Bamboo is a fantastic building material for green projects, because of its impressive renewal rate. The bamboo plant is the fastest growing plant in the world. Bamboo can grow as much as 48” in just 24 hours, and in times of maximum growth, can actually grow at a rate of one meter per hour for short stretches of time. The lifespan of a bamboo plant is typically only about 7 years, making this fast growing plant ideal for harvesting between 3 – 7 years for building purposes, with the best strength being achieved with a harvest at 6 years.
The bamboo plant is self renewing, and harvesting the plant before its demise does not weed or thin the bamboo population. This makes bamboo an option for those who love the look of hardwood and parquet flooring, but are trying to keep their home environmentally friendly.
How is Bamboo Flooring Made?
Bamboo has long been used in Eastern cultures as a building material. To form planks, floors, and other Western style building materials, the bamboo is first cut into thin strips. These strips are then planed flat, boiled, laid to dry before gluing and pressing them into laminated sheets and planks.
