Differences in Types and Construction Between Wood Flooring and Bamboo Flooring

The term "wood-based flooring" is used—rather than simply "wood flooring"—because current national standards group laminate flooring, engineered wood flooring, solid wood flooring, and cork flooring under this collective category. The wear-resistant surface layer of laminate flooring is predominantly made of aluminum oxide, not a coating. Thanks to modern manufacturing techniques involving textured press plates and specific material compositions, laminate flooring can now be produced with a textured surface finish.

Cork sheet flooring is a type of wood flooring made from the bark of the cork oak (*Quercus suber*); the highest-quality portions of this bark are typically reserved for producing wine corks. The surface of cork sheet flooring is finished with a lacquer coating, and the material is adhered to the subfloor using an adhesive. However, to facilitate easier installation and offer a wider range of designs, cork flooring is now also manufactured with a locking system; this type utilizes interlocking joints and is installed over the subfloor using a floating installation method.

Bamboo flooring is manufactured by bonding bamboo strips together and processing them into floorboards.
The surface structures of both wood and bamboo flooring fall into two categories: flat and non-flat. Flat surfaces are straightforward—smooth and even. Non-flat surfaces, however, feature textured finishes, such as wire-brushed, antique-style, and hand-scraped textures. In the production of wire-brushed flooring, the softer layer of the wood surface is removed, leaving only the harder grain exposed; this process highlights the wood's unique, one-of-a-kind grain pattern.

Distressed surface finishes involve creating various natural textures on the wood flooring—such as wormholes or signs of wear—to evoke a sense of age and history; this style may even incorporate inlaid wooden elements like dovetails or squares, or feature visible cracks in the surface.

Hand-scraped flooring is produced during the manufacturing process by using a special manual plane to create an uneven, textured surface on the wood.