So you are wondering whether or not bamboo can be installed in your bathroom, here is the bamboo flooring guidance for bathroom you can have a look to convince yourself.
Believe it or not, it is argued for so many times that all flooring types can be installed in a bathroom including carpet, laminate and even bamboo. However, you may feel worry too much about how to maintain the floor in a bathroom which typically has a high moisture or humidity.
Similar to kitchen, bathroom is a place where water is always on the floor every time and every day. Therefore, the floors must require deep cleaning. Considering that bathroom is high in humidity and moisture, most bamboo flooring manufacturers tend to suggest you use tiles instead of bamboo flooring.
Nevertheless, some movements on the use of bamboo flooring in a bathroom are rising due to the design virtues of using the materials beyond your expectation.
Thus, we come with the bamboo flooring guidance for bathroom along with the drawbacks so that you can make your own consideration and personal choice in the end.
Without taking too much time, let’s refer to the following review.
Bamboo Drawbacks Similar To Hardwoods
Bamboo is not a wood. However, it has similar drawbacks with the hardwoods. Bamboo is basically a woody grass which is different from wood. Just because bamboo is naturally growing in humid and wet environments doesn’t mean that it is more resistant to moisture than the hardwood. It is not a guarantee.
In fact, the construction process of bamboo and hardwood flooring is same. There are solid-core and engineered version which are always available. This way, flooring products with surface layer of bamboo are bonded to the wood material’s underlying layers.
In form of flooring, bamboo is designed with the strips or planks, similar to the hardwood. This makes the water can surely seep down between the pieces of the planks, causing the flooring’s core.
So, whatever tough the surface finish is, the floors are still less resistant to moisture. Unluckily, similar to the hardwood, bamboo flooring can also expand and contract with the heat and moisture changes.
Well, these are the drawbacks of bamboo flooring you may need to know just before you finally make your decision on picking up the flooring home.
Read Also: 5 Greatest Types of Bamboo Flooring You Can Consider Optioning
Bamboo Advantages Compared to Hardwood
Apart from the drawbacks, bamboo flooring has a few advantages compared to the hardwoods. This way, no matter how the both flooring is noticeably to be less resistant to moisture, bamboo flooring proves to be more moisture-resistant than the hardwood.
Along with the careful installation as well as proper maintenance, bamboo tend to hold up better to the moist environment than the hardwood. Nowadays, bamboo flooring is often used in the kitchens though the homeowner must perform a careful installation and professional maintenance as recommended by the manufacturers. This way, the use of bamboo flooring in the kitchens is much better than vinyl or ceramic.
If you insist on installing bamboo flooring in your bathroom, ensure that you check out the instruction of the installation shown on the product. It is common that the manufacturers provide the detail instruction to allow you to know how to install well with minimum problem only.
For bathroom, solid bamboo flooring is likely to be used more than the engineered one. In this case, solid bamboo products tend to hold up more in a bathroom environment.
Besides, bamboo is also constructed by the materials which are harder than the hardwood, meaning that bamboo floors is likely to suit the heavy use. It is even reported that bamboo is three times harder than the hardwood in standard level.
Unique Disadvantages of Bamboo Flooring
In relation to bamboo flooring guidance for bathroom, there are some unique disadvantages of bamboo flooring. One of which is the fact that it cannot easily be refinished once it get damaged. This means that when the bamboo flooring get damaged, you cannot easily repair or refinish it.
However, moisture and scratches are the two possible damages that always tend to occur in a bathroom. Therefore, it is necessarily to be careful of the heavy damages that cause you replace the floor.
In short, you must avoid any heavy damage so that you don’t have to replace the bamboo floor once it scratches.
In these recent years, most manufacturers start producing the solid bamboo flooring that comes with the thicker surface layers from the top to the bottom. Due to these thicker surface layers, you will be able to sand and refinish the floors when they scratch too badly.
A Must-Read Fine Print
A must-read fine print is a type of document containing a crucial information including the installation procedure and manual maintenance provided by the major bamboo flooring manufacturers. It will help you find the more accurate and clear picture of the things that make the bamboo flooring good for bathroom.
For instance, you would like to have a look the advantages and disadvantages as well as the disclaimers or drawbacks of bamboo floorings for bathroom.
So here are the most common disclaimer of bamboo flooring’s use-and-care shared by the most bamboo flooring manufacturers.
- Humidity. Most of the leading bamboo flooring manufacturers recommend that you maintain the humidity level between 40 and 60 percent. This humidity level is considered low for the bamboo flooring used for bathrooms or showers.
- Cleaning. Almost the same manufacturers’ state that you must not wet-mop the floors since it is watery, causing the damaged because of the water. You must not either use the cleaning treatment of cleanser made of ammonia, bleach, oils soap, vinegar and wax. Though the cleanliness is very much important, some people prefer not using water and any kind of cleaning material to apply on the bathroom’s floor. This is due to the fact that they know either water or other cleaning treatments are not good for the floors.
- Maintenance. Dealing with the bamboo flooring guidance for bathroom, you must also read the proper maintenance. This way, some manufacturers urge that you must wipe up any spills using the dry towel as soon as they appear on the floor. Don’t take a few minutes since it would cause the floors damaged.
Finishes
Similar to hardwood flooring, bamboo flooring also comes with prefinished and on-site finished along with the polyurethane finish. These prefinished and on-site finish are the hard-wearing protective layers.
However, the seams cannot be sealed between the floorboards. The seams will be exposed when the planks shrink and the polyurethane is not able to bridge the gaps.
In this regards, the prefinished bamboo flooring planks can be glued down at the joints. Yet, there will be no a reliable seal against the water. If the manufacturer of your bamboo flooring provides a full warranty support, go using it.
When You Finally Choose Bamboo Flooring
When you insist on choosing bamboo flooring to install in your bathroom, then you will do it. Bamboo materials are nice enough to make your bathroom floors look striking and attractive.
In addition to installing the bamboo flooring in the bathroom, there are several things you must pay attention for a private bathroom with two adults, bamboo floors will just be fine.
However, it is not recommended to use bamboo flooring in a family bathroom. Due to the high traffic of family bathroom, you will be more recommended to use tile or vinyl.
Bamboo Flooring Pros and Cons
We also include the pros and cons in the bamboo flooring guidance for bathroom review, showing you why people prefer this flooring type and why they do not. Either solid or engineered bamboo flooring, there are always pros and cons.
Some pros of bamboo flooring include the easy maintenance such as sweeping, vacuuming and damp mopping as a regular maintenance, the renewable materials that make the environment safe and health, the ability of the floorings that can be refinished and the real estate value to support the natural look of a flooring. These often become the reason why people take bamboo flooring for their home completion.
On the other hand, the cons of bamboo flooring involves the fact that the floors are easy to scratches, the humidity swings that cause the floors to crack and the toxins presence used in adhesive. These are also the reasons why people are not selecting bamboo flooring and preferring to other flooring type such as tile, ceramic or even vinyl.
Read Also: Bamboo Flooring Reviews – Everything You Have to Know
Final Words
Now that we have known more about bathroom flooring particularly on the guidance of what things to recognized from a flooring, we can lead you to conclude that bathroom which is noticeably high in humidity and moisture can work with the bamboo flooring.
In the other words, it is just alright to install bamboo flooring in the bathroom as long as you carefully carry out the installation and professional maintenance.
In short, bamboo flooring guidance for bathroom is necessary to check out within this article to show that bamboo flooring is nice for some home areas with moisture and humidity.
