How Much Does Bamboo Flooring Cost?
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Thinking about new flooring for your home but concerned about environmental sustainability? Bamboo flooring may be the right choice. Bamboo flooring costs range from $1,500 to $15,000, with the national average at $6,000.
- Typical Range: $1,500 to $15,000
- National Average: $6,000
Bamboo flooring is a trendy and eco-friendly option that impresses homeowners with its unique look and durability. This popular flooring option accepts stains just like hardwood and can add a modern appearance to a home. According to HomeAdvisor, bamboo flooring costs can range from $1,500 to $15,000, with the national average at $6,000. This comes out to $5 to $15 per square foot, including labor and materials. Here, we’ll examine bamboo flooring pros and cons, what factors go into bamboo flooring costs, additional price considerations, the different types of bamboo hardwood floors, and what questions to ask about bamboo floor installation.
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Factors in Calculating Bamboo Flooring Cost
Many factors impact bamboo flooring cost. Prices can differ from the national average due to the area needing to be covered, bamboo type, quality, brand, and labor costs.
Area Covered
The price of flooring materials isn’t the only expense for new flooring installation. Prepping the area for new flooring involves getting rid of the existing flooring, which can raise the price of labor. Typically, the larger the area that needs to be covered, the more expensive it will be since more flooring material is required, and a large amount of old flooring will need to be hauled away. It’ll cost between $1,250 and $2,500 to install a bamboo floor in a 250-square-foot room and between $7,000 and $20,000 to install bamboo wood flooring in a 2,500-square-foot home. Homeowners can typically find the average cost to install bamboo floors by multiplying the total installation area by $8.
Bamboo Type and Quality
Bamboo flooring is available in different types and various colors. Bamboo flooring costs can fluctuate due to the quality and variety of bamboo. Older and more mature bamboo is a more rigid flooring material and is considered higher quality than younger, softer options. Different types of bamboo flooring include horizontal, vertical, strand-woven, and engineered bamboo flooring. The prices of these types vary depending on how the bamboo strands are arranged and how the materials are treated.
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Brand
Pricing for bamboo flooring installation also depends on the brand of flooring you choose. Expect to pay anywhere between $2 to $11 per square foot, not including labor costs, depending on the brand. Here are some of the most popular bamboo flooring brands and their average prices per square foot.
- Lifeproof: $3 to $4
- ECOfusion: $3 to $9
- Cali Bamboo: $3.50 to $8
- Islander: $4.50 to $6.50
- Teragren: $6 to $9
Labor
Labor costs average between $30 and $45 per hour or $2.50 to $6 per square foot. Labor doesn’t include only the installation cost, but it also consists of the precise measurements of the area, planning, preparation, cutting the bamboo boards, and cleaning up. Prepping the area can involve ensuring that the surrounding walls, cabinets, flooring, and molding are protected during the installation process. Labor prices can fluctuate due to the experience level of the installers and your geographic area. Labor costs are typically more expensive in densely populated urban areas, where living costs are higher than in more rural areas.
Additional Costs and Considerations
When budgeting for bamboo flooring costs, it’s helpful to know any additional price factors and considerations that can increase the price of the installation project. These can include supplier cost differences; additional costs for subfloor installation, preparation, or floor removal; molding and baseboard repair or replacement; and staining and finish.
Supplier
Depending on the brand, quality, and supplier of bamboo flooring, the price can range between $2 and $11 per square foot. Here are some of the average prices per square foot for uninstalled flooring by some of the most popular bamboo flooring distributors.
- Lumber Liquidators: $2 to $4
- The Home Depot: $2 to $6
- Lowe’s: $2 to $7.50
- Wayfair: $2.50 to $10
- BuildDirect: $3 to $4
Subfloor Installation, Preparation, or Floor Removal
Bamboo flooring costs often include preparing the subfloor and removing the existing floor. If the subfloor needs replacement or repair, installation costs can significantly bump up. Repairing a subfloor can cost between $500 and $720, joist repair can run from $40 to $60 per square foot, and repairing hardwood flooring averages between $450 and $1,500. Any type of bamboo flooring can be installed on top of wood subfloors. For concrete subfloors, only engineered bamboo flooring can be used. If a homeowner wants to add a foam subfloor or vapor barrier, this can add $2 to $4 per square foot.
