Bamboo Flooring Cost Guide in Sydney & NSW

Bamboo flooring is made up of a species of giant grass which is capable of reaching maturity in only 4 – 6 years, and can grow up to 30 metres tall! It’s no wonder that bamboo flooring rose to fame during the 2000’s – hailed as a sustainable and naturally gorgeous floor covering.

Interested in bamboo flooring? This article will breakdown the up-to-date cost of purchasing, installing and maintaining a beautiful bamboo floor in your own property!

Spoiler Alert: The typical cost of bamboo flooring in Australia as of 2021 is $70 – $120 for supply only with a further $30 -$40 for installation.

What Exactly is Bamboo Flooring?

Bamboo flooring is made from a simple manufacturing process which begins with breaking down bamboo fibres into fine strands. The fibres are then boiled and dried thoroughly to remove moisture before being cold/hot-pressed with resin at extremely high pressures to form raw bamboo board.

Most of these floorboards will also undergo staining for the diverse range of colour options which bamboo flooring comes in. Only ‘Bamboo Natural’ is left unstained, which displays – you guessed it – the natural colour of bamboo flooring.

Here are some common bamboo colours from the Greena Bamboo range:

Lime Wash	Natural	Sandy Beech	Dark Coffee	Charcoal

Interested in viewing more? You can browse our full range of Bamboo Flooring here!

Bamboo Flooring Benefits:

1. Very Durable – Strand woven bamboo flooring is the strongest natural flooring material. Most strand woven bamboo floors have a Janka Rating of over 15.0 which is 3 times tougher than the strongest hardwoods.
2. Natural Beauty – Bamboo flooring showcases a unique, beautiful strand woven grain which is well-loved amongst homeowners. They suit elegant and rustic ambiences alike.
3. Sustainable – Bamboo flooring is much more sustainable compared to timber based flooring as bamboo reaches maturity much faster. The majority of bamboo flooring are FSC Certified.
4. Floating Floor – All bamboo flooring products are floating floors which use click-lock systems. This means they do not require glue or nails during the installation process, which makes it much cheaper and quicker to install!
5. Can Be Water-Resistant – Our newer water-resistant bamboo floors are now suitable for even splash areas!

Cost of Purchasing Bamboo Flooring

Bamboo flooring prices are mid-ranged when compared with other types of flooring. They are a little more expensive than synthetic options like laminate flooring and hybrid flooring, but more affordable than engineered or solid timber ranges.

There are different types of bamboo flooring. Here are their respective prices:

1. Solid strand woven bamboo flooring is typically priced at $70 – $100 per square metre for supply only. The price varies between ranges and thicknesses, although most are 14mm thick.
2. Engineered bamboo flooring is generally slightly more affordable at $65 – $75 per square metre for supply only. Engineered bamboo are essentially a thin veneer of real bamboo material fused to a plywood base. This offers less warping from temperature and humidity fluctuations.
3. Waterproof engineered bamboo flooring is the most premium option, ranging around $100 – $120 per square metre for supply only. These are similar to normal engineered bamboo, only it uses a composite waterproof core instead of cheaper plywood. This protects the plank from warping, swelling or buckling even when exposed to moisture,
4. Vertical & horizontal bamboo flooring is cheaper at $40 – $50 per square metre, but also fell out of popularity due to its lower durability and longevity. FloorVenue has discontinued these as they do not meet our quality standards.

Cost of Installing Bamboo Floors

Bamboo flooring can be installed in two ways – floating installation or direct-stick installations. Floating floor installations are by far the most common one, however some prefer direct-stick as it offers greater dimensional stability and longevity.

Floating Floor Installation

Floating floor installations involve using the click-lock mechanism to lock each floorboard in place. Think of it as a giant jigsaw puzzle, where the forces of gravity and friction will hold the entire floor covering in place once the installation is complete. This is DIY friendly and can be easily installed by yourself to save costs.

Cost of Floating Installation – Most flooring companies or builders will charge $25 – $35 per square metre for bamboo floating floor installations.

Direct-Stick Installation

Direct-stick installations require glue to ‘directly stick’ the bamboo floorboards into the subfloor. This process is significantly more difficult and expensive than the floating installation alternative. The benefit is that it makes the bamboo floorboards less prone to warping from humidity/temperature fluctuations, making them last much longer structurally.

Cost of Direct-Stick Installation – You can expect to pay anywhere from $40 – $50 per square metre to direct-stick bamboo flooring onto the subfloor.

Cost of Maintaining Bamboo Floors (Protect, Clean, Refinish)

Maintaining your bamboo flooring involves protecting, cleaning and refinishing. Let’s begin with how long they tend to last.

How long does engineered bamboo flooring last?

