Bamboo Flooring
Contents |
Material analysis
MasterFormat Number: 09 64 00
Applications
- Flooring
Design Trends
- Using bamboo as a “green” alternative to wood, namely hardwood flooring.
Finish and aesthetic qualities
- Bamboo can be pre-finished and/or sealed to resist moisture and stains.
- Bamboo is inherently anti-allergenic and defends itself well against high volumes of foot traffic.
- It comes predominantly in a natural color or in an amber tone achieved through a heat treatment that darkens it.
- It can also be dyed or stained.
- It can be sanded and refinished when necessary.
Surface forms / shapes
- Sold in standard plank sizes with both vertical (exposed knots) and horizontal (resembles traditional wood floor) construction. Bamboo should be applied to a stable sub-floor.
- Bamboo comes in both vertical and flat-grain patterns.
- In flat grain, the strips are cut in the same direction that the bamboo grows and stacked on top of one another, producing a “brushlike” appearance.
- In vertical-grain patterns, the strips are cut through the width of the bamboo stalk and laid side-by-side, giving more of a striped appearance. The wear pattern on the vertical-grain option allows for more cycles of refinishing.
- Paneling can be curved around concave and convex surfaces.
- The way bamboo is structured (with dense vascular bundles) gives bamboo floors a slight bounce making it much more comfortable to walk on compared to other hardwood floors or tiles [1]
Standard Dimensions
- Standard thicknesses of 5/8”, 1/2”, 3/4”
- Widths range from 3-4” to 2-6’
- Standard Plywood Sheets: 4’ x 8’
Price per Square Foot
- $1.99 - $4.49
Material properties
Primary Structural Use
- Non-structural finish material
Material performance
- Highly durable flooring material, it is like any wood floor- it is damaged by dents, scratches and the killer of all wood floors, high heels. [2]
- The popular carbonized darker bamboos are comparable to Black Walnut, and the lighter natural colors test comparable to maple. [3]
Opening Restrictions
- Can be custom cut
Manufacturing Process/Composition
Bamboo is primarily harvested and manufactured in Asia, predominantly China and Japan. It is a grass that can grow to 100 feet tall at rates of 1 meter per day. When bamboo stalks mature to 5 years old, they are harvested from certified forests. To avoid major problems in the future, you must be very careful in the selection of species, and the timing of the harvest. Bamboo culms must be matured to at least three years old before harvesting. Immature culms are much less strong and will usually dry out quickly, because they have not completed the process of lignification, where the character of the cell walls is changed to give the plant walls sturdiness. Bamboo between the age of four and seven years are considered mature, and will slowly start to deteriorate.
The bamboo plant is typically cut at the first or second node above ground level with a saw or machete. This way ensures that there will be no rainwater that collects in the hollow of the shoots themselves. If water is allowed to collect in the culm, rotting can occur, which damages the plant.[4] Manufacturing bamboo flooring involves turning the stalks into either horizontal or vertical grain planks. The hollow bamboo is cut down the center and sliced into strips. The milling process not only shapes, flattens and cuts the strips into proper dimensions, but also removes the inner and outer skin and nodes.[5] The waste is used to make other products such as chopsticks and baskets. The bamboo is then soaked in Borax to remove pests and decay, and can then be carbonized to produce a caramel color. The bamboo is then kiln dried and the strips are assembled with glue to make planks for flooring.
Special Installation Issues
- Flooring installation very similar to hardwood.
- Profile options include strip, panel, and tongue-and-groove.
Maintenance
The floor shall be dust mopped, vacuumed or swept with a soft bristle broom daily, or as often as necessary, to remove grit and dust from the surface. Walking on a dusty or dirty floor is the quickest way to damage a finish.
