Bamboo Decking and Wood Decking: A Comparative Analysis

Wood has been traditionally used as a decking material for its sheer natural beauty. Truth be spoken, wood is still the mainstream of the decking and furnishing industry as a whole. There are good reasons why softwood decks and hardwood decking have been accepted widely through the decades. However, bamboo decking has in many ways eaten up the market share of the wooden decking. Why did bamboo decking surpass wooden decking in popularity? We have tried to find an answer to this. Of course, there will be counter arguments to this and there are a few downsides of bamboo decking which we have consciously skipped here. But that doesn’t take away the fact that bamboo is one of the most sustainable building materials.

As time passes by, consumers also look to buy more cost-effective and more environment-friendly products compared to the ones they currently use. Bamboo decking was a need of the hour as rapid deforestation led to disappearance of certain species of woods, which raised a genuine concern all across. Bamboo, as a fast growing and renewable resource, has gradually emerged as an alternative to wood flooring and quite rightly so. Consumers these days have become more environment conscious and they always look for new trends in eco-friendly furnishing. If you are aiming at building a home for you and your kids, choose bamboo as the material as it is to date the most sustainable building material known to mankind.

Bamboo decking as a viable alternative to wooden decking has surfaced in recent times. In fact, it has now become a popular choice for all the right reasons. The natural granular beauty of the bamboo decking products cannot be overruled, while the physical attributes can only be compared with very high-density hardwood flooring. Also, bamboo can be sustainably harvested without harming the natural vegetation around. Manufacturers who are committed to provide minimum harm to the environment and their buyers, the end users of bamboo decking products, also use low amount of formaldehyde, which keeps at bay the dangerous and toxic effects of formaldehyde, including eye, throat and nose irritation being some of the most common effects.

Bamboo harvesting cycle is relatively much shorter compared to the other sorts of trees that are used in the furniture manufacturing industry. For example, it takes roughly 4-6 years for harvesting and cutting of bamboos. To put it in perspective, hardwood tress need almost 50 years for growing full-length again after cutting. There are China based bamboos decking products manufacturers that take full advantage of this short harvesting cycle and offer cost-effective decking solutions. They usually source the bamboos from the farmlands that are deep into Chinese country sides. The peasants in China who are engaged in harvesting of bamboo refrain from using pesticides and irrigation. Also, they use superior quality and European standard glue, which is also another reason to choose them.

Top manufacturers follow a couple of proven effective methods for manufacturing bamboo decking. For example, many leading manufacturers use 100% solid bamboo strips under got pressure and use the best-quality glues to comply with the European as well as international standards. These manufacturers offer both horizontally and vertically woven bamboo flooring and decking products. Also, they do the adequate lamination and treatment of the bamboo strands so that the flooring becomes highly resistant against insects, termites and moisture. If you are looking for a good bamboo decking, check if the manufacturers mention these things in product label.

If you are going to order bamboo decking for your home which is under construction, do not forget to size specifications and other details that should be supplied by your manufacturer with the product itself. If you can find their website and read the product literature before buying, there’s no better option than that.

Bamboo decking is the most durable, viable alternative to wooden decking like wpc decking, preservative wood and carbonized wood at the decking industry and if you are switching to bamboo, you are actually switching to a green home.