Eco-friendly bamboo flooring with the warm look of wood and the hardness to match, in strand-woven, engineered and solid options. Supplied and fitted by one team since 2013, with free site visits across the UAE.
Or call +971 56 689 9831
Bamboo flooring is hard-wearing, wood-look flooring made from compressed bamboo, a fast-growing renewable grass rather than a timber. It gives the warm look of a wooden floor with strong durability, especially in strand woven form, and this bamboo floor covering is a popular eco-friendly alternative to hardwood, sometimes called bamboo hardwood flooring. Urban Flooring supplies and fits bamboo flooring across Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
Note: this page is about indoor bamboo flooring. Outdoor bamboo decking is a different product.
Bamboo stalks are sliced into strips or shredded into fibres, then compressed with adhesive under heat and pressure into solid planks. How it is processed decides the type and the hardness: the more the bamboo is compressed, the harder the floor. Strand-woven, made from shredded fibres pressed together, is the densest and hardest of the three.
The three main types differ in how the bamboo is processed, which sets the hardness and stability. Bamboo comes in natural blonde and carbonised brown tones, plus stained grey, white and black finishes to suit modern interiors.
Shredded bamboo fibres compressed under high pressure, the hardest and most durable type. Strand-woven rates around 3,000 or more on the Janka hardness scale, harder than many hardwoods, which makes it well suited to busy homes.
A bamboo veneer, often strand-woven, over a stable core, fitted click or glue-down. Dimensionally stable and a good choice over air-conditioning-cycled subfloors.
Classic solid planks in horizontal or vertical grain. Horizontal shows the natural bamboo nodes; vertical is more streamlined.
| Type | How it is made | Hardness | Fitting | Indicative cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strand-woven | Shredded fibres compressed under high pressure | Highest, around 3,000 or more Janka | Glued or nailed, not floated | AED 160 to 300/sqm |
| Engineered | Bamboo veneer over a stable core | High | Click or glue-down | AED 110 to 200/sqm |
| Solid | Bamboo strips pressed into planks | Moderate | Glue-down | AED 130 to 230/sqm |
Indicative supply-and-fit ranges for guidance only, subject to type, grade, finish and area.
Indoor bamboo flooring has its own international standard, ISO 21629-1, published in 2021, which sets technical requirements and test methods for laminated, scrimber, composite and flattened bamboo floors. Scrimber is the industry term for the strand-woven boards above. Asking whether a range is made to ISO 21629-1 is a quick way to separate a properly specified floor from an unspecified import.
Bamboo is a grass, not a timber, and grows back far faster than hardwood trees, maturing in around three to five years against decades for oak or walnut, and regrowing from the same root without replanting.
Strand-woven bamboo uses shredded fibre, including offcuts from other bamboo production. That renewable cycle is what makes bamboo an eco-friendly wood-look floor, and it sits alongside cork and natural linoleum among the eco-friendly flooring options we fit in the UAE.
Bamboo is chosen when someone wants a real wood look from a renewable material. Strand-woven bamboo is harder than many hardwoods, so it takes daily traffic well, and it costs less than premium solid timber. It is warmer underfoot than tile or stone, and solid and thicker boards can be sanded back.
Honest note: bamboo is a natural material, so it is sensitive to humidity swings and is not waterproof. It suits air-conditioned interiors well, but for bathrooms, wet kitchens and other wet areas, vinyl or SPC is the right choice. We acclimatise the boards before fitting.
Three honest limits. Bamboo is a natural material, so it is sensitive to humidity swings and is not waterproof, which is why we fit vinyl or SPC in bathrooms and wet kitchens. Strand-woven boards are glued or nailed, never floated, so the subfloor has to be sound and flat. And only solid and thicker boards sand back, so a thin veneer is a one-life floor.
Bamboo and solid hardwood look similar but differ in cost, hardness and sustainability. In short: bamboo wins on renewability and on price, and strand-woven wins on hardness. Hardwood wins on refinishing life and on the range of species and grains available. Both are sensitive to humidity, so neither belongs in a wet room. Prefer a warmer, softer renewable option? See how bamboo vs cork compares on comfort, durability and cost.
| Feature | Bamboo | Solid Hardwood |
|---|---|---|
| Material | Fast-growing grass | Slow-growing timber |
| Hardness | High (strand-woven) | Varies by species |
| Sustainability | Renewable, 3 to 5 yr | Decades to mature |
| Cost | Often lower | Mid to premium |
| Refinishing | Solid/thick: yes | Yes, multiple times |
| Humidity | Sensitive | Sensitive |
For the full range of timber options, see our wood flooring page.
