesive, care must also be taken to keep the surfaces clean. Glue on the surface of the flooring can be carefully removed, but it can be a tricky task.
Health Concerns:
To create flooring strips, bamboo must be glued together and compressed under intense pressure. The Chinese use urea and formaldehyde for gluing, which are known to cause serious health problems in some individuals.
The construction risk lies in the release of formaldehyde. Installers who need to cut or sand bamboo floors must wear masks and protective clothing to safeguard their skin. Formaldehyde is also an irritating gas, so the odor alone can be unbearable.
Customers can also experience health issues from off-gassing even years after installation.
Bottom Line:
Recently, bamboo has attracted the interest of homeowners and business owners as an alternative to traditional hardwood flooring. This is due to the wide variety of styles and colors available, as well as the extensive range of options.
