The Brief Introduction of Bamboo Floor
Bamboo flooring can give you the natural beauty of wood in your home without you having to feel that your choice in home improvements is having a damaging affect on the environment. As one of natures greatest gifts to mankind, bamboo has been used in many useful ways since the beginning of time. In modern times it has become the wood of choice for making both decorative and practical items that are aesthetically pleasing as well as environmentally friendly.
There are mainly six patterns of bamboo floor: Solid bamboo flooring,Strand woven bamboo flooring, Engineered bamboo flooring,Industrial bamboo parquet,Tiger bamboo flooring and Stained bamboo floor.
There are three patterns of bamboo floor appearing on the surface, horizontal, vertical and others, and two basic color, natural and carbonized (cafe).
Compare pattern different, except surface appearance, there are some different characteristic, the hardness of horizontal surface is a little bit better than vertical's, and vertical floor plank is more stable than horizontal (you will easily find this by checking the beeline of floor plank, almost all horizontal pieces have a little bit bend, but vertical are all keep straight), moreover vertical has less shrinkage or expansion in width of floor plank than horizontal, so, for the place of moisture change big, it's better to take vertical. In the production, the cost of vertical floor is higher than horizontal, because horizontal has three layers, manufacturers can use some defects strips for middle and bottom layers, only top layer keep perfect. But for vertical, it has to use all strips perfect, otherwise the defects will be seen.
Strand woven is made by high pressure, in this case bamboo material is got certain compression, so the density of it is about 1.2, which can compare its property with any wood! It's a very good material.
Different forms of bamboo flooring exist. Each varies in its manufacturing process and differs largely based on economic viability and local preferences.
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Manufactured Bamboo Floor
The manufactured bamboo flooring commonly found in North American markets is highly processed. Bamboo flooring is typically made by slicing mature bamboo poles or culms into strips. These culms are crosscut to length and then sliced into strips depending on the width desired. The outer skin and nodes are removed.To remove starch and sugars the strips of bamboo are boiled in a solution of boric acid or lime. The bamboo is then dried and planed. The two major colors are natural (similar to beech) and carbonized (similar to oak). If a darker color is desired the bamboo will go through a carbonizing process of steaming the bamboo under controlled pressure and heat. The bamboo will change to a brownish color. Carbonized bamboo is softer than the non-carbonized variety. The carbonizing process can reduce the floor’s final hardness significantly, Rendering it softer than some pines and softer than more common red oak. Most bamboo flooring uses a urea-formaldehyde (UF) adhesive in the lamination process. Though the use of UF resins, which emit volatile organic compounds (VOCs), is harmful to indoor air quality, bamboo flooring uses a relatively small amount compared with other materials, such as particleboards. Bamboo flooring products that avoid formaldehyde use are available, including some listed in the GreenSpec Directory.The panels are then heat pressed to cure the adhesive. The cured boards will then be planed, sanded, and milled. Finally an ultraviolet curing lacquer is applied to the boards.
Manufactured bamboo floors are typically made available in planks with either vertical- or horizontal-grain orientation. Bamboo flooring may also be classified as Vertical and Horizontal. In vertical bamboo floors, a vertical plank will have each of the component pieces stood vertically on their narrowest edge and then press laminated side to side. The effect is a lined, almost uniform look to the surface of the finished floor plank. Horizontal bamboo floors have individual slats that are arranged in a horizontal direction, on their widest edge, and then joined side by side with adjacent pieces using a high pressure laminate system. The look of the finished horizontal surface is one where the characteristic nodes of the bamboo are randomly visible.
Locking bamboo flooring is the easiest to install. Individual flooring planks have interlocking joints that click precisely into place. By combining plank alignment and color a lot of different styles can be produced.