The Essential Guide to Bamboo Flooring

No. It's not darker not because it’s been stained, but because it’s been put through a special process of kiln-heating the raw bamboo. This carbonization process darkens the natural sugars found in the plant, giving the finished planks a darker color. This color goes all the way through the plank, just like natural bamboo. A common misconception that has been copied around the internet is that the carbonization process makes carbonized bamboo softer, but this is not true because it only applies to old "classic" bamboo (horizontal and vertical grains), not strand woven bamboo. Classic bamboo is only about 1/3rd the hardness of strand woven bamboo.

Yes, but we highly recommend using only engineered bamboo flooring for floating installations, because floating solid wood or bamboo products can result in problematic expansion and contraction. For ease of installation, seek out click-lock planks that fit together and “snap” into place. This is an incredibly easy installation as no glue or nails are required, and usually can be done even by the most inexperienced installers.

Actually, bamboo holds up incredibly well to moist conditions (within reason, don’t dump buckets of water on your floor and let it sit there). In fact, our floors have been installed in humid climates all over the world in such places as Guam, Kenya, Hawaii and all across the Southern US — even the Dry Tortugas National Park off the coast of Miami. Since bamboo is actually grass and not hardwood, it tolerates moisture and well.

That being said, you must follow NWFA guidelines regarding humidity levels inside the home. Mainly, as with any wood floor, you want to avoid swings of more than 20% in humidity throughout the year. Also, be sure to allow your flooring to acclimate for at least 72 hours, laid flat on the floor in the room where it will be installed, with the boxes and interior plastic cut open.

Absolutely! In fact, due to its hardness and moisture-resistance, strand bamboo is great for kitchens as well as laundry rooms, and basements. Our floors have been installed in kitchens around the world, and also in restaurants, spas, yoga studios, university dorms & lecture halls, and many other high traffic locations. Additionally, with Ambient®'s floors you get our super-tough Accuseal Ultra® finish with aluminum oxide, which provides top-notch spill protection from puddles and stains.

Bamboo flooring can be installed over concrete in two ways: via the floating method or the glue-down method. If you choose to glue down to concrete, just make sure you use an all-in-one/vapor barrier adhesive, it's a compatible trowel, and adhesive remover wipes for cleanup. If you choose to float this flooring over concrete use a 3-in-1 vapor barrier underlayment. For more details check out our bamboo flooring installation page.

We recommend that you add 10% for cutting and waste, but this can vary slightly depending on your skill level and the layout of your room. If you're installing the flooring in a diagonal pattern, you'll need to add 15%.

There are 10 main bamboo moldings that you may need to use depending on your particular installation. Below is a general synopsis:

• Quarter Round molding hides the expansion gap left between floor and wall during installation.
• T-moldings are used as a transition strip where the floor transitions to another flooring of equal or similar height (within 1/8").
• Stair Noses (aka bull nosing) cover the front edge of a stair tread or step and help you transition down onto a landing, lower level, or staircase.
• Stair Treads are used to cover the entire structural stair tread.
• Reducers are used to transition down to a flat surface
• Thresholds are used to transition to a surface that is more than 1/8" higher or lower than the floor and is usually cut to fit, commonly used to transition to carpet and at doorways.
• Register vent grills are used to cover HVAC ducts and come in either flush mount (flat surface) or drop-in (slightly lifted off the floor) designs.
• Baseboards are used to hide the expansion gap left between the floor and wall and often paired with quarter round.
• Spline is used to switch directions when you're laying planks.
• Cove Molding is used under stairs and some stair nosings to provide a more finished look.

Bamboo holds up well to moisture and can be installed in bathrooms, as long as care is taken to protect it from moisture. As long as you're careful with your water use and you have protective mats at bathtub and shower entrances, bamboo will perform just fine in a bathroom.

You can install hardwood (and bamboo) flooring any time of the year but the best time of year is in the cooler and less humid months during the spring and fall. During the summer months, the air is filled with moisture and during the acclimation process hardwood flooring can absorb too much moisture. This excess moisture causes wood to swell, and later in the year during the dry months it may then shrink and gap. In most parts of the United States, winter is the driest season of the year. In winter, all of the dry air sucks moisture from the wood and causes the boards to contract; when these boards expand later, it can cause buckling issues if proper expansion gaps weren't put into place.

Absolutely! In fact, due to its hardness, it’s much more suitable than traditional hardwoods to handle light commercial foot traffic. Bamboo can be used in restaurants, offices, yoga studios, gyms, and institutional/educational facilities. You can find Ambient® bamboo in Elevation Burger locations worldwide and even in university student unions and restaurants.

The carbonization process only softens "classic" bamboo (vertical or horizontal) — not strand woven bamboo. With strand woven bamboo, the carbonized color is the same hardness as the natural color because the raw materials are compressed to the same density, so there is no real difference between carbonized and natural strand when it comes to hardness.

