Over the past couple of years we have been told that bamboo is cheap and an eco-friendly way to build your home. Because of this, bamboo is being used more and more for hardwood floors and even walls. The problem is that no one stopped to think if bamboo was the best choice. Bamboo is great for short term, but unless you are getting the right type of bamboo, it can become less and less of a good choice. The bamboo can and will start to erode and the structure will be weakened. This article will give you some reasons why this is, and ways you can avoid it.

Before the year 2000, bamboo is highly recommended in building a green home, but as bamboo got more and more popular, the harvesting started to increase. Bamboo needs at least five years to grow before you should harvest it and use it for building. To cash in early, many companies have harvested before that crucial five year period and that leads to the problem. Like I said above, the bamboo starts to lose its structure and durability fairly quickly if it is not grown for over five years. Many people would not be able to tell the difference between good bamboo and bamboo that was harvested early. Bamboo can still cost thousands of dollars, and who wants to waste that money when the wood will only be good for a couple of years? I do not think many people would make that choice.

Right now, it is almost impossible to tell the difference, but there are already talks about a rating system for bamboo. Three categories will be needed. Harvested after the five year period, harvested before the five year period and unknown. This is the best way to classify bamboo and will help a lot of people in the future. Like I said, this rating system is already being produced and is trying to get into all bamboo sales, but it is not in place yet.

Until this rating system happens, however, it is recommended to avoid using bamboo to build your green home. Yes, it may be tempting because it is a lot cheaper, but do you really want to remodel your floors or walls after only a few years? The risk is definitely not worth the inexpensiveness of the initial choice. So, for right now, avoid using bamboo to build your eco-friendly home and use it as a decoration instead.