So You Want To Buy Bamboo Flooring

Balancing Budget and Quality

Most people who opt to buy bamboo flooring might be astounded by its price.  Bamboo flooring starts at around $2 and goes up to about $8 per square foot.  You’ll find that can be pretty costly compared to other types of wood flooring.

The truth is, expensive bamboo floors are usually better in quality compared to cheaper ones.  Bamboo floors that have been finished with Klumpp lacquer are far more costly when compared to those that use other brands of finish coating.  Klumpp lacquer contains aluminum oxide which protects the bamboo boards from wear and tear.  This brand of lacquer finish does not contain any dangerous or toxic substance.

Industry Standard

In most cases, bamboo floors with Klumpp coating have longer warranty compared to others.  Because of the advantages posed by Klumpp lacquer finish, this brand is now becoming an industry standard and is being used by an increasing number of manufacturers. 

A unique variety of bamboo flooring - the hand-scraped bamboo flooring - is most likely to be pricey.  Hand-scraping uses manpower instead of machines; only few manufacturers produce hand-scraped variety, and that’s what makes it expensive.  So why use hand-scraped bamboo floors when it’s more costly than the rest?  Hand-scraped bamboo flooring has a unique finish, a look that’s exotic and very hard to beat.   If you’re looking for something different, you might as well think of getting hand-scraped bamboo flooring. 

Do-It-Yourself?

There are also other issues to consider when you buy bamboo flooring for your home.  You need to decide on how you want it to be installed.  You might want a quick and easy method by which you can work on the installation yourself.  Or you can hire a professional install it for you.  For sure, the easiest and cheapest way is the do-it-yourself installation.

Bamboo flooring is available in click-and-lock system with which you can lay bamboo planks on top of your sub-floor.  In using the click-and-lock type, make sure that you have prepared the area where you will be installing the floor boards - the base floor should be clean and dry.

Bamboo flooring can also be kept in place with the use of adhesive or nails - this is a traditional and a more expensive method of installation.  However, you need the help of a skilled professional to have your bamboo flooring glued or nailed properly.  

The bottomline: budget is always the first matter that needs to be handled before you buy bamboo flooring.  You might find some varieties to be expensive, but you’ll find that it’s worth allocating a few more bucks for the sake of quality and aesthetic value.