Everyone has heard of bamboo: The traditional flooring material popularised by the Chinese which is now enjoying a revival among eco-concious consumers.
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| Bamboo in the bedroom |
Contemporary bamboo flooring in Singapore usually comes in the form of solid flooring strips which consists of the 3 common types of bamboo: Natural, carbonized and strand-woven. Unfortunately, the price of such bamboo flooring can be comparable to its more exotic hardwood cousins, and the time to install takes just about the same time.
The main factor of traditional solid bamboo flooring strips is their weight, especially that of strand-woven bamboo. There is also the matter of cutting the floor planks to size, a considerable feat for strand-woven bamboo given its high Janka Hardness Scale rating in excess of 3000.
What if you wanted to floor a home without moving your furniture out of the house? Or perhaps you want a bamboo floor for that five-day convention booth to promote your products or services?
Luckily for you, there is an answer to your needs: Bamboo carpet tiles!
Whilst it may not be cutting edge technology, having being marketed in the US, UK and Japan for almost 5 years now, this product is still relatively unheard of in Singapore.
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| Bamboo carpet tiles |
What are bamboo carpet tiles?
Bamboo carpet tiles are squares of bamboo veneer typically around 0.5mm thick that are glued to a carpet backing. This gives it the look and feel of a normal bamboo floor but with the easy installation method used for carpets. An installer need nothing more than a sharp utility knife and suitable adhesive (such as Tiger glue, commonly used in Singapore) to install them.
Excesses at interfaces, where the floor meets the walls for example, can be trimmed using a utility knife to cut through the bamboo veneer and carpet backing. Installation is a simple procedure of spreading glue onto the carpet backing and pasting it onto the subfloor. It's that simple!
One of the major drawbacks of using bamboo carpet tiles relates to a disadvantage of using bamboo itself. Bamboo, in general, is susceptible to moisture and humidity, even more than hardwoods. Bamboo is also easily scratched and available only in limited colours. It is also susceptible to fading over time.
However, bamboo carpet tiles still remain as a viable low-cost alternative to flooring a home or office. The top veneer is fairly durable and easy to maintain. It is certainly worth looking into when you decide to floor your home.
