Bamboo laminate has become an extremely popular as environmental awareness has made bamboo flooring the natural flooring of choices for many homeowners. However, natural bamboo flooring can be rather expensive and bamboo laminate is a less expensive alternative for homeowners.
Benefits
Bamboo laminate flooring has a number of benefits and advantages for homeowners and the do-it-yourself home renovation homeowner.
Benefits
Bamboo laminate flooring has a number of benefits and advantages for homeowners and the do-it-yourself home renovation homeowner.
- Cost: Laminate flooring is often substantially less than natural hardwood flooring. The cost is not only associated with the actual cost of materials, but also the cost of installing the flooring. Since most hardwood flooring, including natural bamboo, requires professional installation, the cost can quickly skyrocket out of sight. Laminate flooring, on the other hand, can usually be installed over a weekend by a homeowner.
- Durability: Bamboo laminate flooring is extremely durable. They stand up well to high traffic and some brands even have a 10 year wear warranty. It does not easily scratch, nor does it easily stain.
- Versatile: Not only does laminate flooring not have the problems with imperfect boards as natural wood flooring does, but it can also be used in a wider variety of applications. For example, laminate flooring is wonderful in bathrooms and kitchens, where it may be subject to splashes from showers or sinks. While no wood flooring material – hardwood included – stands up well to standing water, laminate flooring does not usually buckle or stain from simply being splashed or exposed to water spills.
Drawbacks
For many people there are drawbacks to using bamboo laminate flooring instead of natural bamboo flooring. Natural bamboo has been touted as a natural flooring material that is harvested from vast plantations of quickly growing and easy to replace bamboo stalks. For homeowners concerned about environmentally responsible flooring materials, bamboo flooring is the material of choice. Some of the drawbacks of using bamboo laminate are:
For many people there are drawbacks to using bamboo laminate flooring instead of natural bamboo flooring. Natural bamboo has been touted as a natural flooring material that is harvested from vast plantations of quickly growing and easy to replace bamboo stalks. For homeowners concerned about environmentally responsible flooring materials, bamboo flooring is the material of choice. Some of the drawbacks of using bamboo laminate are:
- Feel: For people used to the feel of a natural wood floor, laminate can feel fake or false underfoot. Some individuals are bothered by the fact that it is not “real” wood flooring, although it does contain recycled wood products in the center core layer.
- Value: For some homeowners, there is a real concern that bamboo laminate flooring does not offer enough value if the home is to be resold after it is installed. Hardwood floor definitely is considered to be a rather high-end home feature, particularly when compared to laminate flooring.
- Durability: Unlike natural hardwood floors, when a laminate floor is damaged it cannot be sanded or refinished. Instead, if the floor is heavily damaged, boards need to be either replaced or the entire floor will need to be replaced.
Bamboo laminate flooring is a wonderful alternative for homeowners looking for an easy to maintain and install flooring that will stand up well in high moisture areas of the house. It is cost effective to install, particularly when compared to traditional hardwood floors. However, bamboo laminate does not offer the same added value when installed in a home, when compared to real bamboo flooring.
Source: www.DoItYourself.com
