Perhaps you have been tempted to install bamboo flooring for its reputation as a strong wood flooring option. After all, a Janka Hardness of 3000 is enough to rival even the hardest exotic woods. But this, like many of bamboo flooring’s other claims, is a distortion of the facts.
This may surprise you, but the Janka Hardness Test is not a fool-proof accurate measure of how durable a wood surface is. It involves measuring how much force is required to push a metal ball into the wood. It just so happens that bamboo fibers are perfect for resisting spherical objects, and the ball is “bounced” out like a trampoline. However, if a sharp object, like a stone stuck in a shoe tread, cuts the fibers, then the surrounding area is then more vulnerable to denting. As a result, wood species with a lower Janka rating than bamboo can actually perform better.
Another feature of bamboo is that it does not posses even hardness across its surface. Manufacturing companies know this, and test their flooring at the strongest point: the node, or knuckle. Since this only accounts for a small percentage of the total surface area of a bamboo floor, the result can hardly be considered accurate.
As you can see, bamboo flooring’s reputation as a durable option has been fabricated through a manipulation of the Janka Hardness Test. In reality, a bamboo floor will scratch and dent just as much, if not more, than any other hardwood flooring.
very very poor dent resistance. drop anything and it leaves a dent. Kitchen is a mess after a year and we are extremely careful! good scratch resistance though. WOuld never go with these floors again, the fact that you can’t resurface is a MAJOR downside!
Have had natural bamboo floors for 5 years. They look horrible! Scratches from a 20 lbs dog, dents from everything. Will never use this product again!
We are now trying to get compensated from the retailer and distributor of our bamboo flooring. Has anyone had success with this?
What about a class action for false claims?
Wow. I guess bamboo is out of the picture in my renovation. Can it be used successfully anywhere?
There are actually more variables here.
Bamboo is a group of straw family plants. They grow extremely fast and reach their max height after just one year.
The thing to consider when buying bamboo flooring is to find out how old the bamboo was before it was harvested – as the hardness of bamboo is reached after 5-6 years of age. As a lot of bamboo is imported from dodgy chinese producers you can assume that most of the bamboo that reaches the country is not mature (and hence not at it´s strongest). When buying bamboo please ask for documentation of the bamboo used in production.
Wow, we had bamboo floors installed in our home and in less than a year they are dented, scratched and look as though we used the floors as a skating rink – despite taking our shoes off, and placing felt pads on all of our furniture. What a mistake!
Talk about false advertising! Two years ago my wife and I installed bamboo floors, today the suface is heavily scratched despite every effort to avoid damages. We are already looking at replacing them – BIGGEST MISTAKE EVER!
While this flooring was easy to install and pretty to look at for the first few days, it is scratched and dented all over the place now in less than a month. We have two dogs and two kids and the slightest bump makes a mark. We have hardwood in other parts of the house and thought this would hold up a little better. It is much easier scratched than we thought it would be. So, if you don’t have kids, animals, never drop anything or move anything you should be okay with this floor. Otherwise choose another option.
I installed this in my great room and down the hall. It looks WONDERFUL! I do have a boxer that when he plays can dent it pretty easily with his nails. Also, I didn’t have my blinds put up for about 2months. The east sun coming in in the morning faded my floor. I was disappointed in that and would not recommend this flooring to anyone!
I installed Lowe’s bamboo flooring four years ago in three rooms. Extremely easy to install, and I told it was durable and a great value for the money. I liked the idea it was a “green” product but chose it for the look as well as the durability ( I have six kids, a mother in law,a full size collie and a yorkie as well as the wife and myself ). It is extremely dented, and scratched, burned and the worst part is it cannot be refinished unlike oak or any other wood floor.