Difference Between Bamboo Flooring and Hardwood Flooring: Which One to Choose?

Bamboo vs. Hardwood Flooring

When it comes to building a dream home, there are many challenges. Choosing the best products that best suit his needs, requirements, and desires is necessary, and this is not easy.

Hardwood floors are natural and durable but expensive. Bamboo floors are cheaper and more popular. While parquet flooring can last up to 75-100 years, bamboo flooring can last for 10 to 25 years. Both types of flooring are prone to warping from ambient humidity.

What is the Difference Between Bamboo Flooring and Hardwood Flooring?

Both bamboo floors and hardwood floors invariably fall under the wood floor category. Also, once installed, it can be pretty tricky to tell them apart. However, each type of flooring is unique and has specific differences that set them apart.

  • Bamboo floors are made from bamboo. Hardwood is a solid wood board.
  • Bamboo floors are more sustainable than hardwood floors because they are an excellent renewable resource.
  • Natural bamboo floors are about 50% harder than hardwood floors. However, carbonizing the bamboo makes it softer.
  • Bamboo floors are challenging to polish again, while we can polish hardwood floors multiple times.
  • Bamboo floors only have dark or light shades. Hardwood floors offer a wide variety of colors and shades.
  • In terms of appearance, bamboo floors have apparent horizontal lines across the surface. It is not very noticeable on hardwood floors.
  • Hardwood floors are usually more expensive than bamboo floors. However, you can find lower-quality wood at lower prices.
  • Bamboo floors are more resistant to moisture, mildew, and mildew than hardwood floors.
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Bamboo Vs. Hardwood Floors

Bamboo vs Hardwood

When it comes to building a dream home, there are many challenges. It is necessary to select the best products that best suit his needs, requirements, and desires, and this is not an easy task. Flooring is one aspect of housing that seems particularly challenging. Bamboo floors and hardwood floors are two options that come up when exploring one of the flooring options.

Comparison Table

Bamboo FloorHardwood Floor
IntroductionBamboo flooring is flooring made from bamboo plants. Most modern bamboo products come from China and other parts of Asia. Moso bamboo is the type most commonly used for floors.Wood floors are any wood products that are intended to be used as structural or aesthetic floors. Hardwood floors are made from planks cut from solid timber.
Durability10-25 years, depending on the type of bamboo and the added material. 30-50 years with good maintenance and surface replacement as needed.It depends on many factors, such as the floor’s finish, the type of wood used, which room it is in, and how well it is looked after. We cannot install it in basements. Properly finished and well-maintained parquet floors can last for decades.
MaterialMaterial Mainly Chinese bamboo, processed with adhesives.Wood; wood from harvested trees, mainly angiosperms
SourceNatural but with chemical glueNatural
MountingNailing or blockingIt used to be very difficult to install; mistakes can be frustrating and costly. Most wood floors today are pre-cut into easy-to-install grooved and tongue-and-groove planks.
Moisture ResistanceSufficiently waterproof but more prone to warping due to ambient humidity.Prone to moisture ingress, discoloration, or warpage. Engineered hardwood is a slightly more water-resistant alternative.
RestorationEasy to recoverEasily recovers to a new state.
Prone to DamageYesProne to scratches and moisture damage
WaterproofNoNo

Composition

Bamboo floors can be made from different types of bamboo with other properties, but Moso bamboo is the most popular high-quality option. Harvested at a maximum density at the age of 5-6 years, it is more complicated than even hardwoods of maple and oak. Artificial bamboo flooring material (also called stranded bamboo) is more durable than natural bamboo. Still, it undergoes intensive processing starting from its natural state: peeled, boiled, cut, glued, and pressed. Lighter-colored bamboo is more complex than dark-colored bamboo because the carbonization process used to darken the wood makes it softer.

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Hardwood flooring is a natural hardwood from timber harvested from forests. The price depends on the tree. For example, the most expensive hardwoods are mahogany, wenge, and teak. The softest hardwood used for flooring is pine and is relatively inexpensive. Another option for rooms prone to moisture, such as a concrete sub-floor, is hardwood. It consists of a layer of hardwood on top of plywood or fiberboard that allows some expansion and contraction.

Advantages

Good quality bamboo floors can compete with expensive hardwood floors in terms of durability and appearance. Modern processing technologies allow you to create all kinds of colors and textures. In terms of the hardness of bamboo and wood flooring, bamboo is the cheaper option. Since it is grass, bamboo is slightly better at repelling moisture and mold.

Hardwood floors can last for generations if they are in good condition. Depending on the wood and the treatment, the floor can be highly resistant to damage and repaired or polished. Homebuyers also demand hardwood floors and can add value to the home they are furnishing for resale.

Disadvantages

The cheaper bamboo options are likely to be soft and easily damaged, so higher quality products seem to be the only reliable choice. More intricate bamboo flooring is heavily treated with formaldehyde and other toxic binders. Homeowners report that bamboo begins to lose some of its colors in areas where there is constant sunlight. Bamboo floors can deform over time in a humid environment.

Hardwood floors are comparatively more expensive than bamboo. As a natural material, hardwoods are prone to staining, warping, and discoloration when exposed to sun and water, as well as significant changes in temperature and humidity. It makes hardwood unsuitable for use in bathrooms and some kitchens.

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Mounting

While hardwood or bamboo flooring can be installed as a stand-alone project, both are best done by professional contractors if not done by an experienced DIYer. Hardwood and bamboo floors often require action, including laying, nailing, stapling, cutting the baseboard, and filling the holes with wood filler. This video shows the installation of professional bamboo flooring:

Replacement and Maintenance

When cleaning bamboo floors, damp mops should be avoided. For general cleaning, a dust mop and hard brooms are enough. If necessary, you can use a well-wrung mop. Worn or scratched bamboo floors can be sanded and polished instead of needing a complete replacement.

Maintaining a parquet floor is relatively simple and involves removing sand from the surface by sweeping and wiping with a damp cloth. Most worn and damaged hardwood floors can be repaired or polished rather than replaced, but if the damage is severe enough to warrant replacement, the damaged planks can be pulled out and replaced with a suitable material.

Environmental Considerations

The recent surge in bamboo flooring is because it is marketed as an environmentally friendly product. It is undoubtedly highly renewable in the sense that it only takes 3-5 years for bamboo to mature, compared to 70 or 80 years for some hardwoods, and pruned bamboo plants can grow back. But with environmental considerations, things are not so simple. Since most of the bamboo is imported from China, there are some regulations regarding the environmental impact of growing and processing bamboo.

Hardwood is exceptionally safe for the environment as it is a natural resource. It can be recycled and renewed and is best purchased from environmentally responsible growers to avoid over-harvesting.

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