Updated October 12, 2004

Oops! Bamboo can have a downside

Bamboo is one of the bright newcomers to green building work, because as Paul Fisette, Director of Building Materials and Wood Technology at U. of Mass., Amherst, tells us in an article in the recent (Sept. 2004) issue of Journal of Light Construction, “it grows fast, regenerates without replanting, and requires no fertilizer. It reaches a mature height of 100 feet in just five years, making it an appealing renewable resource.”

The entryway to the Cleveland Environmental Center has a bamboo floor which has withstood a terrific amount of traffic with no problem. But there have been some reports of difficulties with bamboo, including easily being dented and the top edge of the tongue in a tongue and groove application breaking off.

Fissette shares some reasons for these problems: “The properties of bamboo depend on the season when it's harvested, the environment in which it has grown, the amount of rain and sun it has received and its age when harvested.”

Who you buy your bamboo from may be the most important consideration. Fisette recommends that you “ask how they test for and assure hardness values for the product. Request technical literature that explains how the product was made from harvesting through lamination and finishing.”

Fisette concludes by indicating that there is yet no association monitoring the quality of bamboo flooring. Durability is an important component of green building materials. Bamboo can be durable, but you will need to carefully search for the brand that will be.