Essay On Bamboo Flooring

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Bamboo is largely considered as one of the planets fastest-growing plants; some species can stretch up to a 3 feet in a single day. It is an enticing option because bamboo is just as strong as all of the existing hardwoods. It is a smart option because it resembles the qualities of hardwood at a lesser price. Finally, it is also sustainable due to the abundant obtainability and fast regeneration. While becoming a popular choice for floorings in homes and businesses today, bamboo flooring has the potential to be resilient, cost-efficient, and environmentally friendly.
Durability
Bamboo flooring is extremely durable; it is as solid as any hardwood flooring currently on the market. Depending on what part of the plant the floor is harvested from, it can even be sturdier than hardwoods like maple and oak. According to Nigel F. Maynard from Builder Online, he states, “Hardness is the main factor in durability” (Maynard, 2010). There are two different types of Bamboo flooring; stranded and vertical. Studies show that stranded bamboo is much stronger than the vertical bamboo flooring. Mark D. Elwell, owner and operator of Bamboo Flooring Hawaii in Honolulu, says, “On a hardness scale, the vertical bamboo plank is around 1,450 P.S.I. on a Janka Hardness Scale”. He then states, “The stranded bamboo is compressed and bonded with strong adhesives so the scale is over 3,000 P.S.I.” (Elwell, 2010). As a result, stranded bamboo flooring averages out to be 25 percent harder than red oak and 12 percent harder than North American maple. The durability makes it dent-resistant but does not make it heavy. Therefore, the flooring will not shrink or expand like other hardwoods as long ...

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...ger to regenerate. At the same time, logs are sawn to produce planks and boards, so a certain amount of waste is involved in the production of the hardwood floors. With the rate that the Earth is becoming depleted with hardwood, there will be a cutbacks and eventually an increase of the price because there will not be enough hardwood to sell competitively in the future. A bamboo plant absorbs carbon dioxide and releases 35 percent more oxygen into the atmosphere than a single hardwood tree. In these environmentally conscious times, renewable flooring sources like bamboo are favored over many of the hardwoods.
Conclusion
Bamboo flooring does have countless burdens of green potential. It also comes with its share of many beneficial advantages. Bamboo flooring has the potential to be naturally sturdy, economically efficient, and it helps to preserve the environment.

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