Choosing a bamboo parquet means contributing both to the protection of the environment and opting for flooring with excellent performance, which has nothing to envy from the classic forest wood parquet flooring. Let‘s find out the features and the positive aspects.
Finishes
To enhance the characteristics of the bamboo flooring, various finishes can be applied, such as painting, with the application of a minimum of 5 to a maximum of 7 layers of varnish, oiling to make it even more polished, smoothing, to make so that the surface is completely smooth and uniform, brushing, to make the flooring rough to the touch and with a particularly rustic appearance or hand planing to obtain an antique effect. Based on how the various finishing processes are carried out, three types of parquet are distinguished:
Pre-sanded: before being set up, it was only sanded, all other treatments including waterproofing and painting with polyurethane varnish, water-based, oil-based varnish or oils of various colors, are performed after installation, with a large possibility of customization;
Pre-finished: ready to be laid as it has received all the finishes, unlike the pre-sanded one it is immediately walkable, has a slightly higher price, but on the other hand you save on labor costs for the treatments. One point against it is that it is not customizable;
Pre-oiled: it receives an oil pre-treatment during production, and the finishing is completed after installation; it needs periodic and constant maintenance to keep the oiled effect alive.
The natural color of bamboo is very clear, on the honey shade, but can be darkened with exposure to steam jets, without using dyes; thanks to this technique, called carbonization or evaporation, it is possible to give the parquet a uniform color throughout the thickness and not only on the surface, as happens in the case of painting, so if you perform subsequent sanding there is no risk that the coloring is removed.
Maintenance and costs
The durability and beauty of the bamboo flooring depend largely on good maintenance and cleaning carried out regularly and correctly. Just follow nine simple rules to take care of your parquet in the best way; let us see what they are:
To remove dust and dirt use a common broom or vacuum cleaner;
For washing, you can use a cloth dampened only with water and well wring out, and for even deeper cleaning you can apply detergents for parquet, to be passed with a soft microfiber cloth, so as not to scratch the surface. Avoid generic floor cleaners and choose only those specific to parquet;
Although bamboo is resistant to moisture and is less prone to cracking and swelling than wood, it is still important to maintain the right level of humidity in the environment, which must be between 35% and 60% throughout the time of year, with the aid of dehumidifiers;
Bamboo needs to breathe, so it is good to ventilate the rooms from time to time, leaving the windows open;
In the event of liquids falling on the parquet it is good practice to remove them immediately and not leave them on the floor for a long time, to prevent the bamboo absorbing them and damaging them;
In order not to scratch the floor you can place a mat outside the front door where you can clean the shoes, so as not to carry pebbles on the floor from the outside; it is also advisable to place felt pads underneath the chairs, tables, and furniture, so that no scratches are created when they are moved;
Oil, ink, lipstick or paint stains can be removed by wiping with a cloth soaked in alcohol and then a soft cloth lightly dampened with water;
Never perform steam cleaning;
Never pass the floor wax on the bamboo parquet.
As far as the market value of bamboo flooring is concerned, they are certainly cheaper than many fine wood parquet floors and the price varies depending on the finishes used to treat the floor.
