# Bamboo vs Engineered vs Hardwood



## Arkitexas (Mar 10, 2011)

katetate said:


> ... and strong likelihood for scratches and dings. ( I have pretty much ruled out solid hardwood for that reason)....


Then you should probably rule out bamboo too. Bamboo is softer than hardwood. By hardwood I mean true hardwoods such as white oak, red oak, maple, walnut, cherry, etc. This does not include softwoods such as pine, cedar, bamboo, redwood, etc. I raised two boys and two girls in a house with oak hardwood floors without kid damage. The biggest dents in my floor were from my moving an upright piano having small wheels. In the long run, large dogs are hard on any kind of wood floor. Out of the three surfaces you mentioned, I guess you are only left with laminate flooring. 

Laminate flooring isn't the best in kitchens or other potentially wet areas. Liquids easily penetrate the joints and can mold, mildew, or rot beneath. That said, many people still install laminate flooring in such areas. Kitchen, bath, entry foyer, and laundry areas are most compatible with ceramic tile or sheet vinyl surfaces. Laminates work well in other areas of the home assuming the subfloor is flat. 

Rick


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## Sephora (Apr 13, 2009)

Ditto Rick...Bamboo is softer...


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## katetate (Nov 2, 2011)

I know that I do not want laminate. I am confused, because from what I have been told by a few flooring retailers, the "stranded" bamboo is by far one of the hardest woods out there. I would like to know if thats true. I know that bamboo itself is soft, so that would not work. Any one have any experience with the stranded bamboo? I keep going back and forth between engineered hardwood and bamboo (stranded), and then hardwood too! I need to make a decision ASAP. I want unbiased experiences from real people. Again, thanks in advance for any and all input.
Kate


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## rusty baker (Feb 13, 2009)

One clarification, bamboo is not wood, it is grass. That said, wood and/or laminate does not belong in any kitchen. Although hardwood will stand up to moisture better than laminate, neither should be used in moisture prone areas. Remember, if laminate gets scratched, which it can, it will always be scratched. Hardwood can be refinished.


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## user1007 (Sep 23, 2009)

Not sure what hardness tests the guys are looking at but bamboo tests out harder than most hardwoods. And it is better adapted to moisture and humidity changes. You can get the real stuff, not box store junk, in either conventional planks that get nailed like hardwood or as engineered flooring.

Now then, composite strand bamboo is another story. It is beautiful and harder than conventional bamboo or hardwood flooring. It is used in industrial and commercial applications when extreme durability and great looks are called for. 

Cork is your other option for a kitchen and one with kids and pets. It is naturally resilient and does not have to look institutional.

Here is one source for all. There are others if you search on line.

http://www.duro-design.com/index.cfm/strand-bamboo-flooring/


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## JohninSC (May 5, 2011)




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## JohninSC (May 5, 2011)

I have Tiger wood in my house but we don't have kids, just 2 yorkies.


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## Sephora (Apr 13, 2009)

I can tell you that we just ripped up Pergo Laminate Wood in our kitchen. Our problem was we lost the finish. It was fine in the beginning but I grew to hate it after it lost it's luster...we used regular cleaning products on it was our problem. I guess if we took care of it as we should have (we didn't know we were ruining it) it would be just OK for us to keep.

We are now down to the subfloor and reinforcing to lay down tile.

So I vote for no laminate.


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## hellobritt (Aug 30, 2011)

We just installed Yanchi 9mm Strand Woven Bamboo (Janka Hardness: 2820), and it looks great.


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## alain33 (Jul 26, 2011)

Arkitexas said:


> Then you should probably rule out bamboo too. Bamboo is softer than hardwood. By hardwood I mean true hardwoods such as white oak, red oak, maple, walnut, cherry, etc. This does not include softwoods such as pine, cedar, bamboo, redwood, etc. I raised two boys and two girls in a house with oak hardwood floors without kid damage. The biggest dents in my floor were from my moving an upright piano having small wheels. In the long run, large dogs are hard on any kind of wood floor. Out of the three surfaces you mentioned, I guess you are only left with laminate flooring.
> 
> Laminate flooring isn't the best in kitchens or other potentially wet areas. Liquids easily penetrate the joints and can mold, mildew, or rot beneath. That said, many people still install laminate flooring in such areas. Kitchen, bath, entry foyer, and laundry areas are most compatible with ceramic tile or sheet vinyl surfaces. Laminates work well in other areas of the home assuming the subfloor is flat.
> 
> Rick


I agree with Rick. Laminate flooring isn't for wet areas.


