Bamboo has become popular in the making of flooring in the kitchen and bathrooms. It is gaining traction in the market and many people are starting to appreciate the product. However many people are still wondering as to whether bamboo flooring can be used in the bathroom. Well most of the arguments are usually centered on the fact that bamboo is grass therefore its flooring should hold up at least slightly better than hardwood. Others believe that it is too volatile to be used in that manner.
Some of the properties that will make bamboo seem good enough for use in the bathroom include: it is water resistant to a certain degree, it is also mold resistant, mildew resistant as well as germ resistant.
Unfortunately in as much as they are resistant, it does not mean that they are immune. Some of the reasons why bamboo is not good for use in the bathroom are:
Swelling- if you allow water to soak the bamboo i.e. stay on the bamboo floor for quite some time, it will lead to it being plumped and may get warped and disfigured. Unfortunately this can ruin your flooring completely and you can’t repair it by refinishing.
Stains: abrasive cleansers and soaps can wear away the surface finish of bamboo floors in the bathroom and even water splatters that are allowed to sit on the floor can cause permanent marks.
Flooding: if a pipe happens to break or leak and there is a flood then your bamboo flooring will be ruined. It will plump and disfigure and may end up getting mold.
Bamboo bathroom floor finish
Well the best news about all of this is that you can seal your bamboo bathroom floor with a polyurethane based surface finish which acts as an invisible barrier against water and stain agent penetration. It will have to be applied both on the surface and also to the seams. The seams will have to be glued together to ensure that it is impregnable.
Considerations for use
If you decide to have bamboo flooring placed on your bathroom floor then you need to consider who will be using the bathroom in the first place. If it is adults, then you can carefully place mats at all the areas of water usage and ensure that all spills are cleared when made. If it is children, then this becomes a bit trickier since they love to splatter water all over. So it should be avoided in a bathroom for kids.
Warranty- one of the most important things is this. You need to read the warranty carefully before installing the flooring in your bathroom. There are cases where the installation of bamboo flooring in wet areas can void the warranty.
Also it would be better to use engineered bamboo for your bathroom flooring because it is made when a thin sheet of bamboo is adhered to a fiber board backing. The material is also sealed with a water proof layer wear layer on top and a water barrier at the bottom. This makes it impervious to moisture penetration and at the same time gives your bathroom that bamboo finish.
