Strand woven bamboo flooring is a product made using the bamboo in a different method to some bamboo floors. While a common production method is the cutting of the material into slats and then binding these together, the strand method involves taking the material and cutting it into its individual fibre strands - something that is impossible with wood as it is not composed this way but can be done with bamboo as it is a grass - and then boiling them.
This process removes the sugar from the bamboo and after this is done, the strands are then flattened before being bound together with a low VOC (volatile organic compounds) adhesive to make the flooring product.
As a result, the bamboo flooring created is nearly twice as dense as normal bamboo floors and is far stronger.
Ming Dynasty specialises in such products and these come with a pale wood marked with distinctive grains that replicate the appearance of hardwoods like oak. The products are finished with a satin lacquer that gives a light-reflective sheen to the product.
Engineered Strand Woven Bamboo Flooring
Engineered strand woven bamboo flooring is made by Ming Dynasty, which produces floors using the material. Strand woven bamboo flooring is harder than other bamboo due to being twice as dense. It is created by separating it into strands, boiling to remove the sugar, flattening it and then sticking it together using low VOC (volatile organic compound) adhesive.
The engineered version comprises thinner flooring that is fitted together in a system that allows for greater expansion and flexibility than a solid wood bamboo product. At the same time, it remains very hard because of the extra density the stranding composition gives it.
Ming's product is a pale wood colour that comes with a grainy pattern. This bears a certain resemblance to oak and for this reason it is a highly viable alternative hardwood material.
It is also a green floor, being made from a plant that re-grows its stalks and thus is not killed by harvesting, while it can cope with greater amounts of moisture than normal wood due to its adaptation to a tropical climate.
Solid Strand Woven Bamboo Flooring
Solid strand woven bamboo flooring is an exceptionally tough material. This is because the material is taken, stripped into strands, has the sugar boiled out of it and is then sealed together, allowing it to be compacted with nearly double the density of bamboo that has simply been cut into slats.
The result is a very sturdy hardwood that can offer all the attributes of a material like oak or ash without the disadvantage of being sourced by killing a plant. While lumbering does this, the fact that bamboo is a grass means that the crop can be harvested and will simply grow back, the same way the grass on a lawn will after being mown.
Strand woven bamboo flooring is made by Ming Dynasty and the products can be made to even look like oak, with the similar markings and grain.
Solid floor versions of this provide a particularly thick and sturdy offering that should last many years and come with a 20-year warranty.
