Types

• Vertical Baamboo Flooring
  
  There are two types of bamboo flooring, The first one is called solid because there are less pieces that need to be glued together and it is the best type to use in areas were there is low humidity. The second is engineered, which is the same as floating laminated wood flooring. It is not nailed down to a sub floor. The latter is the easier of the two to install.
  
  

Styles

• Horizontal Bamboo Flooring
  
  There are two styles of bamboo flooring horizontal: vertical and strand. Bamboo is not a wood. It is a grass and it needs to be laid out in one direction and then made into boards. The direction the grass is laid in gives it a horizontal or vertical grain.
  
  

Features

• Installing bamboo flooring is one of the most eco-friendly remodeling projects. Bamboo replenishes itself very rapidly, unlike hardwood trees that can take generations to be ready for harvest again. Bamboo flooring is comparable in strength to the softer hardwoods such as maple and black walnut.
  The color of the bamboo is achieved by heating. The more it is heated, the darker it gets. But, heating also weakens it, so the lighter the color, the stronger it will be. Also the older bamboo is when it is harvested, the stronger it will be and the longer the planks of horizontal bamboo will be. Look for ones about 6 feet long.
  
  

Manufacturing

• The manufacturing process begins with slicing the bamboo stalks into lengthwise strips. Next, the bamboo is heated causing carbonization and the darkening of the wood. It also eliminates the natural sugar and any insects. Then, the bamboo is graded A or B. The A ends up being the best flooring and B is the cheapest. The strips are then dried in a kiln until they have the right amount of moisture. Once this has been achieved, the strips are glued onto boards in layers. Horizontal will have up to 15 layers and vertical will have up to 19. The strips are bound together by being put under hot pressure of up to 1,200 tons PSI. The last step is to put in the tongues and grooves.
  
  

Maintenance

• Bamboo flooring is one of the easiest to maintain. It comes pre-finished from the manufacturer, so it does not have to be sanded and stained. Once it is installed, it just needs to be swept or occasionally cleaned with a damp mop.