Bamboo Flooring - Blonde or Brunette?

What you will learn: the aesthetic features of bamboo flooring; bamboo flooring colors; bamboo flooring styles; modern awareness of bamboo flooring.

Bamboo is a naturally beautiful flooring material, not only in pattern but in color – In natural blonde or "carbonized" caramel, your bamboo floor is sure to turn some heads.

There is a lot to be said for a practical flooring option that is not only durable and reliable, but also stands out as being one of the most distinctive and attractive as well. With bamboo flooring, you’re getting the best of both worlds. One major concern beyond the practical questions is how will the color of bamboo flooring complement the rest of the décor?

Bamboo flooring has two distinctive colors that make it an attractive and versatile flooring solution. One is a rich, creamy blonde shade called, as it happens, "natural." The other, a lovely, somewhat darker caramel-like color, called "carbonized." The process of carbonization darkens the natural bamboo flooring during its heating and pressurizing processes. It should be noted that the carbonization process also renders the bamboo about 30 per cent softer than the natural bamboo, although it is still considered equivalent to a hardwood.

Other aesthetic features of bamboo flooring are its vertical, horizontal, and strand-woven options. These terms refer to how the strips of bamboo are laminated together. With the horizontal bamboo flooring option, the bamboo strips are laid flat, showing the natural nodes of the individual stalks on top. This means the rows are slightly wider than that of the vertical bamboo flooring option, which is created by laminating the strips of bamboo while on their side. The overall effects of each flooring option are entirely visual, and there is no difference in terms of wear resistance or durability. Choose your bamboo flooring style to suit your own aesthetic sense without having to worry about these issues; bamboo flooring is very hard and resistant to wear, no matter what the style.

Bamboo flooring is a relatively new flooring option to many people. While it has long been known for its many qualities in the tropical regions where it grows in abundance, North Americans and Europeans are now becoming aware of how attractive and durable bamboo flooring truly is. These features, along with bamboo’s environmental benefits, are making bamboo flooring one of the most popular flooring materials both for modern homes and commercial buildings.

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