Estate Living Magazine Smart Moves - Issue 38 February 2019 | Page 56

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L I F E
it relatively inexpensive. When used in the home as flooring,
bamboo’s natural antibacterial properties make it ideal for those
challenged by allergens, and its resistance to insects makes its use
as fencing, pergolas and screens ideal. compressed to make a solid board, whereas engineered bamboo
boards consist of a base layer of plywood topped with a layer of
bamboo. Counterintuitively, the solid bamboo is often less costly
due to an easier manufacturing process.
Bamboo in its natural form Bamboo products for the home
In the Far East bamboo has for centuries been used as scaffolding,
and it still is – even for skyscrapers. And it is increasingly being used
in the construction industry today, with several architects in Asia
choosing bamboo as the material of choice. Asian – and increasingly
non-Asian – architects are slowly introducing the rest of the world
to the versatility and utility of this ancient but also up-to-the-minute
building material by building whole houses, and even apartment
blocks, from natural bamboo. Flooring: Bamboo is the ideal alternative to hardwood flooring
because of its strength, durability and eco-friendliness. The two styles
of floorboard available are strand woven and solid vertical. Strand
woven bamboo floors are made using long strands of bamboo and
compressing them under extreme pressure using a non-toxic resin,
whereas solid vertical bamboo is created by flattening the bamboo
poles, cutting them into strips, and then laminating them vertically,
giving a slender, typical bamboo appearance.
But most South African home owners are more likely to have
somewhat less ambitious bamboo aspirations, so it’s fortunate
that there are several other ways to incorporate this wonder grass
into architectural designs – from fencing, pergolas and screens to
engineered bamboo flooring, textiles and decor items.
Engineered bamboo
Being a rapidly renewable material, bamboo lends itself to being
used as a replacement for wood, which has a growth period of at
least 20 years before reaching maturity compared to that of bamboo.
The bamboo does, however, need to be processed in some manner
before it resembles a beautifully grained hardwood floor.
Bamboo boards are available as either solid or engineered, the
difference being in the way they are produced. Solid bamboo boards
are made from strips of bamboo that are dried, glued together and