How is bamboo flooring made, its pros and cons, main varieties, rules for glue and floating installation. Bamboo flooring is an environmentally friendly, durable and stylish floor that can be installed in both residential and public areas. The raw material for the production of such material is grass, which is harder than many tree species. The coating is available in the form of planks, tiles of different sizes, shapes, textures, colors.
Features of the production of bamboo flooring
In recent years, the use of bamboo as a building material has ceased to be limited only to the area of East Asia and the Pacific Islands, where it grows. More and more fans of this environmentally friendly and attractive raw material are appearing all over the world. Due to this growing popularity, a few years ago, a standard was adopted according to which bamboo is considered to be environmentally friendly, which is grown on clean lands not as a monoculture, without the use of pesticides. The price of bamboo finishing materials is quite reasonable. This is because it grows and recovers quickly. In fact, this is an herb of the Cereals family. In place of cut shoots, young ones grow quickly. Bamboo flooring is made from the stems of a mature plant that has reached the age of five. The trunk is split into strips and subjected to a special treatment over high pressure steam to destroy all microorganisms and insects. Also, the fibers are soaked in special formulations that do not contain harmful components for health. After that, the raw materials are sorted and dried in an oven. In this way, the desired level of material moisture is achieved. In the process, the planks change color and become darker. By changing the holding time of raw materials in the oven and the temperature, you can get bamboo of different shades - from light honey to dark brown. The preparatory step for gluing is to sand the strips. To firmly join the bamboo strips into a single board, they are glued together under very high pressure. The finished slab is sawn on high-precision machines into parquet boards or tiles of the required size. At the end, several layers of special varnish are applied to the finished material. It protects the bamboo coating from fading, drying, swelling under the influence of moisture, making it more durable. The lacquer coating can be glossy or matte.
Advantages and disadvantages of bamboo flooring
Bamboo is lightweight and hollow on the inside, yet very durable. These qualities make it an excellent raw material for the production of finishing flooring material. It has characteristics that are comparable to those of expensive varieties of wood. The benefits of bamboo flooring are:
- High wear resistance … The durability of bamboo floors is quite high even in high traffic areas. This coating will last about 30 years. It will not dry out or deform during operation, and insects will not start in it. The strength of this floor is 50% higher than that of oak parquet flooring.
- Antistatic … Dust will not "stick" to such a surface due to static electricity.
- Refractoriness … Of course, this material will burn in an open source of fire, but fallen matches and cigarette butts on such a floor will not cause significant harm to it.
- Environmental friendliness … The natural origin of bamboo speaks for itself - a plant grown in clean regions is safe for humans. However, it is important to check quality certifications when purchasing a material to avoid the likelihood of purchasing low-quality flooring that contains cheap toxic adhesive.
- Hypoallergenic … Bamboo itself is hypoallergenic. In addition, its hard surface does not collect dust, which means that the risk of allergic reactions is minimized.
- Low price … If we compare the cost of parquet made of natural wood and bamboo, the latter is significantly cheaper. And its quality is practically not inferior to wood.
- Great appearance … Natural colors and various textures of this material will delight the eye and harmoniously combine with many style solutions.
- Easy care … It is enough to regularly vacuum and wipe this coating with a damp cloth to keep it attractive for many years. Unlike natural wood parquet, bamboo does not need additional processing - waxing, oiling.
The active spread of bamboo flooring around the world has recently provoked disputes between environmental organizations about the cleanliness and safety of such a finishing material. The most important indicator that is taken into account when certifying building and finishing materials is the risk of evaporation of toxic substances. The document, which allows products to be marketed, confirms the permissible level of phenols that can be vaporized by bamboo parquet boards. It is issued exclusively to the product that is tested in laboratory conditions. Therefore, it is not worth saving on the purchase of this finishing material. Buying cheap, uncertified products can harm your health in the future.
Despite all the advantages, this floor covering is quite "capricious". The disadvantages of bamboo floors are:
- Poor sound absorption … This material absorbs vibrations and sounds rather poorly due to its hardness. Sounds from it, on the contrary, are well reflected.
