We are finding more and more terraces with an exotic look to give a holiday atmosphere to the outdoors. These terraces are often made of exotic woods (ipe, teak, itauba...). However, bamboo is an emerging material for the construction of terraces. Terraces made of thermopressed bamboo strips have a visual effect similar to that of exotic wood terraces. Bamboo is an interesting alternative to exotic woods. We will present you the advantages and disadvantages of this material for terraces before discussing the protection of a thermopressed bamboo terrace.
WHAT IS A THERMOPRESSED BAMBOO TERRACE ?
CHARACTERISTICS OF A THERMOPRESSED BAMBOO TERRACE
Bamboo is a naturally putrescible material, it is not resistant to mould and insect attacks. Before it can be used on terraces, bamboo must be treated at a high temperature. This is a treatment that increases the durability and stability of the bamboo to make it suitable for outdoor use on terraces. After this treatment, the bamboo is referred to as thermopressed bamboo and the bamboo is then resistant to external aggressions (moulds, parasitic insects).
THE ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF A BAMBOO TERRACE
Bamboo is a material that is emerging because of its many advantages. Bamboo terraces deform and expand very little compared to conventional wooden terrace boards. Bamboo terrace boards are yellow brown or dark brown in colour, which gives your terrace an exotic look. After undergoing thermo treatment, bamboo has a resistance equivalent to that of exotic wood species.
The disadvantages include splintering on bamboo terraces, which is particularly problematic around swimming pools. Its price remains relatively expensive even if it is cheaper than exotic woods.
WHY MAINTAIN A THERMOPRESSED BAMBOO TERRACE ?
Thermopressed bamboo terraces will lighten over time under the effect of UV or weather conditions. Eventually, without a treatment for bamboo deck boards, your terrace will become grey. Bamboo deck boards can also deteriorate and some may form splinters.
To protect a bamboo terrace and slow down the greying of the bamboo, we advise you to use a protective resin such as Special Bamboo Resin RSB600. This product is semi-film-forming, so the bamboo resin will not flake and will create a light film on the surface of the bamboo to prevent splinters from forming on bamboo terrace boards. In order to reinforce the protection of bamboo against UV rays, the Special Bamboo Resin RSB600 is lightly tinted (natural bamboo colour) because the pigments allow the protection of bamboo terraces against UV rays. This product works as a saturator for bamboo decks, it nourishes the wood in depth. Unlike a classic saturator, its semi-film-forming appearance protects your bamboo deck from splinters.
We advise you to maintain bamboo terraces regularly every year or even every two years on average. Spring, with its ideal temperatures, is the right time to apply a new layer of bamboo resin to your terrace.
We do not recommend the application of an oil on a bamboo terrace as this product will tend to darken the material, especially if you are not used to applying oils.
HOW TO RENOVATE A THERMOPRESSED BAMBOO TERRACE ?
If you have never protected your bamboo deck, your bamboo deck boards may become very dull or blackened. It is then time to renovate your bamboo terrace.
In case your bamboo terrace is dull like a "grey veil" on the surface of the boards, it is advisable to sober up your bamboo terrace. For this, we recommend the Degreaser DG105. After applying the degreaser to a bamboo terrace, you can apply the protective bamboo terrace resin.
If your terrace is blackened or dirty, we recommend using a cleaning product such as Wood Cleaner N100 or its concentrated version the Concentrated Wood Cleaner N140, which can be used to clean bamboo terraces thoroughly. They are very suitable for blackened or dirty bamboo. After application, you can apply the Special Bamboo Resin RSB600.
If you have already applied a previous finish (varnish, oil) and the rendering does not suit you, you can renovate the bamboo terrace boards. In this case, you will need to sand or strip the boards before applying the protective product for bamboo decks Special Bamboo Resin RSB600.