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Moldings and Baseboards
Putting in new flooring involves removing the molding, baseboards, and trim—which adds time and money to a project. The exact additional cost will depend on how much trim you have, its style, and if you want to replace the old trim with a new one.
Finish and Staining
Bamboo flooring typically comes prefinished to avoid the additional costs to finish and stain it. Unfinished bamboo flooring can be stained to match the color scheme of your home, although buying finished bamboo flooring costs less than hiring a pro to stain unfinished flooring.
Bamboo Flooring Types
How much you’ll pay for bamboo flooring depends on the type, quality, and style you choose. Older, more mature bamboo is considered higher quality than younger and softer bamboo. Since bamboo is grass and not hardwood, there are many different ways to construct bamboo flooring planks. Bamboo flooring is versatile and available in many finishes and color options. Here are the most common types of bamboo flooring options.
Engineered Bamboo Flooring
Engineered bamboo flooring has a thin layer of bamboo veneer on top of a wooden flooring substrate. This type of bamboo flooring is typically less expensive than solid bamboo, and some homeowners avoid this option since it cannot be refinished.
Horizontal Bamboo Flooring
Horizontal bamboo flooring is designed from thin layers of bamboo that have been cut into strips that are glued side by side to show the grain and knots within the stalks. Multiple layers of lacquer are added for a protective finish. This solid bamboo flooring has an attractive, wide-grain pattern.
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Vertical Bamboo Flooring
Vertical bamboo flooring is also solid flooring in which thin, small strips are dried, glued together, and arranged vertically to create a more consistent flooring design. These planks are usually fitted together with a tongue-and-groove installation method, and they’re finished and protected by layers of lacquer. The grain pattern in vertical bamboo flooring is thinner and less evident than in horizontal planks.
Strand-Woven Bamboo Flooring
The most expensive option, strand-woven bamboo flooring is constructed of shredded fibers, strands, and thin strips of bamboo. They are combined with resin and heat compressed with extreme pressure to form flooring planks. Strand-woven bamboo flooring is considered more durable and versatile than horizontal or vertical bamboo flooring. The planks have a random grain pattern, and tiger strand-woven bamboo flooring uses dark and light-colored bamboo strips to create more visual interest. Strand-woven flooring can click together or have a tongue-and-groove fitting profile. It’s available in various plank lengths and widths and can be engineered or solid bamboo.
Benefits of Choosing Bamboo Flooring
Bamboo flooring continues to be more and more popular with homeowners and developers due to its durability, strength, cost-effectiveness, and sustainability. There are plenty of benefits for homeowners and installers—and the environment—when it comes to bamboo flooring.
Easy Installation
Bamboo flooring is easy to install, and some homeowners even decide to install it themselves. Solid and engineered flooring can be installed either by floating it over an underlay, gluing it down to a subfloor, and nailing or screwing it down. Some bamboo flooring planks are available as click flooring to make installation as easy as possible.
Sustainable Choice
Bamboo isn’t a hardwood but a grass that can quickly mature in 5 years. For comparison, trees take 30 to 50 years to reach maturity. Bamboo also will continue to grow without replanting since the root system is left in place during harvesting. This also means a lesser chance of erosion since the soil isn’t being disturbed. Bamboo is harvested by hand, so there’s generally less damage to the surrounding area. To ensure the bamboo flooring you choose is environmentally friendly, look for the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification that guarantees the company harvesting the bamboo is not harming animal life, plants, or forests.
Durability
Strand-woven bamboo flooring is twice as durable as oak hardwood flooring. The horizontal and vertical solid bamboo flooring options are comparable to the durability of oak flooring and are a good choice for flooring throughout the home.
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