Thinking about renewing the flooring in your small flat or your spacious house? Ever considered bamboo? 

Photo source: ThisOldHouse http://bit.ly/2l7iyCi

It looks great inside and the material (although not new) is one of the new entries in the commonly used materials for constructions and renovating.

We found a great article on ThisOldHouse.com about how to use bamboo for usual flooring for interior designing. There are, as for any other material, pros & cons.

Pros:
• A fast-renewing resource, bamboo is ready to harvest in 5 to 6 years, about one-tenth the time it takes red oak to mature. New stalks regrow from the same plant.
• Generally less expensive than a common hardwood by about $1 per square foot, and even cheaper in comparison with an exotic species.
• Extremely durable, a quality bamboo floor can last decades with care and minimal exposure to grit, high heels, and pets’ nails.

Cons:
• It can scratch, even with a factory finish, just as wood does; use doormats inside and protective pads with furniture.
• All bamboo is not the same, and it can be hard to sort through the quality claims. Plus, the different types (see below) make apples-to-apples comparisons a challenge.
• Off-gassing can occur with lesser-quality flooring made with adhesives containing urea-formaldehyde.

Read the full article for a clear image and all the implications.

All About Bamboo Flooring

More on how magical bamboo can be in Elora Hardy’s inspiring talk on TED.com.