Bamboo flooringis a natural material and may also be regarded as being one of the most sustainable kinds of flooring. This is because while normal hardwood is acquired by felling trees and thus killing them, bamboo is in fact a kind of grass and its fibres can be harvested without killing the plant, ensuring that the same source can then re-grow more of the same material for future use.
The natural qualities of bamboo include the ability to cope with greater levels of moisture without expanding noticeably in comparison with hardwood. This is due to its tropical origins as a plant living in warm and humid climates.
As well as being natural, bamboo can be made into strong floors in a variety of styles, with the only synthetic elements being the carbonisation of some products to toughen them up, the use of adhesives containing a low level of volatile organic compounds to bond the fibres together and the application of a satin resin to add sheen to the finished product. Yet bamboo is still able to offer plenty of variety in style, form and shade to suit various tastes.
Ming Dynasty Bamboo Flooring
Ming Dynasty bamboo flooring offers all the natural qualities of bamboo, but with the apparent look of oak. This effect is produced by taking the strands of bamboo and boiling the sugar out of them, then flattening them and sticking them together using low VOC (volatile organic compound) adhesive.
The result is a pale but grainy-looking wood, which, while it resembles oak, has the authentic toughness and moisture resistance of bamboo - but with twice the substance's normal density due to the way it has been fixed together - while still displaying green credentials as a renewable material coming from a plant that is not destroyed when the material is harvested.
Ming's products come with planks that are 96 mm wide, 14 mm thick and have a warranty lasting for 20 years.
Natural Bamboo Flooring
Bamboo flooring has been used for centuries in many countries as a building and flooring material, being an obvious crop to use in the tropics, where its ready availability and capacity to withstand the extra moisture of a hot, wet climate combine well with its durability.
This long-standing experience of using bamboo has been brought to the rest of the world, with the modern uses of the wood seeing few changes other than the meshing together of the fibres using adhesives in some cases, although those contain a low level of volatile organic compounds.
Buyers of natural bamboo flooring can therefore be assured that they are able to enjoy a beautiful hardwood with all the qualities of density and strength, while also being much greener than if they had a floor made of timber whose acquisition killed the tree through felling.
At the same time, such products are available in a wide range of styles, shades and patterns, with bevelled edges to give extra definition or squared edges to provide a smooth surface, plus a satin lacquer finish to provide an extra sheen on top.
