Bamboo Vs. Hickory Hardwood Floors
Bamboo is technically not a hardwood, but it has many of the same characteristics as hardwood, especially hickory, since both are very dense. Bamboo is categorized as a grass; it grows much faster than the trees typically used for hardwood flooring, including hickory. Because it is more rapidly renewable, it is less expensive than much hardwood flooring and is favored by those advocating "green" building materials. Each type of wood has advantages and disadvantages. Does this Spark an idea?
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Benefits of Bamboo
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Bamboo is very strong; the compression strength of bamboo is double that of concrete, and it has a strength-to-weight ratio approximately the same as steel. It is generally used as a laminate flooring rather than as traditional hardwood planks, so warping is less likely. It is also more resistant to moisture than hardwood and is a good choice for bathrooms and kitchens.
Benefits of Hickory
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Hickory wood has a light color that deepens to an amber tone as it ages. It is good for high traffic areas because it is a very dense wood.
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Disadvantages of Bamboo
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The relative hardness of bamboo is determined by how mature the plant was when it was harvested. Lower priced bamboo may not last as long because it is usually made from bamboo that was harvested early and is not as hard as more mature bamboo. Bamboo can be brittle.
Disadvantages of Hickory
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Hickory is hard to work with because it is so dense. This can cause the installation cost to be higher, as it takes longer to cut and nail through the wood.
Considerations
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The light colors of both hickory and bamboo make them good choices if you are worried about the floor clashing with existing wood cabinets or if you want to lighten the atmosphere in a room. Each floor type has its own unique grain pattern; it is largely a matter of taste and preference which one you choose. Each will change as it ages; this is especially true of hickory, but bamboo can also change color and fade when exposed to sunlight.
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