Does Bamboo Floor Shrink Or Expand More Than Wood Flooring

Engineered bamboo floors are the same and can also be used below grade.

Does bamboo floor shrink or expand more than wood flooring.

The softest bamboo floors are typically much harder than oak. Bamboo in general is slightly more resistant to both moisture and mold than hardwoods. Which over time could result in shrinkage warping buckling and even cracking. If you re concerned about formaldehyde you should ask that about any building material especially engineered wood floors.

The fact is that bamboo is a perfectly serviceable material with the same available finishes as on wood and the same wear guarantees as wood. You might think this makes bamboo flooring impervious to water but that s not the case. Although it is commonly grouped with hardwood flooring bamboo is not actually a wood but rather a woody grass. Similarly as the humidity drops and the air dries out the planks of bamboo flooring will reduce in size again.

Engineered flooring which is attached to the subfloor. Bamboo a native plant to tropical regions with heavy rainfalls grows much faster than hardwood and has a different cellular structure. In conditions of extremely high or extremely low humidity bamboo flooring is more likely to crack than is hardwood flooring. This is a natural process for bamboo and wooden flooring and occurs seasonally with temperature and humidity changes.

It is the top non engineered wood ish floor product for dimensional stability. If the flooring is installed in a very humid climate the moisture in the air can cause the floor planks to swell and buckle while in a dry environment the planks can shrink. Engineered hardwood floors can be used anywhere as they are built to withstand moisture and not swell on contact.