Greener Ideal Helping you live sustainably. Share Tweet Pin Email. Related: 6 Unusual Uses for Bamboo. History of Bamboo as a Building Material. Environmental Benefits of Hardwood Flooring. The Bali Bamboo Mansion. Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here. You have entered an incorrect email address! Tips on Salvaging Hardwood Floors. Popular Today. Bamboo is also making inroads into the paper industry, though there are fears that too fast a transition there would threaten ecologically diverse bamboo forests across Southeast Asia and elsewhere.
The Earth Island Institute, among other groups concerned about forest loss due to paper consumption, would instead like to see more research into using agricultural waste to make paper instead of wood pulp or bamboo. Regardless, bamboo in all its forms might one day soon be one of the most important plants in the world.
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Create your free account or Sign in to continue. See Subscription Options. Go Paperless with Digital. And If properly installed and cared for, a bamboo floor like hardwood can last much longer.
Refinishing periodically will help to reinvigorate the look of the material. The long service life of bamboo reduces the need for replacement, saving resources. Recyclable: Bamboo can be removed and reused in new flooring installations. Biodegradable: Bamboo is a natural material that will largely biodegrade in landfills.
However, synthetic finishes used on bamboo flooring is not biodegradable. As with most building materials, the degree of negative impacts of bamboo largely depends on the practices of individual growers and flooring manufacturers. Better-quality flooring usually comes with more information about the harvesting and treatment of the material, while the practices of budget-flooring manufacturers are typically less transparent or widely advertised.
Overexpansion: Because of the popularity of bamboo, fields devoted to growing these plants are spreading and are starting to take over land traditionally used for other purposes. This can have negative effects on biodiversity and the ecological balance of local environments. Lack of FSC certification: While some manufacturers of quality bamboo flooring offer materials from Forest Stewardship Council FSC certified forests, much of the bamboo flooring on the market does not come from FSC forests and may not promote sustainable forest management.
For the most eco-friendly bamboo flooring, look for FSC-certified products as a starting point. Formaldehyde: Many bamboo flooring products are made with adhesive or binders containing urea formaldehyde, which can emit a toxic gas through a process called off-gassing after the flooring is installed.
Bamboo can be manufactured without added formaldehyde and can test for very low levels of formaldehyde overall. Better manufacturers publish their test results for formaldehyde levels, which should exceed the European Eo safety standards.
Transportation: Because most bamboo is grown, manufactured, and shipped from Southeast Asia, the carbon emissions that are given off during the transportation process can also be an issue affecting the ecological viability of this material. With high-quality bamboo flooring, you're not only getting a better, more durable product over budget options; you're most likely getting a more environmentally-friendly material. But don't use price as a guide for eco-friendliness.
For the real story, ask manufacturers about their foresting practices, their test results for formaldehyde levels in the manufacture of their flooring, and finishes. FSC-certified products also cost more, but this is a reliable guarantee that the bamboo comes from a sustainably-managed forest.
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