Bamboo flooring: advantages, disadvantages, styling features, tips for care, types and reviews

Each owner, doing repairs in his apartment, has to consider a huge number of finishing materials, including floor coverings. The modern market offers us a variety of products for flooring, so an unprepared buyer is sometimes very difficult to choose in favor of one of the options.

Today we will talk about one of the novelties of the construction market - parquet from bamboo. This type of flooring has recently appeared on our shelves, so many do not quite know what features it has.

In order to understand what bamboo parquet is, we suggest that you read more about this material, consider its main characteristics, advantages, disadvantages and installation technology.

Origin of the material

Bamboo flooring called the product for flooring, made of dry stems of the same name of the plant (bamboo). The technology of its production is as follows:

• Raw materials, the age of which reached 4-6 years, is pre-treated: it is cleared of sugar, degreased and sterilized.
• Wet stems are placed in the oven, where they dry at a certain temperature.
• The prepared material is crushed into chips, after which it is pressed into bamboo strips under the influence of pressure. From the resulting blanks, a high-quality and environmentally friendly product is produced.

Types of parquet made of bamboo

Modern technologies allow manufacturers from one raw material to produce several varieties of parquet, which differ in their structure, color and type of coating.

In the production process, the strips can be placed horizontally or vertically.

In the first case, the product looks as natural as possible, imitation of natural wood is created. With the vertical arrangement, the parquet is given a unique pattern, and on the cut of the board one can notice the "annual" rings of the plant.

In addition, bamboo flooring differs in color. The product can be presented in natural form or with an easy coffee shade, which is obtained as a result of heat treatment. The front side of the finished coating can be treated with a glossy or matte varnish.

Material Advantages

Now let's look at the properties of bamboo parquet. Pros and cons are for any finishing material. This kind of parquet is no exception. If we talk about positive characteristics, then they include:

• Ecological compatibility . The natural origin of the material allows us to talk about its absolute safety for man and the environment.

• Durability and durability . Bamboo is particularly hard, so the floor covering made of it can be used even in rooms with large cross-country people. Manufacturers of quality parquet give more than 30 years of warranty for the products they manufacture.

• Resistance to moisture . Since in the process of manufacturing parquet raw materials are pressed under high pressure, moisture practically does not enter the structure of the material.

• No deformation . The floor covering does not form any gaps, is not subject to deformation and drying.

• Democratic price. For all its attractiveness, bamboo flooring is much cheaper than similar products made from natural wood.

• Rich color scheme . The material is easy to color, so it's very easy to choose a parquet in the color of the interior.

• Antistatic . Bamboo flooring does not attract dust, so it does not require special care.

• Possibility of restoration . After a while, the parquet can be re-grinded and varnished.

disadvantages

The abundance of positive characteristics attracts many buyers, however, in order to avoid unpleasant surprises, one should pay attention to the negative qualities that bamboo parquet possesses. Comments from consumers indicate the following facts:

• Floor, lined with bamboo flooring, very easily scratched;
• Under the influence of ultraviolet rays, the parquet loses its original appearance;
• Products of dark tones are much softer than coverings of a natural shade;
• The legs of heavy furniture eventually form dents on the surface of the board.

Self-assembly of floor covering

Laying bamboo flooring can be carried out in two ways:

• On a dry basis;
• On the glue.

The most preferred is the dry method of styling. In this case, the floor covering can be compressed and expanded in all directions. The load at the places where the boards are joined decreases, and as a result, the service life of the parquet increases.

If you decide to do the flooring yourself, take care that you have all the necessary tools and materials at hand. Namely:

• DSP or plywood for leveling the base;
• Sander;
• Screwdriver;
• A jigsaw;
• roulette;
• Special hammer for parquet;
• building level;
• Spatula with teeth;
• Self-tapping screws;
• Parquet glue (depending on the chosen fixing method).

Preparatory work

Before you start laying the purchased material, it must be removed from the package and left for at least 48 hours indoors. This must be done in order to prevent the material from deforming after laying due to temperature and humidity changes.

At this time, you can start preparing the foundation. The concrete screed should be as level as possible, without cracks, depressions, mounds and voids. Remember that the service life of a parquet depends largely on the quality of the surface on which it is laid.

The process of its alignment includes the following stages:

1. The base is treated with a deep penetration primer.

2. On top of the dried concrete pour a small layer of cement self-leveling screed. This work is carried out in strict accordance with the recommendations of the manufacturer of the solution. The uniformity of the layer is controlled by the building level.

3. After the screed, it is possible to lay hydro- and vapor-insulating materials (not necessarily).

4. Next, the substrate is laid from any wood-shaving material. The thickness of the sheet should be at least 12 mm.

5. For reliability, the material is fixed with screws or dowels.

6. For a better adhesion of surfaces, the resulting substrate is carefully ground.

Stacking technology

When starting work, pay attention to the level of humidity in the room and the dryness of the substrate. Laying material on a recently filled screed is strictly not recommended!

1. Mounting of the boards should start from the wall opposite the door.

2. Between the walls and the material to be laid it is necessary to leave a technical gap of 1-1.5 cm. This distance will preserve the appearance of the floor covering in case of its expansion.

3. The straps are connected to each other in a "spike-groove" system (at an angle of 45 degrees) and are paired with a parquet hammer.

4. All the necessary holes (for heating pipes and other communications) are cut with a jig saw.

5. If full natural products (without paints and varnishes) were used for the floor covering, then after grinding the bamboo parquet is polished. After it, you can apply a protective layer of special lacquer.

6. At the end of the work, plinths are installed, which are fixed using self-tapping screws.

The finished coating can be operated after four days.

Care for bamboo flooring

As already mentioned, bamboo parquet does not require any special care. However, some recommendations for its operation should be listened to.

• When cleaning in an apartment, do not allow the parquet to contact with a lot of moisture and use aggressive detergents. To clean this floor covering it is enough to vacuum it. Wet cleaning is done with a well-wrung cloth.

• If water has spilled onto the floor, it must be quickly wiped off.

• Avoid any mechanical damage to the floor. Particular care should be exercised during the rearrangement of furniture. To prevent scratching the floors, on the legs of massive furniture, you can paste felt pads.

• Do not walk around the apartment in shoes with heels or with a firm sole.

• Do not exceed the humidity in the room where this finishing material is laid (no more than 55%).

Bamboo flooring: types, price

Summing up, I would like to mention the cost of bamboo flooring. This issue depends on the manufacturing technology of the material and the manufacturer. The price of high-quality material will be about 2000-3000 rubles per m².

If plasticizers and resins were used during its manufacture to facilitate this process, the products will have a lower price tag (about 1500 rubles), but there is no need to talk about the ecological compatibility of the product.

Materials of the highest class, made of solid wood (such as bamboo flooring Amigo), will cost an order of magnitude more expensive. But the term of their operation is much greater.

In general, bamboo parquet is an excellent alternative to wood parquet, linoleum and laminate. Acceptable cost and high aesthetic indicators allow us to recommend it for all types of premises.