Wood Flooring

Many different species of wood are fabricated into wood flooring in two primary forms: plank and parquet. Bamboo flooring is also available. While bamboo is technically not a wood, bamboo flooring is installed and functions much like wood flooring. Reclaimed lumber has a unique appearance and is green.

Parquetry is a geometric mosaic of wood pieces used for decorative effect. The two main uses of parquetry are as veneer patterns on furniture and block patterns for floors. The patterns of parquet flooring are entirely geometrical and angular- squares, triangles, lozenges. The use of curved and natural shapes constitutes marquetry rather than parquetry. The most popular parquet flooring pattern is herringbone.

The modern Parquet flooring (square tiles made of 6′ by 1′ pieces) was popularized in the 1980s in very fashionable & stylish high-rise apartment buildings (most commonly in the entryway, this was called “A Touch of Elegance”). Parquet is also popular in millions of up-scale country clubs and many large homes. Today it is used in many places it makes for a very stylish entryway. Parquet also is very durable and lasts for a long time. When Parquet is installed, it has been known to greatly increase the value of a home.

Bamboo is a floor manufactured from the bamboo plant and is a type of hardwood flooring. Bamboo known to be durable and more environmental friendly type of hardwood flooring. It is available in many different patterns, colors, and textures.

Bamboo floors are manufactured from the bamboo plant. The majority of today’s bamboo flooring products originate in China and other portions of Asia. The species of bamboo used for flooring is commonly known as “Moso”.

Different forms of bamboo flooring exist. Each varies in its manufacturing process and differs largely based on economic viability and local preferences.

The most common form, particularly in southeast Asia, uses thin bamboo stems that are cut as flat as possible. They are cut to similar lengths and can be stained, varnished, or simply used as is. They are then nailed down to wooden beams or bigger pieces of bamboo stems. This form results in more space between each bamboo stem; flatness and tightness is not emphasized. This technique is usually used on stilted houses, resulting in better air circulation especially during the warmer summer months.

The manufactured bamboo flooring commonly found in North American markets is highly processed. The bamboo is split and flattened, dried, and then laminated in layers with glue under high pressure. Manufactured bamboo floors are typically made available in planks with either vertical- or horizontal-grain orientation.

Bamboo flooring may also be classified as Vertical and Horizontal. In vertical bamboo floors, a vertical plank will have each of the component pieces stood vertically on their narrowest edge and then press laminated side to side. The effect is a lined, almost uniform look to the surface of the finished floor plank. Horizontal bamboo floors have individual slats that are arranged in a horizontal direction, on their widest edge, and then joined side by side with adjacent pieces using a high pressure laminate system. The look of the finished horizontal surface is one where the characteristic nodes of the bamboo are randomly visible.

Locking bamboo flooring is the easiest to install. Individual flooring planks have interlocking joints that click precisely into place. The two major colors are natural (similar to beech) and carbonized (similar to oak). The process of steaming bamboo material under a controlled pressure and temperature is called carbonization, in which bio-organisms and sugar breaks down, and the color of the material changes into brownish. The natural and carbonized bamboo floors are typically referred to as solid bamboo, although in fact the structures are layered, similar to a plywood.