The idea of maintaining environmental friendliness and sustainability is slowly gaining ground. This is evident as more and more people consider switching from hardwood, vinyl, or plastic decking to other options such as bamboo decking. It is a more ecological and low-fuss decking option that comes with plenty of benefits.
Before we delve into the advantages of bamboo for your deck, let’s learn a little more about it. Bamboo is a regenerative, all-natural material with an extremely shorter growing period compared to other tree species. It takes about 5 years to reach its maturity, making it a cheaper decking option than other materials. Don’t be fooled! Bamboo exhibits excellent durability and is highly tensile, to fit well into any outdoor application.
This article covers the reasons why many people are switching to bamboo flooring. Read on to find out more.
Benefits of bamboo decking
Eco-friendly and sustainable
Bamboo is a member of the world’s tallest grass family with an extremely fast growth rate – growing at least four inches a day. After five years, you can harvest it for various eco-friendly applications. Since it’s a natural resource with a shorter maturity span, bamboo is a highly renewable material. On the other hand, hardwood woodland takes an extremely long time to reach maturity – between 3 to 5 decades.
Easy to maintain
You would think that since it takes a shorter time to mature, bamboo is a high maintenance resource. Surprisingly, bamboo decking is easy to maintain in all senses of the word. For starters, you can refurbish it or, better yet, allow it to regenerate naturally as a low-maintenance alternative.
Secondly, this type of decking is extremely resistant to moisture damage and stains. This makes it a better option for outdoor decking. Besides, you can clean it with a damp mop without worrying about causing damage to it.
Thirdly, bamboo decking greys off beautifully over time. However, if you want to maintain a warm appearance in your home, you can refurbish with simple re-oiling and restoration.
Durable
Bamboo is an ideal decking material given that it exhibits great tensile strength. It can withstand earthquake damage far better than concrete and steel material. Bamboo is more robust compared to the Sal Tree and Teak and is two times harder than Merbau. This natural resource doesn’t crack or splinter like other materials. So, if you go for bamboo decking, you are guaranteed excellent durability. It is an ideal option for areas prone to extreme weather and earthquakes.
No pesticides
Besides having a shorter maturing period, bamboo comes with other benefits to the harvester. It doesn’t require any form of fertilizer or pesticide during its growth. As it grows, the leaves fall, creating mulch as its natural fertilizer. What’s more, bamboo retains moisture, thus, doesn’t require irrigation to speed up its growth. Since it doesn’t use pesticides or other growth accelerants, bamboo is perfect for any application revolving around the human body. For this reason, bamboo decking is an ideal option for home applications. It is also white and resistant.
Cost-effective
Many would like to have inexpensive excellent decking materials. Well, bamboo offers just that and more. Compared to other materials on the market, bamboo decks are the most affordable. Since it takes a shorter time to mature, it is the best inexpensive alternative for home applications.
Conclusion
You can never go wrong with bamboo when it comes to decking materials. It exhibits a plethora of environmental and maintenance benefits. With proper care, bamboo decking can serve you for more than 30 years. And since it’s inexpensive to acquire bamboo, the benefits out outshine the disadvantages.