1. What is carbonized bamboo flooring?

Carbonization of Bamboo is a technique using extreme heat through steaming or boiling that changes the natural color of bamboo. The temperature level and the length of time the bamboo is exposed to the heat will determine how dark the bamboo becomes. The process actually cooks the bamboo, changing it to a darker, more “caramelized” color. Carbonization can produce a vast spectrum of colors or shades ranging from a slightly darker shade than bamboo’s natural light-yellow color to a beautiful, deep, rich, brown coffee color. Because so many colors are possible, you can choose the perfect shade of Ambient’s carbonized Bamboo Flooring to match the existing decor in your home.

2. Why not just stain my bamboo flooring?

Carbonization heats the wood and changes the color of the material throughout the entire bamboo plank, not just the surface. Therefore, if you ever want to refinish your carbonized bamboo Flooring, you will still have the same rich color after sanding as you did before. If you refinish stained strand bamboo flooring, you will not be able to stain it back to the original color on-site.

3. Does carbonization make bamboo softer?

There is a popular myth going around the interwebs that the process of carbonizing bamboo will produce a softer flooring material. Anyone with any current knowledge of bamboo flooring knows that this is completely untrue! In the early days of bamboo flooring, “classic” bamboo was used for flooring (like vertical bamboo flooring), and the carbonization process would soften that material about 10 percent. However, all Ambient’s bamboo flooring is now “strand woven”, a process where the flooring is compressed to the same density regardless of whether it is carbonized or not. In other words, the carbonization process has a 0% effect on the hardness of the bamboo flooring.

4. How durable is carbonized bamboo flooring?

Ambient’s strand woven bamboo flooring is one of the most durable flooring choices in the flooring industry, and the carbonization process has no weakening effect on its strength. The strand woven process heats strips of bamboo, separates them into strands, weaves them together, and then fuses them together under extremely high-pressure heat. The strand woven process reinforces the bamboo flooring and increases its strength, making it incredibly tough with long-lasting durability and structural integrity. Strand woven bamboo’s strength, along with its natural beauty, is why bamboo has become such a popular decorating trend in high-end luxury apartments and rental properties. To give you a better idea of the strength of our strand woven floors, bamboo’s “tensile strength” is 28,000 psi versus steel, which has a tensile strength of 24,000 psi.

5. How hard is carbonized bamboo flooring?

To find out exactly how hard Ambient’s carbonized bamboo flooring is, look no further than the Janka Hardness Scale. This scale, named after Austrian wood researcher Gabrielle Janka, is used to measure the amount of force required to embed a 0.444″ steel ball into the piece of wood to half of its diameter. Higher rated woods are stronger than lower rated ones.

An example of a soft wood with a low Janka hardness rating is Douglas Fir, rated at 660 (way too soft for flooring purposes). At the other extreme, Australian Buloke, considered one of the hardest woods, has a rating of 5,060, which is really strong wood but doesn’t hold a finish because the finish can’t permeate the surface. Popular flooring options that are considered very hard include Brazilian Cherry (2,350) and Brazilian Walnut (3,000). While these are good flooring choices, they are incredibly expensive. Strand woven bamboo’s hardness ratings range from 3,500 to 4,500 on average (2-3 X harder than Oak!) and are considerably less expensive than other popular flooring choices.

At Ambient Bamboo Flooring, we only want to supply you with the strongest and longest-lasting bamboo flooring options possible. Therefore, all of our carbonized bamboo floors are finished our patented AccuSeal Ultra® finish system, a smooth 10-coat protective finish that comes with a lifetime warranty and gives you a future of hassle-free cleaning (Take a look at How Do I Clean Bamboo Flooring?).

Free Bamboo Flooring Samples

Why not see for yourself how durable and beautiful Ambient’s bamboo flooring really is? Simply click on the box below and you’ll receive free samples you can put your hands on. Or you can call one of our flooring professionals at (866) 710-7070. For more information, read about the advantages of bamboo flooring.

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