Ask any home designer about new floors and you are bound to hear about the beauty of hard wood floors. Hard woods such as oak and beech have long been used to create a regal presence in rooms of all shapes and sizes. However, in recent years many contractors have discovered the magic of bamboo. It is now known that this ancient plant provides a bunch of wonderful benefits that both rival and surpass those associated with hard wood.

Firstly, bamboo flooring is a major win for the environment. While it is hard to argue with the classiness of hard wood flooring, most hard wood itself takes near 100 years to reach full maturity. This makes demand for hard wood a real threat to the deforestation of nature. On the other hand bamboo takes just 5 years or so before it is ready to be harvested. If that difference wasn’t enough, bamboo doesn’t even need to be replanted because its roots remain stable throughout the harvesting process. Secondly, bamboo is significantly less expensive than hard wood. Thirdly, through the process of carbonization bamboo flooring can actually be made to look very similar in color and style to that of hard wood.

It is best to install bamboo flooring in rooms that will stay predominantly dry. Since bamboo is essentially a plant if left exposed to excess moisture it can shrivel up. For instance, you would not want bamboo in your bathroom. A living room or den without too much exposure to sunlight and water would be an ideal condition for bamboo. When installing a bamboo floor you will need many types of molding including quarter round moldings and tee moldings. These will serve to hide expansions and act as a buffer between other surfaces such as carpet. You will also need a tapping block. When you set the bamboo into place you will not want to make direct contact.