When shopping for new cabinetry, people often look to balance visual appeal with their concern for the environment and their desire for durability. A choice for green cabinets that is rapidly gaining popularity is Bamboo—a rapidly renewable resource! In its recent interpretation as an engineered panel, bamboo demonstrates a sleek, modern sensibility that—together with its naturally warm tone & subtle texture—makes a beautiful combination for cabinetry.
Bamboo has over 1,200 species and is actually a type of grass, not a wood. Bamboo is one of the fastest growing woody plants in the world and can grow up to 24 inches or more per day, one-third faster than the fastest growing tree. The “moso” bamboo used for cabinets is one of the most ecologically-responsible alternatives to hardwood. It matures within 3 to 5 years, unlike hardwood which can take decades to regenerate. Bamboo remains intact when the stalks, known as “culms” are harvested, and its extensive root system allows for new “shoots” to grow immediately.
The regenerative aspects of Bamboo make it an ideal sustainable choice for construction, whereas wood harvested from hardwood trees can contribute to deforestation and soil erosion. A well-managed forest will ensure that trees are harvested and replanted responsibly, but, sadly, areas (including massive tracts of the Amazon) continue to be clear-cut or otherwise poorly managed. Current estimates indicate that we are losing an area of forestland equivalent to a football field every second (NRDC).
The value of Bamboo as a building material continues to grow as the global supply of traditional hardwood diminishes. Bamboo can actually help to control soil erosion; it works to stitch the soil together along deforested areas, and it can be grown with little or no irrigation, pesticides, or fertilizers. Moreover, the processing of Bamboo requires only a third of that required for wood to create a building material of the same capacity (Treehugger).
Important benefits of Bamboo as a cabinetry material include its hardness, durability, & stability. Bamboo is sometimes referred to as “green steel” for its amazing tensile strength and is also substantially harder than many hardwoods. Bamboo has great dimensional stability and, therefore, less tendency to warp, shrink, or swell than many woods; making bamboo a good candidate for kitchens or baths where higher moisture levels are present.
Of course, many cabinets have only a thin veneer of the finished material (often over a cheap substrate), so it is important to ask for solid, 3-ply panels (including a center cross-ply) made by a reputable manufacturer to get the full beauty & benefit of the bamboo material for your cabinet faces. Likewise, it is important to choose bamboo cabinets from a company with extensive experience working with bamboo (especially solid bamboo) and a solid reputation for quality, reliability and responsibility…befitting the amazing benefits of bamboo!
Oh…did it mention that bamboo is beautiful too?!
