Is Bamboo A Hardwood Or Softwood

But amid these similarities are some key differences that set these two flooring choices apart.

Is bamboo a hardwood or softwood.

Depending on the type of your project you may need either or both of the different kinds of wood. Bamboo and hardwood do have a similar look and feel and both materials are available both in 3 4 inch thick solid planks and in engineered versions in which a finish quality natural veneer is laminated over man made core layers. Similarly we expect softwood to be soft and light. In the case of oak bamboo hardwood flooring has been proven to be 3x as strong in hardness testing studies.

These are outstanding brands with outstanding reputations. Bamboo flooring is a hardwood in all but name while it s a grass it most certainly outperforms most traditional hardwoods such as oak ash mahogany and walnut. Hardwood timber comes from deciduous trees like beech blackwood oak hickory mahogany maple teak and walnut. The difference between hardwood and softwood.

While hardwood flooring can last up to 75 100 years bamboo floors have a lifespan of 10 25 years. T x 5 1 8 in. Both types of flooring are prone to warping from humidity in the environment. Each of these woods come from a different type of tree.

Softwood hardwood table image. There are some hard softwoods as well as soft hardwoods. Bamboo like wood is a natural composite material with a high strength to weight ratio useful for structures. L engineered click bamboo flooring 2 49.

These are trees that lose their leaves and grow more slowly. Their slow growth is what makes hardwood a more expensive option. Personally i love natural bamboo made by us floors and teragren. In general bamboo falls at about 1 200 to 1 400 on the janka hardness scale which means it s a little harder than oak and ash.

W x 36 in. Bamboo s strength to weight ratio is similar to timber and its strength is generally similar to a strong softwood or hardwood timber. Classifying wood as either a hardwood or softwood comes down to its physical structure and makeup and so it is overly simple to think of hardwoods as being hard and durable compared to soft and workable softwoods. Hardwood floors are natural and durable but expensive bamboo floors are cheaper and growing in popularity.

Because bamboo is imported usually from china bamboo more than any other hardwood varies tremendously in quality. It s important which brand you buy moreso than other types of flooring.