Luke Judge

Are you considering bamboo flooring for your next home make over?  The pros of bamboo flooring far exceed the cons.  Most people do not realize that bamboo is often much harder than natural hardwood. It can last longer and can take more abuse from young children, cats, dogs, and the day to day grind of walking on your floor without taking your shoes off.  because bamboo is nearly impervious to water, it is highly stain resistant.  Think of how many times that you have spilled colored juice or drink on your floor. with carpeting, you will either shampoo or remove the carpet. with a solid oak or maple floor, you will have to live with this for the life of the floor or replace the plank. with a bamboo floor, more than likely it will not even show. This is not to say that one should try to purposely damage your bamboo floor just to prove a point.

Because bamboo is actually a grass, it is plentiful and very inexpensive.   Many people that are environmentally conscious favor bamboo flooring because it’s a more sustainable product.   The simple fact is that bamboo grows much faster. faster growth means that is readily available.

A superior quality bamboo floor will cost about the same price as laminate flooring. a solid bamboo floor for the same price will last much longer, look better, and will be easier to maintain than a similar bamboo laminate floor. The installation cost will be approximately the same.

I am particularly fond of engineered bamboo flooring. The pros and cons of engineered bamboo flooring versus solid bamboo flooring are not that significant. a person will use engineered bamboo flooring on a solid concrete slab because solid hardwood floors are usually never installed on slap. Additionally, in areas where there is a lot of airborne moisture, engineering bamboo flooring works much better. The biggest disadvantage of an engineered bamboo floor product is that it can only be refinished a few times where as a solid hardwood floor can be refinished indefinitely.

Bamboo is a tropical plant that is as close to being impervious to water as you can get.   The woven stranded construction variety is even more so.  some people are daring enough to use bamboo flooring in their kitchens and bathrooms.  I still  shy away from any wood in areas where kids tend to spill water often.

Beautiful in natural or darker tones.  The eye-catching patterns of the nodes and tight grain reflect natural light differently.  Bamboo flooring looks like bamboo.  Just like oak, maple, and aspen, it has it’s own unique look that is very distinguishable.  You either love it or don’t love it!

If you are thinking of the pros and cons bamboo flooring, there are a few drawbacks that you need to be aware of.

• The biggest con that I can see is that bamboo has a very distinct look. while it can be stained or carbonized to take on dark appearance, it will never look like oak or maple.
• Some species of bamboo actually scratch easier than natural hardwood floors.  This can be attributed to the fact that bamboo is so hard that scratches show and from the softening effect of carbonizing.  Carbonizing is the process of using steam to darken the wood,softens the floor too.
• The biggest disadvantage of an engineered bamboo floor product is that it can only be refinished a few times where as a solid hardwood floor can be refinished indefinitely.

Other than that, you will have a hard time finding anything negative about a bamboo floor.

If you are considering the installation of a hardwood floor, bamboo flooring is a great option. For less than half the price of traditional hardwood flooring, you’ll get a product that is more durable, easier to find, and looks like a million bucks.

flooring carpeting, shampoo

One of the most important design factors in any kitchen is the countertop color. Below, you’ll find the most important things to keep in mind when choosing a granite countertop color for your home.

1)      Find a granite warehouse with a large selection. You want to make sure you have the ability to see all of the available colors and not just a few little samples on a board. Also make sure that they have full slabs of granite for you to see.

2)      When you visit the warehouse, bring your cabinet sample or a door from your existing cabinets. Hold the sample up to the granite as you find ones you like. You should be able to tell right away if it is a good match or not.

3)      If you are building a new home, you will choose your flooring color AFTER the granite selection. If you are working with an existing floor, please be sure to bring a color sample along of the flooring and make sure the granite goes well with that. Although they will not be directly next to each other, you still want to make sure the colors are complimentary and work well together.

4)      Once you select a color that works well, make sure that you LOVE it. Don’t settle for something that looks good but you may not like. This is something that will be a defining element of your kitchen and you need to really find the color appealing in order to live with it.

5)      Once your final granite selection is made, ask the granite warehouse to pull out 5 or 6 slabs for you to view. Make sure the slabs are the same color and that you point out any dark/light spots or any pattern that you do not like and would like to exclude when they cut your kitchen. You may also request a revisit once they measure your kitchen so you can see what cuts they are making and how that will affect the color/pattern. Granite countertops are a great investment for your new kitchen, so be sure to view all of the available selections and make informed decisions when choosing a color.

flooring granite selection, important things