- Poor resistance to direct sunlight … Under the influence of ultraviolet light, bamboo will fade and lose color.
- Easy to scratch … Unlike wooden parquet, bamboo flooring is not protected by several layers of special varnish. It is processed with less dense compounds, so scratches on such a floor will appear from both sharp heels and furniture legs.
- Relatively low moisture resistance … When exposed to water, the material expands much less than hardwood flooring. However, this does not mean that it should be wetted too actively during cleaning or spilled water should be left on it. This will deform the floor.
- Delamination probability … Over time, this coating can delaminate into the fibers and strips of which it is made. However, to a greater extent, this disadvantage applies to inexpensive bamboo flooring.
- The likelihood of surface stains … This is due to the effects of many factors: humidity, direct sunlight, chemicals, and so on.
In addition, it is worth noting that dark colored bamboo boards are softer and less durable than light colored ones. This is due to a special dyeing technology - carbonization (charring).
The main varieties of bamboo flooring
In finished form, this finishing material has a multi-layer structure. There can be several layers of bamboo strips. They are arranged in a different order, which determines the type of bamboo flooring. In addition, the material can be classified according to a number of criteria.
By structure, these types of bamboo planks are distinguished:
- Horizontal … A similar material is glued from pressed plates and fibers from bamboo stalks. They are laid horizontally, parallel to the surface, usually in three layers. The result is a beautiful surface with a unique natural pattern. This kind of bamboo flooring is the most popular because it looks more uniform.
- Vertical … In this case, during production, the bamboo plates are placed on the edge, treated with an adhesive and pressed in this position. The texture of the finished material can be either uniform or striped.
- Braided (twisted) … The bamboo is crushed, pressed using glue and high pressure. The result is a spectacular surface pattern that is achieved by mixing shades and fiber lengths. A coating with such a structure is considered the most durable.
According to the types of parquet planks, the coating is divided into the following types:
- Block parquet … This is the most common type. Its strips are equipped with locks at the ends, edges. They greatly simplify the process of laying the coating. It can have a horizontal or vertical structure. The length of the slats is from 600 to 960 millimeters, the width is 90 millimeters, and the height is 15 millimeters. This bamboo flooring can be laid in a pattern and, if necessary, restored several times.
- Parquet board … It consists of a number of layers (up to 5), has a horizontal structure. In this case, bamboo can often be found only as a top layer. The lower parts of the board can be made from another, cheaper material. Bamboo flooring is considered to be the cheapest of all other types of flooring from this plant. It is completely ready for installation, but does not provide for decorative masonry due to its linear length, which reaches 2, 2 m.
- Mosaic parquet … It looks like square-shaped panels, which are made up of small strips - round or polygonal. The structure is mounted on film or paper. It is used most often as a decor on the floor.
Price and manufacturers of bamboo flooring
The average price of one square meter of bamboo parquet is 1,500 rubles. Almost all such flooring is made in China. Here are the main bases for the cultivation, processing of raw materials and the production of finished finishing materials.
A small percentage of the production is imported from Vietnam. Therefore, whatever is written on the package, be sure that it contains bamboo, which was grown and harvested, most likely in China. In the modern construction market, Chinese products of various qualities are sold by such popular brands:
- Sherwood Parquet (England). This is a block parquet, finished with a semi-matt varnish. Has a micro bevel for easy mounting.
- Parketoff (Germany). A massive bamboo board with dimensions of 17x123x980 millimeters. Has a bevel and glossy varnish.
- Amigo (Germany). Block bamboo parquet with an original design and shades, which are obtained by twisting the fibers together.
Bamboo flooring installation technology
Bamboo flooring, board or mosaic can be installed in two main ways - floating and glued. In the first case, the covering is an independent element and is not connected to the walls and floor. Therefore, in order to avoid deformations, it is important to lay an expansion joint around the perimeter. The adhesive fastening method is more often used for mosaics.