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## plowboy (Nov 5, 2011)

Strand woven bamboo is extremely hard. One of the hardest made. Twice as hard as Oak. The test for hardness of wood is called the Janka Test. Google (Janka test wood). Try www.academyfloor.com for Janka Test results. Look for a strand woven bamboo with a good finish warranty. Mohawk makes a good one with a Uniclic floating floor system. Real easy product to install.


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## Arkitexas (Mar 10, 2011)

plowboy said:


> Strand woven bamboo is extremely hard. One of the hardest made. Twice as hard as Oak. The test for hardness of wood is called the Janka Test. Google (Janka test wood). Try www.academyfloor.com for Janka Test results. Look for a strand woven bamboo with a good finish warranty. Mohawk makes a good one with a Uniclic floating floor system. Real easy product to install.


Stranded woven bamboo is an engineered flooring product and is harder than virgin oak because all voids are filled with urea formaldehyde resin. It's the resin that's hard not the bamboo. Virgin bamboo and carbonized bamboo are not as hard as oak. If oak was cut into fine strips, impregnated with urea formaldehyde resin in a 1200 psi heated prews press, oak would be equally hard.

In any case oak, bamboo, engineered wood products, as well as wood-backed products, are not good choices for wet areas.

Rick


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## plowboy (Nov 5, 2011)

Arkitexas said:


> Stranded woven bamboo is an engineered flooring product and is harder than virgin oak because all voids are filled with urea formaldehyde resin. It's the resin that's hard not the bamboo. Virgin bamboo and carbonized bamboo are not as hard as oak. If oak was cut into fine strips, impregnated with urea formaldehyde resin in a 1200 psi heated prews press, oak would be equally hard.
> 
> In any case oak, bamboo, engineered wood products, as well as wood-backed products, are not good choices for wet areas.
> 
> Rick


 Virgin bamboo and carbonized bamboo are BOTH harder than oak! Check the Janka test results.


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## tacomahardwood. (Jul 3, 2009)

If you are considering bamboo , Just take your thumbnail ands try to make a crease in it . I don't care how hard they "say" it is , Experience says it is not hard , Second You have Kids dogs etc , I would not recommend hardwood , I am a hardwood pro tacomahardwoodfloors.com I would put tile or vynil or real hardwood and refinish it in ten years , I have seen people that have the kid dog living situation with Brazillian cherry , It got destroyed . Yes you could refinish it , but they scratched and dented it .


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## user1007 (Sep 23, 2009)

Arkitexas said:


> In any case oak, bamboo, engineered wood products, as well as wood-backed products, are not good choices for wet areas.


Absolute nonsense.:furious::laughing: We are talking apples to oranges I fear. I rescued a red oak floor from an old farm house kitchen that was over 100 years old. I planed and sanded it in my shop, stained it and put poly on. I put it back as kitchen flooring in a restoration and coated it with poly again. It will last 100 years with pets and people walking all over it. 

I have never had a client come back at me yet for specifying a bamboo floor.

Please understand though. Not $.20 a square foot box store crap.


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## Kader516 (Nov 5, 2011)

This is why I like these forums... All good arguements..... Let's just say that there is nothing like real wood. Kitchens, family rooms, basements or anywhere else for that matter. With the understanding that just like any other product in any room it needs to be taken care of. Engineered is easy, put it in and you are done, but it will never be real hardwoods. No matter what you use real wood, tile, engineered etc, if you leave a puddle of water on the floor for an extended period of time, chances are there may be an issue that arises. We are in an all hardwood area of the country. Bamboo, Brazilian cherry and of course oak. We have never ripped it out in a kitchen to replace with engineered. We have changed it our for marble, but only for the look. Rock and roll with the floor you like, make it beautiful and take care of it. Try to keep the moisture to a minimum and keep the dog's nails trimmed. Try to avoid high heels also, they are a killer. Just thought I'd chime in.


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