What You Need to Know: Using Bamboo for Your Stairs

Bamboo has become popular in the past few years. It is desirable due to its sustainability and unique appearance. Bamboo is a unique material, and has some limitations compared to wood species you may be considering.

First, bamboo is a grass and not a tree. It is hollow and does not grow as tall or as big in circumference as a tree. The processing of bamboo requires cutting the grasses into ¼" x 1" strips and gluing together.

Bamboo is only available in shorter lengths. The small size works well for strips of flooring, however not as well for longer or larger items. Stairs typically require long lengths for handrails and stringers or skirt-boards. When using bamboo, this would require splicing or bolting shorter lengths together, leaving a visible and undesirable joint line.

A typical stair requires about 30 unique parts, such as treads, risers, stringers, cove, rails, rail fittings, newels, balusters and a variety of trim pieces. Most of these parts are not available in bamboo. Treads and risers are readily available in bamboo, while rails, newels and balusters are available on a very limited basis.

Due to both the nature of bamboo and availably of stair parts, a stair with bamboo would often utilize bamboo treads to match the flooring. Risers and stringers would be painted (using a paintable material). Rail, newel and baluster materials are typically chosen to match other trim in the home.

Hint: Be sure to use a carpet runner when using bamboo for treads. It is very slippery and can be dangerous to walk on.