Everything You need to know?
These days, bamboo flooring is made in a very cool way.
You may have seen bamboo growing in your own neighborhood, or seen it used as upholstery for a variety of tiki-style furniture, or you may even own a pot of lucky bamboo. But you may still be wondering, “How does bamboo go from plant form to flooring?”
It may seem like a crazy idea, but bamboo is no joke when it comes to flooring. In the direct competition between bamboo flooring and hardwood, bamboo wins out for its toughness, reliability, and sophisticated look! (Editor’s note: We may have a slight preference). Grown in the pristine forests of China, bamboo’s journey from the wild to becoming flooring in your home is full of fascination. Here’s a closer look at this stunning product and how bamboo flooring is made.
Once everything is understood, you will no longer be confused about the process of making bamboo flooring. This comprehensive guide provides tons of useful information, but don’t even think about trying to make it yourself at home.
First, harvest the best raw materials
It’s like mom always said: to make a blue-ribbon apple pie, you have to start with blue-ribbon apples. Our carefully cared for moso bamboo (or nan bamboo) is grown for 5 to 7 years in managed forests that are free of pesticides, herbicides and other toxic chemicals. Individual markers detailing age and quality ensure that only the highest quality bamboo stems (called culms) are selected for use in each harvest. Each culm is taken from the middle of the bamboo (the trunk-like main stem) and after rigorous inspection is transformed into beautiful, durable bamboo flooring. The weaker culms are then recycled and used in other parts of the manufacturing process to provide electricity or to make non-durable goods.
Harvesting Bamboo
Harvesting bamboo is a difficult task. When bamboo is cut, the sugar content in the sap must be at its lowest level so that the bamboo is in optimal condition. This means that work cannot be done during the day when the light is at its highest. It is also important to allow the culms to age for 5 years and to use the middle part of the culm. The traditional method calculates the best phase of the moon to harvest the bamboo, usually working during the waning moon, dusk or dawn.
Those of us who have bamboo in our gardens know that it regenerates very quickly. If conditions are right and the roots are intact, it can quickly grow to 4 feet in as little as 24 hours. No need to worry about the pandas losing their favorite delicacy: large bamboo culms for wooden floors are not on the panda’s menu.
III. Splicing and Sorting, from Stem to Strip
You can’t stuff square pegs into round holes, and likewise you can’t make a flat floor out of round bamboo culms. That’s why our skilled workers run the hollow bamboo stalks through a specially designed slicer, splicing them into thin strips of equal size and then peeling off the green outer layer. After splicing, the nodes (or joints between sections) are sanded to a smooth surface, similar to traditional hardwood. Unlike traditional lumber panel processing, which requires large, energy-intensive machinery, bamboo splitting uses simpler, more efficient tools to transport raw materials from the field to the factory.
Fourth, when is wood not wood?
Bamboo flooring has the look of hardwood flooring and is often chosen over other types of natural flooring due to its beauty, environmental friendliness, durability and affordability.
However, bamboo is not technically a hardwood. In fact, it’s not wood at all …… It’s a grass. So what about that gorgeous bamboo floor you’ve been eyeing? It is actually a grass.
However, before you rush for the hills, you should know that bamboo is one of the toughest natural materials that can be found, and has been proven in tests to be superior to steel alloys, concrete and graphite.
Despite its unrivaled strength, bamboo is also extremely flexible. Because of this, if you had to choose a shelter in the event of an earthquake, a bamboo forest would be one of the safest places on earth! Homes made of bamboo have withstood some of the strongest earthquakes on record, with magnitudes as high as 9.0.
So, now you know that even if it’s not wood …… it’s something better. Just trust nature.
The Crazy Manufacturing Process
While we understand which part of the bamboo plant and how it is harvested, that doesn’t tell us how bamboo flooring is made! Harvested bamboo goes through many different stages to become the smooth, hard, and elegant flooring you expect to see.
First, the culms are cut into strips and then boiled to remove any insects, pests or dirt. Once this step is complete, heat and carbonize the strips.
But don’t sit back and relax just yet, because you haven’t finished the process of making stranded bamboo flooring!
Next, the weaving begins and the strips are tightly woven together before being stacked and dried as needed. These stacks are then subjected to extreme pressurization at high temperatures, fusing all of the strong raw materials together to form ultra-dense bamboo planks with super galactic longevity and durability.
At this point, bamboo now resembles hardwood and you’d be hard pressed to recognize it as grass.
Finally, the tongue and groove is milled before applying UV protection, surface treatment and moisture sealing.
The finished bamboo is then boxed and shipped to our warehouse where it may eventually be laid on your home’s flooring.
conclusion
Bamboo flooring is created from a renewable resource that grows quickly, making it an eco-friendly alternative to traditional hardwood. The process begins with harvesting mature bamboo stalks, typically three to five years old. These stalks are then split and treated to remove the natural sugars, preventing decay and insect damage. Next, the bamboo strips are boiled or steamed and then dried to achieve the right moisture balance.
Once dry, the bamboo is either cut into thin strips or shredded into fibers, depending on the desired flooring style. For strand-woven bamboo flooring, the fibers are compressed under high heat and pressure, creating a dense, durable material. In contrast, horizontal and vertical bamboo flooring involves gluing strips together, either side-by-side or stacked, for a different visual pattern.
The bamboo is then kiln-dried to stabilize it further. Afterward, it’s cut into planks and sanded smooth. These planks are often treated with UV coatings or finishes to enhance durability, stain resistance, and appearance. Finally, the finished planks are inspected and packaged for distribution. The end result is a resilient, stylish, and sustainable flooring option suitable for many interiors.
