• Font Size    

KDKA.com Consumer Web Extras

Does It Really Do That? (Recent Reports)
E-mail

Close Window E-mail This Page

Consumer Reports Rates Low-Cost Flooring Solutions

Required fields are marked with an asterisk(*)

The information you provide will be used only to send the requested e-mail and will not be used to send any other e-mail communications. Read more in our Privacy Policy

Send E-mail

   Print     Share +   
Jul 10, 2009 5:42 pm US/Eastern

Consumer Reports Rates Low-Cost Flooring Solutions

MORE: ConsumerReports.org

(KDKA) When it comes to replacing floors in your home, the price tag can get pretty high.

And with consumers looking for lower-cost flooring solutions, experts say the sale of bamboo floors are on the rise.

Bamboo floors are becoming more popular not only because they are cheaper than oak, but because bamboo is very eco-friendly since it grows faster than trees.

So Consumer Reports tested 21 different types of hardwood flooring, including seven bamboo floors ranging in price from $4 a square foot to $9.

The floors were put through a battery of tests including an abrasion test that simulates years of foot traffic, a test designed to see how easily a floor scratches and another test that shows how well a floor can withstand denting.

Also, a wide variety of substances, including ketchup and crayons, are placed on each of the floors to test stain resistance.

Testers say the Anderson Pacific Cumberland oak floor received the lowest rating, while two bamboo floors out-performed all of the hard woods.

Consumer Reports' tests found that bamboo flooring has gotten much tougher.

There's a new manufacturing technique that shreds the bamboo into strands, which are then glued together with an adhesive that creates less emissions than with traditional bamboo floors.

The top-rated floor was the EcoTimber Strand Woven Honey bamboo. At $5.50, it was named a Consumer Reports Best Buy.

Consumer Reports testers say they also found the Bruce Dundee Plank to be the traditional hardwood flooring Best Buy. It costs about the same as the Eco Timber at $5.70 a square foot.

MORE INFORMATION:  ConsumerReports.org

(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

Featured Slideshows On KDKA.com

You need the latest Flash player to view video content.
Click here to download.

Click here to bypass this detection if you already have the latest Flash Player.

Consumer Reports

Top News Stories

© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.