Best for air-conditioned interiors: living rooms, bedrooms, studies, dining rooms and hallways in villas and apartments. For bathrooms, wet kitchens and other consistently wet areas, we steer clients to vinyl or SPC instead. Bamboo suits any room that stays under steady air conditioning, which in practice means most of a UAE villa or apartment apart from the wet rooms. Strand-woven is the type to specify for hallways and other high-traffic runs.
Bamboo price depends mainly on the type, with strand-woven the most durable and the most premium. Bamboo in Dubai runs from around AED 110/sqm to AED 300/sqm (about AED 10.2 to 27.9/sqft) supplied and fitted. Engineered sits at the lower end, solid in the middle, and strand-woven at the top for its hardness. That places bamboo near engineered wood and below premium solid hardwood. Indicative supply-and-fit guide:
| Type | Per sqm (AED) | Per sqft (AED approx) |
|---|---|---|
| Engineered bamboo | 110 to 200 | 10.2 to 18.6 |
| Solid bamboo | 130 to 230 | 12.1 to 21.4 |
| Strand-woven bamboo | 160 to 300 | 14.9 to 27.9 |
Strand-woven sits highest for its hardness; bamboo generally sits near engineered wood and below premium solid hardwood; larger areas attract better rates.
Indicative supply-and-fit ranges for guidance only, subject to type, grade, finish and area. Request a free site visit for an exact quote.
Bamboo is a natural material, so preparation and acclimatisation matter, particularly with the UAE's air-conditioning cycles. Fitting runs in six stages: type and finish advice, a free site visit with a written quote, acclimatisation while the boards adjust to the room, subfloor cleaning, levelling and a moisture check, then installation by the method the type calls for, and care guidance on handover.
Dubai is our home market, from apartments and villas to studies and living spaces. Abu Dhabi is our second core market, including Saadiyat Island, Yas Island, Al Reem Island, Al Raha Beach and Khalifa City.
Beyond the two, we supply and fit across all seven emirates, with free site visits throughout the areas we serve.
Yes, for air-conditioned interiors. Bamboo is hard-wearing, eco-friendly and gives a warm wood look, which suits living rooms, bedrooms and dining areas in villas and apartments. It is not waterproof, so for bathrooms and wet areas we suggest vinyl or SPC. We advise room by room during a free site visit.
Yes, particularly strand-woven bamboo, which is made from compressed fibres and rates around 3,000 or more on the Janka hardness scale, harder than many hardwoods. With proper care bamboo floors commonly last 20 to 25 years or more. Everyday durability depends on the type, with strand-woven the toughest.
They are close. Bamboo is more affordable and more sustainable, since it regrows in a few years, and strand-woven bamboo is very hard. Solid hardwood offers a wider species choice and a traditional appeal, and refinishes well. Both are humidity-sensitive natural floors. We fit both and advise per project.
No, bamboo is not waterproof. Like other natural wood-family floors it can be damaged by standing water and reacts to humidity swings, so it is not suited to bathrooms or wet areas. It performs well in air-conditioned living spaces. For wet rooms we recommend vinyl or SPC instead.
Strand-woven bamboo is made by shredding bamboo into fibres and compressing them under high heat and pressure, which produces the hardest and most durable type of bamboo flooring. It rates around 3,000 or more on the Janka scale, harder than many hardwoods, and is the best choice for busy households.
Carbonising is a heat treatment that darkens bamboo to a caramel brown right through the plank, so the colour is not a surface stain and will not wear off. The trade-off is hardness: the heat softens the fibres, so a carbonised board is noticeably less hard than the same board left natural. If you want the dark tone and the hardness, ask for stained strand-woven rather than carbonised.
Yes, more so than most timber. Bamboo is a grass that matures in three to five years and regrows from the same root without replanting, against decades for hardwood trees. Strand-woven bamboo uses shredded fibre, including offcuts from other bamboo production, which adds to its eco credentials.
As an indicative guide, supply and fit runs from around AED 110/sqm (about AED 10.2/sqft) for engineered bamboo up to around AED 300/sqm for premium strand-woven. Bamboo sits near engineered wood and below premium solid hardwood. Type and finish drive the price. Request a free site visit.
Both. Urban Flooring is a supply-and-installation company. One team handles type advice, acclimatisation, subfloor preparation, measurement and fitting, so there is a single point of accountability. Bamboo in particular needs proper acclimatisation before fitting. Free site measurement comes as standard.
For a warm, hard-wearing and eco-friendly wood-look floor in your living spaces, we supply and fit strand-woven, engineered and solid bamboo, with a free site visit and written quote before any work starts.
Or call +971 56 689 9831
Urban Flooring Maintenance and Decor Works 7 24A Street, Al Quoz Industrial First, Al Quoz, Dubai, UAE