Bamboo flooring -vs- Oak

[CJ_IS_HERE]

Like we dont know this answer already!

http://www.wral.com/5onyourside/story/5590980/

[dependable]

Bamboo flooring is quite nice. But my understanding is that by weight, it is mostly plastic or some polymer. Oak is mostly wood. This does not mean the bamboo floor is bad, but the purchaser should be aware of this when making their decision.

[needmore]

I did lots of research, read of the horrors of bamboo flooring and ended up going with hickory. Later in 2 other rooms I put in bamboo flooring. After 3 years, maybe 4, the bamboo has held up WAY better than the hickory - am I am talking solely about scratches in the finish. Both types of wood do not show any noticeable damage to the lumber but the finish on the hickory has been scratched to Hades by the dog but the bamboo is amazingly resistant to scratches.

This is perhaps more of a testament to the finish than the wood type, my hickory is the brand that Norm on This Old House endorses so I figured it may be decent, it was around $4 per sq ft. The bamboo flooirng at the same price clearly has a superior finish and has held up perfectly, one of the floors is the carmelized bamboo and it is reported to be softer but no problems here.

I think that with the bamboo flooring the key is the quality of the product, there is LOTS of crap out there and it is usually cheap so that may be what most people go with.

[Alan_L]

...the finish on the hickory has been scratched to Hades by the dog but the bamboo is amazingly resistant to scratches.

He's learned to respect the bamboo plants in your yard -- maybe that's carried over into indoors?

[Thuja]

Are there any updates on this topic? I'm thinking about installing some bamboo flooring and wonder if there's any new info. The stuff I'm looking at appears to be composed of 3 solid layers of bamboo glued? & pressed together.

Needmore, do you remember if your flooring had aluminum oxide finish? This I think would have the most durable finish.

[needmore]

Are there any updates on this topic? I'm thinking about installing some bamboo flooring and wonder if there's any new info. The stuff I'm looking at appears to be composed of 3 solid layers of bamboo glued? & pressed together.

Needmore, do you remember if your flooring had aluminum oxide finish? This I think would have the most durable finish.

I think that is correct - the European recipe as I recall. I just put some in a 3rd room.