Reasons To Choose Bamboo For Your Next Building Project

By Author: Jeff Goldberg
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If you are looking for a renewable product to use on your next building project that is 'green' and safe for the environment, look no further than bamboo.

Bamboo's popularity has continued to grow with its most recent re-discovery. The fact that it is a grass, a quickly renewable resource that yields a product 25 times faster than timber, has been of primary interest to the environmentally conscious.

When we think of bamboo, we see reeds of tall grasses growing in tropical locations. So how does a grass become transformed into a construction material such as wood floors or beams? For starters, only a particular type of Bamboo is used, most often the Moso variety. Once Moso poles reach 40 to 50 feet in height, they are harvested and dried.

Bamboo's growth starts with young shoots striking skyward supported by photosynthesis from the rest of the clump with no time to sprout their own branches and leaves. Over the next year the pulpy wall of each culm slowly dries and hardens, sprouting branches and leaves during the second year from juvenile sheathes that form from each node. Over the following year the ...
... culm hardens still further shedding its juvenile sheaths and commencing its life as a fully mature culm.

Before bamboo can be used, it must go through a detailed process of drying and treating it. This is how it works:

To start, newly cut bamboo is typically filled with water. The process of drying out the bamboo has to be done slowly. Before bamboo is sold, it is typically laid out to dry for two to three months. The bamboos starting relative humidity is approximately 30 to 50 percent. By what is called air in shade desiccation, the relative humidity of the interior of the bamboo, called the "culm" decreases to the humidity balance of approximately 15 percent. The bamboo is stored horizontally while drying and protected against sun, rain and moisture. The desiccation by air lasts four to six months according to the climate. The desiccation in an oven lasts only two to three weeks, however, rips and splits may occur.

Bamboo harvesters must also protect bamboo from fungi, woodworms and termites. Some bugs (Dinoderus, Bostrichidae, Lyctidae) cause large damage by perforation to felled and living culms. If the bamboo isn't treated, it is important to protect your bamboo when integrating it into your construction projects with some type of moisture barrier. But most bamboos are treated and therefore have greater longevity.

Bamboo of course has been used for years by natives, without chemical treatment. The care in harvesting the product from start to finish helps maintain the integrity of the fiber. For example, traditionally, bamboo is only harvested one week after a full moon. At this time there is less capillary water in the culms due to the weaker gravitation of the moon. It is believed this process has two advantages the bamboo is not so heavy and it dries faster, thus tends less to tearing.

Another way one can dry out bamboo is through leaching. Leaching is the removal of sap post-harvest. In many areas of the world the sap levels in harvested bamboo are reduced either through leaching or post-harvest photosynthesis. Examples of this practice include: a) Cut bamboo is raised clear of the ground and leant against the rest of the clump for 1-2 weeks until leaves turn yellow to allow full consumption of sugars by the plant b) A similar method is undertaken but with the base of the culm standing in fresh water, either in a large drum or stream to leach out sap c) Cut culms are immersed in a running stream and weighted down for 3-4 weeks d) Water is pumped through the freshly cut culms forcing out the sap (this method is often used in conjunction with the injection of some form of treatment)

In the process of water leaching, the bamboo is dried slowly and evenly in the shade to avoid cracking in the outer skin of the bamboo, thereby reducing opportunities for pest infestation.

Durability of bamboo in construction is directly related to how well it is handled from the moment of planting through harvesting, transportation, storage, design, construction and maintenance. Because bamboo has become so popular, the treatment and care of it has been detailed down to a science.

Bamboo is most popularly used in flooring as it comes in a variety of colors and stains.
Most bamboo flooring is also pretreated with an aluminum oxide and polyurethane scratch-resistant topcoat. Coatings can be matte or glossy, with glossy tending to scratch more easily than matte.

While bamboo is versatile, the beauty of it is an added bonus. With the cost of bamboo equivalent to oak flooring, it isn't hard on the pocketbook either. Bamboo is also easy to clean and considered ideal for allergy sufferers, as it does not harbor dust mites.

Yes, there are many reasons to choose bamboo for your next construction project. What are you waiting for?
About Author:
At Cali Bamboo where we promote the use of bamboo flooring as an alternative product made from renewable resources, that can help make a difference in the future of our planet. Visit online today.