Bamboo flooring is an increasingly popular choice for home renovators. It is seen as having the advantages of laminate flooring - durable, relatively inexpensive, easy to install - with the added benefit of a natural source.

Bamboo is a member of the grass family (Gramineae), and as many as 1500 different species grow around much of the world. In many areas, it is popular in construction: bamboo is extremely strong and, and it grows rapidly. Some species can grow up to 150 feet (46 m) in six weeks.

The bamboo used in North America comes from China, as well as Vietnam and South America. In Asia, bamboo has been used for hundreds of years; today, it is still used in construction and food, as well as newer purposes such as fabric and as a design feature. Bamboo’s diverse uses have made it a popular choice for agricultural shifts in places like Australia and the US.

Bamboo can be harvested by cutting away just part of a plant, allowing the rest to regenerate. Each large stem is called a culm, and a single bamboo plant can produce as much as 15 km of commercially useful stems. With careful management, plantations have been maintained in China for centuries. If bamboo is farmed too intensively, the plant responds by reduced growth - so it self-regulates the rate of harvest. Another benefit to bamboo: it is able to absorb and capture heavy metal contaminants in water. Bamboo’s potential to sequester carbon has also been a recent topic.

Typically, bamboo is seen as an environmentally conscious choice. However, bamboo can be quite an invasive species when it is not conscientiously managed. Bamboo is seen as being quite profitable, so it may be planted in farm areas, ousting previous crops like rice or other wood sources. Bamboo is also treated like other agricultural crops, so pesticides and fertilizers are often used. Ironically, it is more likely to be food-grade bamboo shoots that are subject to these treatments, and not more industrial stands. Some local governments are encouraging more ecologically sound practices, including harvest of mature bamboo, farming without chemicals, and more diverse species.

One concern with bamboo is whether purchasing bamboo products negatively impacts the giant panda. In China, commercial bamboo is grown in the lowlands. This use does not compete with bamboo’s role as panda food, as pandas are found exclusively in more mountainous areas with wild bamboo stands.

When considering bamboo flooring, there are two main types: solid or engineered. Solid flooring has planks made of treated laminated bamboo strips. Engineered forms include composite, where shredded bamboo is set in a glue matrix, giving a harder product, as well as plywood. When sourcing their product, flooring companies should consider that the age of the bamboo affects flooring hardness, with mature bamboo giving a more resistant surface.

The manufacture of bamboo flooring involves various chemical additives, binders and finishes. Responsible companies ensure that waste disposal practices are minimally damaging to the environment. Some companies use urea-formaldehyde-free binders, so the product is unlikely to emit fumes. Other manufacturers use a lower emission form of such binders to meet the more exacting European limits. The International Organization for Standardization has standards that apply to bamboo manufacture, including ISO 9001 for quality control and ISO 14001 for having environmental management systems. In practice, however, not all accredited bamboo has actually been examined.

Bamboo certainly appears to be an attractive option. But consumers should be prepared to ask questions and be informed about best practices. Pressure from purchasers will convince companies to follow environmentally sound choices. In turn, this may ensure the best form of sustainable agriculture in bamboo-producing countries.