Bamboo Flooring (engineered)

Bamboo flooring is a composite made up bamboo, typically Moso (Phyllostachys Pubescens) bamboo, a resin, and may be finished or unfinished. The majority of bamboo used in North America is imported from China. Prior to shipment, bamboo is typically treated with a borate solution via immersion and/or spray for protection from mildew and pests. The flooring may be constructed as a solid plank - strips of bamboo mixed with resin and cured under heat and pressure - or engineered. Engineered bamboo floors are constructed in layers, typically three, of varying orientations, which are bound together with resin. In some cases, the top wear layer is the only bamboo portion and wood makes up the substrate layers. However, it's typical that the wear as well as substrate layers are constructed with bamboo. Formaldehyde based resins remain the most common on the market, however many manufacturers offer No Added Urea Formaldehyde (NAUF) resins, typically phenol formaldehyde resin. A small number of manufacturers offer no added formaldehyde (NAF) resins as standard or optional. NAF resins are typically isocyanate based or a soy flour polyamide-epichlorohydrin (PAE) resin. Bamboo floors are available with a variety of staining colors, but is typically offered natural or carbonized/caramelized, a darker color acheived via heat treatment which caramelizes the sugars in the bamboo. Bamboo flooring is available unfinished, but is more typically sold with a multi-layer UV urethane acrylate finish containing aluminum oxide for added protection and scratch resistance. This CP characterizes a NAUF bamboo floor, constructed of borate treated bamboo fibers throughout with a UV urethane acrylate finish containing aluminum oxide.