How to choose outdoor Bamboo Flooring Boards for Your Home Garden?
When choosing outdoor bamboo flooring for your home garden, you need to understand the specific type of bamboo, its treatment, and how it performs in outdoor conditions. Here's a comprehensive guide to help you make the right choice.
1. Choose the Right Type: Strand-Woven Bamboo is Essential
For outdoor use, "strand-woven bamboo" is the only suitable option. Unlike standard vertical or horizontal bamboo, strand-woven bamboo is made by compressing bamboo fibers under extremely high pressure (typically 2,700–4,000 tons), creating a board that is denser and harder than traditional hardwoods like teak or IPE.
- Density: 1,100–1,200 kg/m³ (much higher than standard timber's 600–900 kg/m³)
- Janka Hardness: more than double that of wood, ensuring exceptional resistance to scratches, dents, etc, which makes bamboo decking boards highly durable for outdoor environments.
- Thickness: 18mm to 20mm is recommended for outdoor use, ensuring its optimal stability and long-term load-bearing performance. There are also other thicknesses to choose from, for example, 30mm or 40mm; however, 18mm and 20mm are enough.
2. Ensure Proper Treatment for Outdoor Durability
Outdoor bamboo must undergo specialized treatment to survive sun, rain, and humidity:
- Carbonization: The bamboo is high-heat treated at 160–220°C to remove moisture, sugars, and other elements inside bamboo. This makes it naturally resistant to termites, fungi, and moisture absorption—without relying on toxic chemicals.
- Anti-Slip Surface: There are several textured surfaces (small wave, big wave, or grooved patterns) in our company that provide R10 slip resistance ratings, especially important for wet garden conditions.
- Anti-corrosion treatment: Add preservative to minimize rot and decay in humid climates.
3. Verified Certifications and Standards
Quality outdoor bamboo flooring should carry recognized certifications. Fujian Golden Bamboo Industry Co., Ltd is a professional manufacturer of strand-woven bamboo decking boards, with many certificates for global compliance:
**FSC**: Responsibly sourced bamboo from managed forests
**E1 standard**: Compliance with EU safety and environmental standards
**Slip Resistance (oil-wet ramp test)**: R10 rating
**Fire Rating**: Class B1-fs fire resistance for safety
**Durability Class 1**: Highest durability classification (EN 350 standard)
**Use Class 4**: Suitable for ground contact in outdoor applications.
4. Understand Color and Finish Options
Outdoor bamboo decking typically comes in carbonized tones only; normally, there are two main colors: one is a medium carbonized-brown color, the other is a deep carbonized-dark color, as the deep heat treatment naturally darkens the fibers. The boards usually come **pre-oiled** with high-quality penetrating oils to provide initial water resistance.
5. Plan for Installation and Expansion
Proper installation is critical for longevity:
- **Acclimation**: Keep the boards in a dry, shaded place before installation; avoid the sunshine and rain.
- **Ground Clearance**: Clean up the worksite, make sure the ground is flat and stable.
-**Base Preparation**: Use a leveled subframe for support, such as aluminum or treated timber or bamboo joist, to make sure the bamboo decking stays away from the ground.
- **Expansion Gaps**: Leave 6-7 mm gaps between boards to avoid expansion under sunshine or rain.
- **Fastening**: Use **hidden stainless steel clips** rather than face-screwing, which compromises the water-resistant surface and increases installation time and beautiful look. REBO bamboo decking is all matched with hidden stainless steel clips and screws for easy installation.
6. Budget and Lifespan Expectations
If you have enough budget, bamboo decking is a good choice for your garden. Its lifespan can be 20-30 years with proper and regular maintenance. REBO bamboo decking also provide a 25-year warranty for quality assurance.
7. Maintenance Requirements
Bamboo decking is low-maintenance but not no-maintenance; it needs regular maintenance to keep its appearance and prevent weathering.
- **Maintenance after installation** there must be dust and scratches on the bamboo decking boards after installation, so easy maintenance is suggested to keep the surface clean.
- **Every 6 months:** Regular maintenance to clean and re-oil the bamboo decking boards every six months.
8. Consider Sun Exposure Protection
Direct sunlight is the primary enemy of outdoor bamboo, causing color fading, surface cracking, and thermal expansion. Proper protection to the bamboo decking can prolong its use life:
- Installing pergolas, awnings, or shade sails over high-exposure areas
- Choosing bamboo decking boards with higher UV resistance ratings
- Avoiding placement of hot objects directly on the surface
In conclusion, there are several factors to be considered:
✅ **Strand-woven** construction only
✅ **Density** ≥1,100 kg/m³
✅ **carbonization** treatment
✅ **Anti-slip** surface texture (R10/R11)
✅ **FSC/INTERTEK/SGS** certifications
✅ **Pre-oiled** with quality penetrating oil
✅ **Proper acclimation** and hidden clip installation
✅ **Realistic maintenance** commitment (re-oiling every 6 months)
By focusing on these factors, you'll select outdoor bamboo decking flooring that combines sustainability, durability, and natural beauty for your garden space.
Fujian Golden Bamboo Industry Co., Ltd. is a leading manufacturer of bamboo decking in China. The factory produces high-quality, eco-friendly bamboo products for both domestic and international markets. The bamboo products are made from compressed bamboo material and are treated under high heat and carbonization treatment, forming stable carbon-based bamboo boards. For more information about our bamboo products, please kindly contact us at:
email: rebo@fjgoldenbamboo.com
Whatsapp: +86 18159608600