After more than 10 years of selling bamboo, we've learned that all bamboo flooring is not alike. Here's how to distinguish between high-quality, long-lasting, sustainable bamboo companies and the greenwashed imitations that are likely to warp, cup, crack or toxify your home.

There are six key features to look for in quality bamboo flooring.

Bamboo floors are tough, but some are much tougher than others. Bamboo hardness varies according to species, maturation time, grain patterns and color. Moso is the hardest species. In addition to species, these factors affect performance:

• five-seven years maturity is better than three-five years
• vertical grain is harder than horizontal
• strand woven is much harder than vertical or horizontal grains
• natural color is harder than carbonized

Most manufacturers make claims that are not easy to verify. The best manufacturers use adhesives with no added urea formaldehyde and finishes that exceed European standards for safety; and they can prove it. These finishes are water-based, solvent-free and do not off-gas toxic chemicals. They may cost slightly more, but they're better for your health. This may not be easy to determine by smelling a sample of bamboo, even if it's freshly sawn. You have to know your sources.

The chart below shows total formaledehyde, both urea and phenol.

Your bamboo floor will last a long time if it's properly installed and cared for. However, we've found from experience that not all bamboo floors perform equally. Some may split, warp or delaminate over time. Others may not fit well together from the beginning. Some of these problems are due to poor milling and others are due to moisture. Quality control of moisture at several points during and after manufacturing is critical to maintaining an industry standard of 6-9% moisture content. If a company can't guarantee moisture levels in this range in writing, we don't even consider them because it is far too important to the performance and longevity of the product.

Check this out
Below is a photo of a bamboo flooring sample we received from a large internet flooring company which had one of the lowest prices. When you look at the edge you can see obvious signs of de-lamination. And this was brand new!

What caused this problem? It could be due to improper drying, poor packaging, faulty glue application or dull milling equipment. Imagine what might happen if you installed this on your floor? The floor could buckle, twist or warp causing a noticeable and permanent bump in your floor.

The warranty might cover the piece of flooring, but you would have to rip it out at your own expense and try to find a matching piece to replace it. No small task. Your floor may never look the same. And this could happen to numerous pieces. So much for saving a few bucks.

There are varying grades of bamboo on the market, although they may not be labeled as such. This is due to: age at harvesting time (four-year-old bamboo is noticeably softer than six-year-old bamboo), culm (trunk) selection (the lower to the ground the stronger), manufacturing processes (some older equipment mills, glues and finishes products differently than newer state-of-the-art factories), certification (while not available in China it's available in the US and Europe for certain manufacturers that comply with those standards of manufacturing).

The Chinese are now finishing most of the bamboo with much better finishes than they did years ago. However, some finishes, especially the inexpensive ones, are simply multiple coats of polyurethane. The best manufacturers use a five-seven coat German finish of aluminum oxide with a super tough scratch-resistant ceramic top coat.

It's difficult to tell which finish is the best just by looking at it. You have to know how to test the surfaces to determine which ones chip off easily and which ones don't. Our experience is that most scratch quite easily and leave unsightly marks. Both Teragren and EcoTimber have researched and developed their own versions of highly-resistant finishes that are much more durable than most on the market. You have to test these for yourself to see the difference.

Some manufacturers are so confident of their new finish system they warrant their products for life against de-lamination and for 25-years against surface wear (residential) by Teragren and US Floors, and 27 years by Eco-Timber. Commercial warranties are usually five-ten years.

When it comes to warranties, ask: 1) "Will the company that sold me the product be around that long?" and 2) "What good is a replacement warranty if I have to pay for the cost of removal and installation which is much more expensive than the floor itself?" Although it's not always easy to choose the best products, seasoned homeowners rely on reputable companies that sell only top-quality products. After all, your floors require a significant investment; inferior quality is not worth the risk.

We sell only the best. At Green Building Supply we provide bamboo flooring products that are well made by reputable manufacturers who use quality raw materials, adhesives and milling equipment and who have a commitment to the environment and their employees. We've learned that selling poor quality products, no matter how cheap, are in the long term not a good use of anyone's time or money. This is why we only sell the best.

Copyright © 2006-2012 Joel Hirshberg All rights reserved.