Use a cleaner that will not leave a residue that will inhibit bonding and re-coating. Wax should only be used for commercial applications since it requires periodic buffing beyond what most homeowners are willing to do. Once wax, in any form, has been applied to a bamboo floor, only wax may be used as a coating over the floor. Urethane and other surface finishes can not be applied over an existing wax finish. [6]
Typically bamboo floors can be re-finished up to three times , and combined with daily maintenance like avoiding pooling water, sweeping, and mopping with a damp cloth, the floors could last between thirty to fifty years. [7]
Environmental Impact
Sustainability, Off-gasing issues Maintenance/Resilience/Durability
- Bamboo is pre-finished or sealed at the factory, limiting the spread of volatile organic compounds found in the solvents of the finish.
- Because bamboo is a grass, it does not need replanting and is therefore rapidly renewable. It matures in 3-5 years, as compared to 50-100 years for hardwoods.
- Bamboo flooring has a relatively high embodied energy since most of it is predominantly produced in managed forests in the Hunan province of China.
- Finishes have low VOC emissions, except for urea formaldehyde resin used in the lamination process that can off-gas a small amount of formaldehyde when exposed to heat and humidity.
LEED
- Bamboo is equivalent to 6 LEED credits.
- Greatest environmental cost is in transportation, as it often required far from where it naturally occurs.
Recycling
There are two types of bamboo wood recycling:
- Uncontaminated Bamboo Wood Recycling: The bamboo wood, with no chemincal contaminents, is dropped into a water bath where they are separated by size, have metal pieces removed and then grinded into smaller wood chips. [8]
- Contaminated bamboo wood recycling: Also known as the Chartherm Process. The contaminated bamboo wood is heated to break the hydrogen bonds in it and to remove the mineral residue inside. [9]
Life Safety & Ratings
Flammability Rating
- Using ASTM E648 Critical Radiant Panel Test, treated bamboo flooring passes with a Class 1 rating according to the NFPA “Life Safety Code;” usable in all building types.
Coefficient of Friction
- Using ASTM D2394; the average Static Coefficient of Friction: 0.391; average Lineal (Dynamic) Coefficient of Friction: 0.374.
References
Notes
- ↑ "Bamboo Flooring - Properties and Advantages." Last modified March 25, 2009. Accessed September 30, 2011. http://ezinearticles.com/?Bamboo-Flooring---Properties-and-Advantages&id=2141165.
- ↑ http://www.treehugger.com/files/2005/09/bamboo_flooring.php
- ↑ http://www.treehugger.com/files/2005/09/bamboo_flooring.php
- ↑ “When and How to Harvest Bamboo”, Gradua Bamboo, last modified 2011, http://www.guaduabamboo.com/harvest-bamboo.html.
- ↑ “Bamboo Flooring Production Process.”, GreenWood Products Company, accessed September 29, 2011, http://www.greenwoodbamboo.com/qualitycontrol.htm.
- ↑ http://www.greenfloors.com/HP_Bamboo_Maintenance.htm
- ↑ Marcelo Villegas, New Bamboo (Villegas Editores: Bogota, 2003), 34
- ↑ eHow, "Bamboo Wood Recycling Process." Last modified June 01, 2011. Accessed September 30, 2011. http://www.ehow.com/how_7185705_wood-recycling-process.html.
- ↑ Jean-Sebastian Hery. "A Complete Industrial Process To Recycle treated Bamboo Wood." Last modified May 03, 2005. Accessed September 30, 2011. http://www.ccaresearch.org/ccaconference/pre/pdf/HERY.PDF.
Student contributions
- Laura Druan, Fall 2005
- Nicole Dagle, Spring 2007
- Hazel Echevarria, Spring 2008
See also
Similar materials
Building references
- Pho Republique 1415 Washington Street Boston, MA 02118
- Cor Tower Miami, FL
External links
Additional resources
Material specific resources
Adams, Heather E. and Earl G. Adams, Jr. Designing A Home With Wood. New York, NY: Stewart, Tabori & Chang, 2004.
American Bamboo Society. American Bamboo Society
Bell, Victoria Ballard with Patrick Rand. Materials For Design. New York, NY: Princeton Architectural Press, 2006.
USA manufacturers
- Hawa Bamboo - Sayreville, NJ
- Teragren, LLC - Bainbridge Island, WA
Organizations
- American Bamboo Society