Engineered timber flooring can last up to 30 years in the right conditions, with occasional maintenance as simple as a simple sweep or quick vacuum. In the event that your floor gets scratched, these planks can also be sanded 4-5 times in the duration of their lifespan provided that the timber veneer is thick enough. This can keep  your planks looking as good as new for many years to come. At FloorVenue, we recommend checking the warranty, as it is an indicator of how long you can expect the floors to last.

Cost of Protecting Bamboo Flooring

Although bamboo flooring is very strong and made even more scratch and dent resistant with surface lacquer coatings, it is always good practice to minimise potential abrasions. Furthermore, bamboo flooring is less resistant to moisture and water as bamboo is a very absorbent material.

1. Furniture Padding – Felt pads are very cheap, you accommodate for every furniture leg in a typical household with under $100. Whenever you move chairs, tables and sofas or other furniture, there is a risk of the furniture leg scratching the flooring. This can be completely avoided by installing soft furniture padding on each furniture leg.
2. Use Doormats –  This is the easiest way to keep out dirt, grime and water. It is advisable to place a doormat at every entrance, and even outside a bathroom door. Typical doormats cost only $20 – $30 and don’t require frequent replacements.
3. Avoid High Heels – Wearing high heels is a surefire way to scratching any residential purpose flooring. Although bamboo is strong, high heels are designed for areas with tiles and commercial grade flooring, which bamboo is not. Surprise, this has no cost!
4. Trim Pet Nails – If you have pets like cats or dogs, it is highly advisable to trim their nails to protect your flooring. Pet nail clippers cost around $20 per clipper, and electric ones cost up to $80. Be careful to avoid cutting the ‘quick’ which has nerves and blood vessels, as it can cause pain to your pets.

Cost of Cleaning Bamboo Flooring

As bamboo flooring is less water resistant than other types of flooring, it is necessary to take precaution when cleaning with water. It is advisable to do a sweep or mop every fortnight to keep your bamboo flooring looking beautiful. The cost of cleaning is time!

1. Squeeze the mop dry – Never mop bamboo flooring with an excessively wet mop, and definitely avoid flooding the floors. Your bamboo floors will drink water up like a stranded desert wanderer compared to other flooring like timber or laminate floors. Just kidding, it’s not that bad but you get the point right?
2. Use pH neutral cleaners – All natural materials should never be cleaned with acidic or basic cleaning products, as they can break down organic matter. These typically cost $10 – $20 per litre and can be found anywhere from Bunnings to your local cleaning store.
3. Avoid abrasive tools – The blacklist includes steel scrubbers, unpadded vacuum heads and outdoor brooms. Soft indoor brooms cost $10 – $20 and vacuum accessories like head padding can be found for $30 at hardware stores.

Cost of Refinishing Bamboo Flooring

It is inevitable that over time, the wear and tear of life catches up to your flooring. Every decade, it’s healthy to give your bamboo flooring a good face lift with sanding and polishing services which can make it look brand new. This is recommended every 5 – 10 years to maintain the fresh look.

Note that sanding and polishing bamboo flooring is very expensive and you might want to consider replacing them instead.

How is it done? Sanding and polishing involves using a sanding machine to rub away about one to two millimetres of the bamboo flooring’s surface to remove all the accumulated scratches. This is followed by a good polish with multiple coatings of either oil based or water based lacquer to boost its water resistance and make them gleaming new.

Here are the general costs of refinishing your bamboo floors in Sydney as of 2021:

1. Sanding & Polishing with oil based lacquer costs between $60 – $70 per square metre. Oil based lacquers (Also known as PU Coating) can leave a smelly odour for a few days which can be irritating although not particularly harmful.
2. Sanding & Polishing with water based lacquer costs slightly higher at $65 – $75 per square metre as the materials are slightly more expensive. The difference? You won’t have to deal with the smelly odours from the oil based counterpart.

Note that engineered bamboo floors may not have the option of sanding and polishing, as the thin veneer of real bamboo may not be thick enough to facilitate the refinishing. You wouldn’t want to risk exposing the plywood beneath!

Conclusion – Cost of Bamboo Flooring

That was definitely a mouthful, so here is a quick conclusion to sum it all up.

Costs: Bamboo flooring costs around $100 – $150 per square meter fully installed. If the floors are accumulating wear and tear, you can expect a $60 refinishing cost per square metre every decade or so for a brand new look.

Maintenance: Avoid using excess water when cleaning as bamboo flooring is more water-absorbent than most other floors unless you choose water-resistant Hydropro Bamboo. Stick to sweeping or vacuuming if possible.

Interested in browsing for bamboo flooring? Check out our full range of gorgeous strandwoven bamboo floors here!

You can learn more about bamboo flooring in our ultimate guide, or explore some of our popular brands with pros and cons.