Laura Bourland
Bamboo Flooring
Bamboo flooring is made from sustainably-harvested bamboo. Bamboo is a tall, fast-growing type of woody grass.
Look for low-VOC or no-VOC and formaldehyde-free glues and water-based finishes for installing and finishing a bamboo floor. Also, look for bamboo flooring from FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) Certified bamboo plantations. This ensures that the bamboo was grown on previously degraded land, not land cleared by clear cutting forests.
They are moisture-resistant and easy to maintain. Bamboo grows quickly and is harvested every three to five years without taking the whole plant, making it a fantastic and rapidly renewable resource.
China is the center of the bamboo world, with over 400 species of resilient grasses indigenous to the country - more bamboo than anywhere else. In China's long history, people have used bamboo for everything from paper to weapons to construction material for over 5000 years.