Bamboo flooring is a relatively new alternative to standard hardwood floors. It offers similar and perhaps superior qualities of strength, hardness, and appearance. Using bamboo (which is actually a grass, not a tree), and modern processing, beautiful hardwood floors can be made that offer the added bonus of saving many of the exotic trees and forests that are cut down for standard hardwood floors. Typical bamboo flooring can cost around $6.25 per square foot, plus installation and preparation charges. The range is usually between $4 and $8 per square foot but there are wholesale bamboo flooring companies offering it as low as $2 or less per square foot.

When buying discount, you need to make sure that you are not getting a product of inferior quality. This is true of everything including discount bamboo flooring. Though not always the case, some discount bamboo flooring is sold cheaply because it has a defect in the finish or the moisture content is high. Here are some things to look for in quality bamboo flooring:

Raw Material Bamboo flooring mills may try to cut costs by buying immature bamboo stalks and do not take the time to dry them properly. This results in moldy, high-moisture bamboo that will not last.

Drying Many bamboo mills will not dry the bamboo sufficiently, which will cause problems in dry climates or places with seasonal humidity fluctuations. Properly dried bamboo should have a moisture content of less than 10%.

Adhesives Adhesives made in many discount bamboo flooring mills are of inferior quality and will off-gas in the home.

Finish It is important that the finish be of high quality so that scratches won