Bamboo is actually a grass and not a type of wood. Nonetheless, it can be used to make very durable and pleasing floors similar to many timbers. Bamboo flooring can be processed to look and feel like many hardwoods, giving a wide variety of décor options.
Bamboo has been used in Asian countries for many generations. Traditionally this flooring consisted of thin strips of bamboo affixed with even spaces between them, allowing circulation. Modern bamboo floors, the type seem in western countries, are far more processed. Mature bamboo plants are boiled and chemically treated to look more like traditional timber. Initially looking like beech wood the bamboo can be stained to look like almost any dark or light timber.
The environmental aspects of bamboo are often the decisive factor when choosing bamboo floors. Bamboo can be grown in far less time than any timber, with only 5 years needed to achieve good quality building material. Comparable timbers take at least 20 years, with some taking 100. Furthermore, bamboo required fairly little irrigation, fertilizer or pesticides when grown, and required less chemical preparation (less formaldehyde) than most other flooring.
Bamboo is suitable for many type of flooring. Customers should look for bamboo that has been grown for at least 5 years, because it proves more durable, and prepared with minimal formaldehyde.