Regular cleaning can be done so with a Swiffer or any type of lightly damp mop. You’ll want to treat your floors similarly to hardwoods and avoid leaving excessive moisture on the floor while cleaning. You can also use our handy cleaning guide. Here are general tips on how to clean your floors:

• Use door mats or rugs at entrances so you and guests can wipe dirt, sand, or grit off your shoes so it doesn't get tracked inside where it can potentially damage your floors.
• Make sure to dry mop or vacuum with a soft accessory once a week (or as needed) to keep the surface free from dirt, sand, and grit.
• For spills or messy spots, simply use a soft damp cloth and a high-quality hard surface floor cleaner. Avoid using vinegar, mineral spirits, harsh detergents, abrasive cleaners, or corrosive chemicals. Never use steel wool or anything abrasive to scrub your floors.
• Use only colorfast and non-scratch carpeting or pads.
• Avoid placing jute rugs or other harsh materials on them.
• Keep your pet’s nails trimmed and your vacuum cleaner free of debris and small rocks and pebbles.
• Apply felt pads to the bottom of all furniture, and only use approved hardwood and to avoid damaging the floor.
• While most bamboo has effective UV protection layering in its pre-finish, the great majority of bamboo and hardwood floors fade from sunlight and light exposure over time (there are a few blocks of wood, like Brazilian Cherry, that darken over time). For hardwoods, you typically want to for long periods. in the summer or during certain hours of the day, or use UV protection films on your windows if parts of your floor are exposed to direct light frequently.
• Never steam mop bamboo or hardwood.

Yes, however we recommend installing engineered bamboo via this method, check out our floating bamboo flooring products here.

Yes! In fact it qualifies for LEED credits under multiple categories. Check out our guide to Bamboo Flooring and LEED Credits

Although "better" is often subjective, bamboo does have some advantages over traditional hardwood. Here's a quick look at what the two popular types of flooring have in common and how they differ.

• Both are made from natural materials.
• Both can be refinished.
• Both offer comfort and warm temperatures underfoot.
• Both are easy to maintain.
• Both offer good indoor air quality, as toxicity and off-gassing levels are very low to zero.
• Both are installed in the same way, via the nail-down, glue-down, or floating methods.

• Wood floors made from oak, maple, or hickory have Janka Hardness Ratings of 1200-2500 (avg) while strand woven bamboo has hardness ratings of 3500-4500 (avg).
• Hardwood comes from trees while bamboo is actually considered a grass.
• Bamboo is more affordable than hardwoods.
• Hardwood trees can take 20-60 years to reach full maturity, while bamboo grows in about 3-5 years and is harvested just as frequently making it a much 'greener' building material.
• Prefinished hardwoods are usually shipped overseas for milling and finishing, then shipped back to the U.S. to be sold as flooring. Bamboo is grown, harvested, and manufactured into flooring all in one location overseas and only travels via ocean transit once (from the factory to the flooring store).

For a full write-up, check out our Bamboo vs Hardwood Floors Side-by-side Comparison.

Both are made from a hygroscopic material which means it tends to absorb moisture from the air in its environment. This diagram clears up the confusion about how and why expansion and contraction occurs (hint: it's all about humidity!):

Due to expansion and contraction, it's important to take care before, during, and after your flooring installation. Be sure to acclimate your floors properly, install with expansion gaps as needed, and keep the humidity levels in your home stable. Opt for floors with higher dimensional stability (like engineered versions) if you live in a geographical area that experiences drastic changes in humidity throughout the year.

Aside from diamonds, there's practically not a single material in existence that is 100% scratch-proof. All floors are susceptible to light scratches when heavy furniture is dragged across the surface or when sharp objects come in contact with the floor. These scratches aren't as visible on white bamboo hardwood flooring as they are on darker woods. Micro-surface scratches can be fixed easily, either naturally by friction via continued foot traffic or with a flooring product like the Tibet Almond Stick.

When it comes to denting, however, strand woven bamboo really shines. Due to its hardness and density excessive force is required to permanently dent or damage it. Don't believe us? Grab a free flooring sample and go at it with a hammer. Testing the strength and durability of a floor in this way makes it easy to see why so many pet owners choose stranded bamboo — it stands up to it all!

When this type of flooring is installed in an enclosed space like a sunroom, patio or atrium, the humidity levels must be kept between 40%-60%, or problems can arise. If humidity levels are consistently too low, shrinkage or cracks may occur, whereas high humidity levels may cause expansion of bamboo, leading to a buckling effect.

Bamboo is usually finished with several layers of UV protection. Although any material will fade over time due to routine exposure to sunlight, interior flooring can be further protected by the use of window coverings such as drapes, blinds, and UV films. However, in rooms like sunrooms and atriums, it may not be possible to provide effective UV protection for flooring without adding UV films to your windows.

Despite its health benefits, sunlight can also cause damage to both skins and building materials. Constant and direct sunlight (especially on southerly facing windows in the U.S.) is an undeniable force. It can fade almost any product in your home, including furniture, carpets, paint, electronics, plastics, and more.