Au Naturale

From intricate woven baskets to decorative garden ornamentation, bamboo has been a popular material in Asian culture since the tall, bounteous stalks first began sprouting in Southeast Asia.

Today, as designers and retailers seek a more ecologically-amiable approach to their projects, bamboo has become a popular resource in design, in potentially the last place you'd look?the floor.

Because individual shoots regenerate without replanting, bamboo is considered an ideal option for flooring in regards to its impact on the environment. "Producing four to five times more bio-mass than the trees felled for wood production, bamboo grows in various places in the world and in enormous variety," says Francois Miton, president of Townson, Md.-based Bamtex Bamboo Flooring. "The mother plant produces new shoots every year with stems maturing sufficiently hard for harvesting within four or five years?compared to oak, cherry, maple and exquisite rainforest hardwoods that take 30 to 40 years to grow to maturity."

Though comparable in both look and price ($8 to $10 per sq. ft.) to high-quality hardwood manufacturers, bamboo can offer many advantages over natural hardwood flooring. Miton describes bamboo as "nature's substitute for the beautiful yet endangered rainforest hardwoods," because it can be harvested easily and safely in a short period of time, at no cost to the environment. "[Bamboo] is preferable from an environmental point of view. It is very hard and durable," he says. "The stability, or reaction to humid environments, is better than practically any other wood. And the design is unique and beautiful."

Despite its delicate, romantic appearance, bamboo is actually extremely durable for even the most high-traffic retail areas, and will outlast most hardwoods. "Bamboo is 38 percent harder than red oak, and twice as stable," says Helen Huang, owner of Prolex Flooring USA Inc., a Norcross, Ga.-based manufacturer of bamboo flooring. "It also adjusts to the temperature of the room, so it assists in warmness in winter and coolness in summer."

In most circumstances, the timber bamboo is cut and milled into long thin strips, which are then dried and laminated together into a single-ply veneer. Varying thickness options are available, and some companies will even back the product with cork for added comfort underfoot. Bamboo is extremely versatile, and can be structured either horizontally or vertically with various shades for different design needs. "Bamboo is normally light in color and, under steam and pressure, can be naturally darkened," says Miton. He adds that bamboo can also be stained or painted in various bold colors for a more dramatic look.

Bamboo has gained tremendous popularity in both the commercial and residential markets over the past 10 years, and is expected to boom even further in years to come. "Companies that are more into natural looks with a lot of character would be more likely to invest in bamboo flooring," says Ann Knight, vice president of marketing for TimberGrass LLC, a bamboo flooring manufacturer based in Bainbridge Island, Wash. "It has that environmental factor that appeals to those looking for something distinctive."

TimberGrass recently installed bamboo flooring in the new prototype for The Timberland Co., an outdoor apparel retailer known for its sturdy hiking footwear and its dedication to the betterment of society. The prototype design is unique in its intentional usage of all-natural products to coincide with the company's environmental philosophy. The installed bamboo floor, which was treated with a caramelized-sugar compound that causes the bamboo to darken when heated, added the perfect environmental touch to the floor.

For retailers looking for something unique and exotic to add underfoot, the clean, natural look of bamboo flooring may be just the right choice. Both environmentally-friendly and aesthetically pleasing, this natural material may just be the voice of serenity your design has been missing.