While many people might not think of bamboo as an ideal material for a modern coffee table, bamboo coffee tables are actually very elegant pieces of furniture. They are every bit as beautiful and aesthetically appealing as your average coffee table made from wood, glass, or wrought iron. In addition, they are quite sturdy and durable, and offer the added benefit of being friendly to the environment.
What Actually is Bamboo?
Bamboo is actually a type of grass and not a wood that some believe it to be. It takes about a year for bamboo to reach its full height and another 5 to 7 years to mature fully and harden. Once those 5 to 7 years are up, it can be harvested and used to build furniture like coffee tables.
The major difference between bamboo and trees is their maturity time. As previously mentioned, bamboo only takes around 5 to 7 years to mature, while most trees take at least a decade to fully develop. Because it is ready to be harvested so quickly, bamboo is an ideal source material for furniture such as desks, dining tables, and modern coffee tables.
What Styles of Bamboo Coffee Tables are Available?
You will find 2 main styles of bamboo coffee table on the market today. The first is a very raw, rustic style that is typically used for outdoor purposes. If you have a nice patio or pool area outside your home, this style of bamboo coffee table would work quite well.
The second style of coffee table is your more traditional design that looks very similar to a wooden coffee table built from oak or mahogany. However, the process to manufacture these bamboo coffee tables is quite different. First, the bamboo is cut into thin strips, boiled, and than glued together. These glued stripes are then pressed together to form layers, and ultimately shaped into coffee tables. This process will result in a a table that resembles a hardwood coffee table.
How Do You Clean Bamboo Coffee Tables?
All bamboo tables can be cleaned the same way you would clean a wooden coffee table. You basically need a gentle cleaner designed to clean wood furniture and a couple soft rags. Just like wooden furniture, spilled water or drinks can leave watermarks and stains, so you want to be sure to clean up accidents immediately.
All in all, bamboo coffee tables are durable and elegant pieces of furniture with a wide variety of designs available to meet any stylistic demands.