Woodboys specializes in wood floors, but there is one type of flooring that we sell that is not technically hardwood. That would be Bamboo. Bamboo is actually a fast-growing grass. Bamboo regrows to full maturity in 5 1/2 to 6 years and can be harvested multiple times. By comparison, hardwood trees take 60 to 80 years to mature and can only be harvested once. Just because it grows fast doesn’t mean you are losing any quality. Fully-matured Standard Bamboo is actually 25% harder than Red Oak, and Strand Bamboo is actually twice as dense (more on the different varieties in a minute.) Fully-matured is the key. If you have ever heard someone complain about their Bamboo flooring being soft and denting easily, there is a high probability that they purchased an inferior prematurely-harvested Bamboo floor. Woodboys only carries top quality brands of Bamboo from trusted brands such as Teragren.
Standard Bamboo comes in four varieties: Natural Horizontal, Natural Vertical, Carbonized Horizontal, and Carbonized Vertical. Natural is very light in shade, whereas Carbonized is darker. The darkness comes from a process wherein the bamboo is heated and the natural sugars within the Bamboo caramelize. Horizontal Bamboo is constructed with its layers stacked horizontally, creating a wide grain look. Conversely, Vertical Bamboo is constructed vertically, creating a tighter grain.
Strand Bamboo is a relatively new variety of Bamboo. It is constructed by weaving bamboo and adhesive together and putting them through extreme pressurization. It comes in Natural, Carbonized, and Mixed varities. Strand Bamboo is one of the hardest floors that you can get (not to mention unique looking.)
