One of the most popular types of flooring that has gained tremendous praise and growth in sales over the last couple of decades is bamboo. Due to its excellent texture, resilience, eco-friendliness, and aesthetic appeal, homeowners across the world are investing more of their money into bamboo floors. However, bamboo has some limitations, specifically with its color. You see, unlike hardwood, bamboo is harvested and processed with a pre-finish. It’s a lot harder to find bamboo flooring in different colors. This begs the question, Can you whitewash bamboo floors?
Technically, yes, you can whitewash bamboo flooring, but it will depend on whether you can meet certain requirements and factors. Bamboo tends to be more resistant to the absorption of stains and tints but it is possible to whitewash bamboo floors by sanding it down and applying the correct type and consistency of white stain to the floor. Bamboo floors with a veneer thicker than 2mm are a good candidate for being refinished and whitewashed.
Quite recently, I wrote an in-depth article discussing how to stain bamboo flooring. The process is very similar to that of staining hardwood floors, bar the usage of specific products for bamboo, and finer grit paper.
Despite it being possible to whitewash bamboo floors, the end result may not be as beautiful or qualitative as it would be in the case of hardwood floors.
Keep your expectations low but also aim for a subtle whitewash effect for the best possible result.
What Is Whitewashing?
In the event that you are unfamiliar with whitewashing floors, allow me to explain as simply and effectively as I can.
Without tarnishing or hiding the natural grain and texture, whitewashing is a technique used to lighten the appearance of wood.
Through a process of applying an extremely light or watered-down white stain onto the wood, the overall color of the wood is whitened without completely blocking or impeding the visibility of the natural grain and texture.
This is how wood is stained white without appearing as if it has a thick matte layer of paint on top of the surface.
Simply put, whitewashing creates a semi-transparent or translucent layer of white on wood floors without altering or sabotaging the appearance of the wood.
It’s a wonderful technique aimed at also saving homeowners from having to spend ridiculous amounts of money to completely remove and replace their pre-existing wooden floors.
The Problem With Whitewashing Bamboo
Despite a great rate of success with whitewashing most types of wood like pine, ash, and more, bamboo offers some unique challenges due to its composition which is incredibly smooth and dense.
Unlike hardwood floors, bamboo flooring is actually processed and constructed from mature bamboo which is categorized as a type of grass. This means that its structural composition is slightly different from other types of wood flooring.
It’s a bit harder for stains to seep in and cure on bamboo floors, especially if it’s of a lower quality.
What I’ve found is that strand-woven, solid, and carefully engineered bamboo is much better suited for Whitewashing rather than bamboo processed from thin veneers or other filler materials.
Another issue with bamboo is actually its natural variation of colors. Due to the wide range of natural hues, from light yellow tones to darker caramel shades, it’s hard to reach the desired whitewashing state that can be achieved with other forms of wood flooring.
As long as you consider the color and grain of the bamboo before attempting to whitewash it, you should be able to avoid any potential catastrophes.
In the event that whitewashing bamboo floors isn’t a good option for you, there are other alternative options at your disposal.
For one, you could consider investing in specially engineered bamboo flooring that comes with a much lighter finish than solid bamboo flooring on the market. These pre-finished floors not only offer more variety in color but also possess more resilience and durability for added strength and protection from damage.
The only downside to engineered bamboo is that it costs considerably more than solid bamboo flooring since the manufacturing process requires the use of base material like fiberboard core or plywood.
How To Whitewash Bamboo Floors
Step 1: Prepare the floor
It is of paramount importance that the bamboo floors are free of dust, dirt, stains, and debris.
Dust and wipe down the floor until it is clean.
Thereafter, remove the floor panels if you can to avoid any damage or issues while whitewashing.
Step 2: Gather the necessary products
Once the floor has been prepared, acquire and arrange the necessary products.
You will need fine-grit sandpaper or a sander, brushes, a cloth, a sponge, white stain, gloves, and polyurethane.
There are two main stages to Whitewashing. The first stage deals with sanding down the boards that must be cleaned before staining.
The second stage deals with the application of the white stain to the newly sanded bamboo floors.
Step 3: Sand the floors
Use fine-grit sandpaper to avoid damaging or scratching the bamboo floor panels.
Without applying too much pressure, sand down the floorboards using a swift, consistent, and measured stroke in the direction of the grain.
This prevents any scratches or damages from occurring on the floors.
Once you’ve sanded all the floorboards, brush or wipe them clean.
Step 4: Apply the stain
Using a brush or sponge, apply the stain in an even and consistent layer in sections.
Before the stain begins to dry, use the dry sponge to remove most of the stain until a thin, semi-transparent layer remains. Remove enough of the stain until you can see enough of the natural grain from underneath the thin white layer that remains.
Continue until the entire floor has been stained according to your desire. Thereafter, wait a day or two for the stain to completely dry.
Step 5: Apply the top coat
Once the stain on the bamboo floors has dried, you can now proceed to apply the top coat or the sealant.
For this step, you’ll need to make use of the polyurethane.
Much like the stain, you should apply a thin, even, and consistent layer to the floor and allow it to dry for a day or two.
Final Thoughts
Given that bamboo flooring is a bit harder to stain and whitewash than other floors, it might be a good idea to consider consulting with a flooring expert before you attempt to stain your floors.
Please consider the quality of the floors and the natural color before proceeding.
Doing so will minimize the risk of damaging or destroying the appearance of the bamboo floors.
With that being said, I hope you found this article on whether you can whitewash bamboo floors to be insightful and useful. Be sure to also check out some of our other flooring articles linked below.
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