Bamboo and Cork Flooring

For environmentally conscious homeowners looking for a "green" flooring option, you can't do much better than cork or bamboo. These two hip materials are made from tree-like tropical grasses that replenish themselves in the wild every few years.

Bamboo and cork floors are very flexible in terms of which rooms you can install them in: they can withstand the moisture issues in the kitchen and bath, and look warm and inviting in your living spaces. Bamboo floors look similar to traditional wood floors, but are naturally harder and more durable. Cork offers a soft, warm feel on bare feet. Both cork and bamboo are naturally resistant to mold, mildew and bacteria, and both naturally repel moisture. They also have similar price tags, at an average of about $6 to $8 per square foot. If you like variety, both types deliver, as they are available in a wide range of tones from light honey all the way to dark ebony.

BAMBOO

Bamboo is a perennial evergreen plant that belongs to the true grass family Poaceae. It grows in diverse climates – from cold mountains to hot, tropical regions – and reaches heights of 125 feet or more. A very rapidly renewable resource, bamboo grows much faster than hardwood trees and is considered as the fastest growing woody plant, reaching full maturity in five to six years. Stalks of bamboo—which is technically a grass—are split and reformed into planks, and their natural striations create a beautiful texture. Through the years, bamboo has found many uses; from food preparation to construction, its thin and flimsy appearance contradicts its true value.

As a flooring product, the benefits of bamboo are unbelievable. Given its hardness, durability, beauty, and environmental friendliness, bamboo is a simple, sensible alternative. When you think about a thin bamboo cane, it might seem almost flimsy. But in comparison to Red Oak, the most commonly installed wood flooring, it is actually 25% harder and just as strong. Bamboo is even harder than Rock Maple, making it an incredibly durable, impact-resistant form of flooring. Better still, it expands and contracts 50% less than other hardwoods. As a result, bamboo can be used in homes and in climates where high humidity or temperature variations make hardwoods impractical.

There are two main colors of bamboo flooring to choose from. First is the natural blonde hue, which reflects bamboo’s true color along with its beautiful grain, growth patterns and joints. The second is a darker, amber tone that is achieved through smoking process. When bamboo is smoked, the carbonized grains take on a darker, caramel or amber tone all throughout.

Despite all the praise for bamboo, not all planks are created equal. Many manufacturers harvest the stalks before they are fully mature, resulting in a weaker product. Additionally, some use filler between the bamboo strips to cut costs and use binders that can emit toxic chemicals over time.

CORK

The cork tree is the only one whose bark can regenerate itself after harvest without damaging the tree or the environment. A variety of the oak, cork trees re-grow their bark quickly enough to be harvested every six years. The tree is never killed or cut down and can produce bark for centuries. Cork’s beauty, durability and additional benefits make it an ideal flooring choice for residential and commercial applications.

Besides beautiful surface flooring, cork underlayment is also available for use under laminate and hardwood floating floors to reduce sound transfer. Because it has such outstanding insulating properties, cork can help pay for itself by reducing heating and cooling costs. Not only is it warm to the touch, even without underfloor heating, cork flooring has low thermal conductivity which insulates against heat and cold. These properties make it ideal over cold, cement subflooring. Cork is also a non-slip surface that's highly resistant to liquid penetration. These qualities make it an option for kitchen or bathroom floors, as well as high profile dining and living rooms. If cork snap flooring is installed in a kitchen or bath, the seams should be sealed. Cork is not only naturally hypoallergenic (resists the growth of mold and mildew), it is also antistatic (won't attract and hold dust and pollen particles). Essential to people with respiratory problems, a cork floor is easy to maintain and does not emit toxic or shed fiber of any kind.

You might think that because cork is elastic and can be compressed, it couldn't be considered a durable flooring choice. However, it is considered as resilient flooring with the ability to give generations of beautiful reliable service to your home. In fact, there are still many "past century" estates in Europe with cork flooring in active use. Cork flooring, like wood flooring, is capable of many, many years of service when properly maintained.

Ultimately, your flooring decision comes down to personal taste or lifestyle. If you prefer a material similar to traditional wood flooring, bamboo might be right for you. Or if comfort is your priority, nothing beats cork. Both bamboo and cork are praise-worthy flooring choices for many reasons beyond their eco-friendly statuses.