Preparatory work before installing the bamboo covering
Before laying the bamboo flooring, it must be removed from the packaging and left indoors for a couple of days to acclimatize. Since the material is natural, there may be differences in the shade of individual planks. Therefore, it is recommended not to take them in a row from the packages, but it is better to mix several packs in order to get an interesting natural pattern on the floor. Laying should be done on a screed. It should be flat, without pits, bumps, sagging, cracks. The maximum deflection is plus two millimeters on the basis of two meters. Smoothness can be measured with a building level or level. Remember that any minor imperfections in the subfloor will be visible on the finished finish. The subfloor must be dry. If you plan to lay bamboo floor tiles on top of plywood, which is recommended, the base needs to be primed for good adhesion of the sheets to the glue.
Laying the underlay under the bamboo mat
The backing for bamboo flooring can be moisture resistant plywood. Its optimal thickness is 10 millimeters. Before laying it on the floor, it is recommended to cut the plywood sheet into 4 parts. This relieves stress during installation. We fix the plywood on parquet glue, applying it with a notched trowel. For greater reliability, we fix the sheets with self-tapping screws. The plywood can be sanded for better adhesion. It takes 2-3 days for the glue to dry completely.
Another way to prepare the subfloor for bamboo flooring is to install wooden joists. On a layer of slag or natural sand, we put logs across the direction of light. Instead of sand, you can place a soundproofing substrate between the logs. The thickness of the latter should be 25 millimeters, width - from 80 to 100 millimeters, length - from two meters. The distance between the bars is 40-50 centimeters, from the walls - 2-3 centimeters. The lags are fixed on self-tapping screws with a step of 50 centimeters. In addition, it is possible to install adjustable lags. They are attached to the subfloor with upright bolts. Their height can be adjusted. We join the lags together with their ends, and the joints of adjacent beams are shifted by 50 centimeters. We use a level to check the horizontal lags. We close the bars with waterproof plywood and fix it with self-tapping screws. This method of floor preparation using logs is used in cases where it is necessary to lay communications or install additional heat and sound insulation.
Adhesive bonding of bamboo flooring material
Installation of bamboo parquet or mosaic is carried out using a special parquet glue (two-component polyurethane), which does not contain water.
We carry out the work in this order:
- We start laying from the wall, which is opposite to the entrance door, towards the entrance.
- Apply the glue in an even layer with a notched trowel to the surface of the plywood.
- We put the strips back to back on the glue and press lightly.
- Connecting the parts, we knock them together with a hammer with a beveled toe.
- When laying the planks, we fix it through the groove and thorn with nails at an angle of 45 degrees. We forget the fasteners with a hammer, and then "sink" with a doboinik.
- The joints of adjacent boards are shifted by 50 centimeters.
- If you need to make a cutout for a pipe in the parquet, then use a jigsaw. In this case, the hole should be slightly larger than the diameter of the pipe in order to provide a gap.
After laying the bamboo flooring in this way, it must be left to dry for 3-5 days. If you carried out installation on the "warm floor" system, then it should be turned off during installation, and it is allowed to turn it on to "minimum" not earlier than in a day, gradually increasing the temperature. The maximum should be 27 degrees.
Floating bamboo flooring
This method is mainly suitable for block parquet, which is equipped with a system of locks. It differs little from the installation of a conventional laminate.
It is produced according to the following scheme:
- We form the first row of two strips, while installing special spacer wedges, which provide a gap between the wall and the coating of up to 15 millimeters.
- We lay parquet boards, fixing them with spikes and grooves.
- Having formed the first row, we begin to lay the second. We bring the plank of the second row to the other at an angle, insert it into the lock and snap it shut. Moreover, it should be half of the panel.
- We form the second row without end snapping with the help of the next board.
- After that, we join and knock out all four panels. Make sure the spacer wedges stay in place.
- To install the last plank that is adjacent to the wall, we use a clamp.
- Install the last row using the support heel.
This floor is ready for use immediately after installation. After laying the base coat, you can start installing the skirting boards. They can be made from bamboo or other materials. How to make a bamboo floor - watch the video:
Bamboo flooring is a great solution for those who prefer eco-style. This coating has many modifications and a wide range of natural colors. And you can lay it yourself, by analogy with parquet or laminate.
