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In Pursuit of the Previously Unknown Bamboo Flooring

August 24, 2006

Bamboo flooring saves my sanity and the beauty of my home after I decide to replace my old carpet. Bamboo flooring holds a special place in the industry with its beauty, durability, and reasonable price. By Rebecca Garland

I have to do something about my floor. I came to this realization last night while I sat on my couch and looked around my living room. My toddler and dog have taken a serious toll on what was once beige carpeting. When it was installed, my carpet was the ultimate neutral, a perfect backdrop for my dark furniture and bold decorating flair. Now it is matted, dingy, and stained with what looks suspiciously like grape juice over by the window. I've had it cleaned, and cleaned, and cleaned again, but I think I am officially over carpet. It just makes my whole house feel dirty.

With my mind made up to find a suitable replacement for my disgusting carpet, I head out to my local interior design store to check out my options. At first glance, the obvious solution seems to be laminate. Unfortunately, when I tried to get excited about installing fake wood throughout my house, I couldn't. My heart simply isn't in laminate. I guess it just looks too cheap. Well, it is cheap, and it definitely doesn't have the same classic quality as the real thing.

Laminate is officially out, and I move on to ceramic. I know some friends that have it throughout their entire house, and it looks nice. I pursue the tile selection and look at the variations of grout shades, and again, I can't get excited about it. Ceramic tile feels too sterile for my home. Besides, I have a toddler, and I don't know that cold, hard tiles are the best choice for little boys who like to run faster than their legs can carry them. No ceramic tiles for me, and no slate or stone for that matter.

Looking at my list of choices, I'm down to a single item - hardwood. At least this area of the store looks promising. The beauty of the wood calls to me. The grains and sheen beckon. I run my hand down the smooth planks, glance at the price, and gasp. There is no way I can afford that! I would have to refinance my house simply to afford new floors! Beaten, I turn again to the ugly laminate to try and resign myself. Yup, it still looks cheap, and I'm still not very excited about it.

Suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, I see a display. It's not carpet (thank goodness), it's not ceramic, it looks so much classier than laminate, and the price is so much less than hardwoods. What is this? Bamboo flooring? I didn't even know such a thing existed! The selection seems endless. There are a multitude of colors, grains, and widths. I am in flooring heaven.

This bamboo flooring looks almost exactly like wood, but it is touted to be tougher, and is definitely cheaper. I love it; I must have it - NOW. The hardest part will be picking the style that suits me, although for the price I'll be paying for it, I could probably buy new furniture to match my floor too. I finally settle on blonde vertical grain planks. I can hardly wait to see the result.

I'm not disappointed. Once my bamboo flooring is installed, I am amazed at how my entire house is transformed. Bamboo flooring is beautiful, resistant to scratching, and completely perfect. It was the ideal solution to my flooring dilemma, and I only wish I'd installed it years ago.