Sustainable Flooring? You Decide: Bamboo Vs. Hardwoods

There's been a lot of talk recently about bamboo flooring and its sustainability. This is primarily due to bamboo having a quick growth cycle. With bamboo touted as being a sustainable replacement for hardwoods in today’s remodels, one must step back and look at all the facts and make an educated decision as to whether bamboo really  meets their sustainable standards.

Bamboo comes in several different colors and styles. There are two basic varieties: engineered and solid. These styles will be very similar to their hardwood counterparts in installation. The solid planks can come in vertical or horizontal orientation, with the horizontal being harder.

Both types of flooring are very similar. They both come in similar styles, installation is almost exactly the same, and pricing is similar, with bamboo being slightly more expensive. Bamboo can also be refinished, and some individuals claim that they can even stain it, even though the generally available colors of bamboo come from either the natural color or a steaming process that darkens the color.

So, if both floors are similar in composition then their sustainable nature must be what differentiates them. This may be true; however, let’s look at some facts so that you can make an educated decision as to whether bamboo is truly more sustainable than hardwoods.

1. Hardness
Most bamboo dealers will state that bamboo is just as hard as oak, if not harder. The truth to this has come into question. It is understood that the darker bamboo flooring is less hard than the lighter colors because the steam process weakens the material; however, even with this, the manufacturers claim they're still as hard as oak. This may not be true. Also, on flooring products, the primary protector is the finish, and the hardness of the finish has been found to vary in bamboo. There are several testimonials that can be found stating how quickly the bamboo has worn out and dented.

2. Renewable resource
Both hardwoods and bamboo are renewable resources, even if one takes much longer than the other to regenerate - bamboo typically takes 5 to 7 years to mature, where hardwoods can be anywhere from 20 to 50 years. In this case bamboo is quicker to produce, but it also produces less material.

3. Cradle to Grave
This is where the majority of the argument comes into play regarding bamboo’s sustainability. The embodied energy in a product can cause items to become less desirable. Bamboo is primarily grown in Asia; therefore, it must be shipped around the world on container ships. Most hardwoods are harvested locally in the United States. Since bamboo is a quick harvest crop that produces less per plant, there are a large amount of harvesting resources that go into each ton of crop, which may end up being more than hardwoods. It can be even debated that hardwoods produce the same biomass per year as bamboo; they just hold on to it longer.

Also, as the crops become more desirable, forests are being cleared to make room for farms. Again, the impact of this may be debatable, but there is little quality control on the fertilizers and pesticides that are used in this hasty production.

Finally, if bamboo wears out faster, a homeowner may be more likely to replace it, leading to waste in the environment - unlike hardwoods, which have been kept in homes for hundreds of years.

4. Quality Control
There is little quality control with bamboo. As mentioned before, there are large variations in the hardness and durability of the products between manufacturers. This can lead to the above scenario of high turnover rates of the floors, and can also bring into question the sustainability of the product. The Forest Stewardship Council does monitor the production of hardwoods for several manufacturers, ensuring their sustainability; they only have one bamboo manufacturer on their list.

5. Indoor Air Quality
Since bamboo must be glued together, formaldehyde may be used in the manufacturing process. This can lead to off gassing in the home, adversely affecting the air quality. While hardwoods may contain more natural formaldehyde, this is typically offset by the glue in the bamboo.

There is still much debate about the sustainability of bamboo. As manufacturing changes, so will this debate; it is up to you, the consumer, to weigh the facts and research the manufacturers to determine if bamboo is the right product for your sustainable build!