Whether you’re in your dream home now or looking to upgrade down the road, giving your space a facelift can both boost its resale value and give you a fresh outlook for the new year. And what’s better than a home makeover? An easy home makeover you can do yourself — while on a budget. What’s even better than that? Building with eco-friendly, sustainable materials like bamboo and cork! Check out these 5 DIY home projects guaranteed to instantly revive your space and your life.

1. Create Eco Wall Art

Designer Cork Tile is the freshest new way to create  an accent wall. Layers of raw cork bark bring a touch of the outdoors to your design and brighten rooms. If you’re not ready to commit to a full wall of Designer Cork, framing a few tiles above a bed or mantle creates a focal-point that — depending on which style you choose (Sierra, Tundra or Meadow) — can be paired naturally with existing decor.

2. Freshen Your Floor

There’s a reason hardwood floors are always mentioned upfront and center on real estate postings.  They brighten and enrich rooms with their natural beauty and cut down on dust, allergies and upkeep. If you do find yourself with the opportunity to install a new floor (starting even with just one room) challenge yourself to go bold. Unexpected colors like Vintage Pearl may seem non-traditional, but  bring new light and life to a space.

Fossilized™ Vintage Pearl bamboo flooring

Fossilized™ Vintage Pearl bamboo flooring

Fossilized™ Vintage Pearl bamboo flooring extending up the wall and under the breakfast bar

Similarly, if you have some real stand-out pieces of furniture or artwork, darker hues like Antique Java and Coffee make everything pop (even pups!) and lend a richness to the space.

Fossilized™ Coffee bamboo flooring with Maddy the Maltese

Fossilized™ Antique Java bamboo flooring

3. Banish Chain Link and Cinder Block Walls with Bamboo

Is there a chain link fence or ugly cinder block wall creating an eyesore in your yard? Bamboo fencing is the easiest thing in the world to apply to existing fences and completely transform outdoor spaces. Check out the how-to video below.

Stained bamboo fencing installed over existing wood fence.

Black bamboo fencing used to cover a cinder block patio wall

4. Get Decked Out

Perhaps you’d like to move to a bigger house but now is just not the right time. Add square footage to your home while upping your resale value by building a deck. Nothing is better for outdoor entertaining, and with a material as durable and maintenance-free as BamDeck™, once it’s built it’s yours to enjoy forever.

Caramel Bamboo Composite Decking in Costa Rica

Slate BamDeck™ bamboo composite decking

5. Fencing as Interior Decor

Bring the outdoors in! Bamboo fencing is both beautiful and easy to work with, making it so much more than simply an outdoor element. Hundreds of customers have applied it to interior walls and ceilings with striking results. Fencing can also be easily stained or painted to complement your home’s aesthetic.

Natural bamboo fencing (2″ diameter poles) installed on a bedroom wall

Before and after: Natural 2″ bamboo fencing applied to a bedroom wall

Natural bamboo fencing (1″ diameter poles) installed on the ceiling

Black bamboo fencing used for an extensive ceiling installation

Like a good holiday meal, home improvement projects tend to yield some amount of leftovers. A large amount will end up in the trash or taking up space in the garage, but some lucky scraps get reimagined into new home decor, gifts, or just fun DIY crafts. A few of these “upcycled” odds and ends have inspired whole side businesses (see the bamboo beer-holder and wind chimes below) and others are simply great examples of green ingenuity. Enjoy these bamboo scrap transformations and please send pictures of your own to photos@calibamboo.com.

BAMBOO POLES

These wind chimes are made by Patsy Troxell out of painted driftwood (do you see the whale?) and spare bamboo pole pieces. See more of Patsy’s sea-themed work on her Etsy page: www.etsy.com/shop/patsytroxell

Cali Bamboo’s marketing director made these planter pots for his son’s preschool class. Using a thick moso bamboo pole cut just below the nodes using a circular or band saw. Then drill a hole in the bottom of the cup for drainage. Sand away any splintery edges and you have a sturdy yet sustainable seed starter cup.

These leftover half round poles have been cleverly repurposed for a multi-level herb garden. The bamboo’s sectional nodes provide natural separators for each plant.

Make a tree ornament with a slice of bamboo pole as a picture frame. Adorable kid not included.

Bamboo pole scraps uniquely re-cut and sanded for bracelets. The same technique could be used on thinner poles for napkin rings or earrings.

Seaside drink holders are just one repurposed product made by Surf Life Designs. They also make recliners out of old surf boards. See more at www.bombwatcher.com

Kids build and set sail DIY boats made of bamboo pole scraps. Ahoy!

Kathy, a Cali customer from Hollywood, FL used bamboo pole scraps of various colors and diameters to create amazing outdoor artwork on several gates in her backyard.

Traditional Okinawan weapons. (For use by responsible ninjas only.)

BAMDECK™ COMPOSITE BAMBOO DECKING

Architecture students at Kansas State University designed and built a massive wheelchair ramp using BamDeck™ composite decking, and repurposed all the scraps for benches and planters. (Waste not, want not!) Click the image to read more about their project.

A composite material as durable as BamDeck™ is perfect for other outdoor uses such as car roof racks.

BAMBOO FLOORING

Nate McVay, a Cali reseller and installer in the Reno-Tahoe area has made many recreations from his bamboo leftovers, but one of our favorites is this contemporary coffee table made from two different kinds of flooring. Learn more about his company at renewbamboo.com.

Although not designed to be an outdoor product, Cali Bamboo flooring makes for a beautiful sliding window shade on this home.

HOW TO GET THIS LOOK: Brad Ebeck of Hancole Design in Pittsburgh, PA (www.hancoledesign.com) applied Fossilized™ Cognac Cali Bamboo flooring to this kitchen wall — a great idea which can be easily replicated with your bamboo flooring leftovers. Simply measure out the space and cut your boards to fit. Use a stud finder to locate wall studs and mark them with a pencil. Then apply boards to the wall using liquid nails. For extra security you can use a nail gun at the wall studs, applying nails through the edge of the tongue of the boards at a 45 degree angle.

Leftover Fossilized™ Natural bamboo flooring used for a window frame.

The same customer used his bamboo flooring scraps to build a great DIY bookcase.

Leftover organic flooring scraps have been artfully added to this aquarium. Nemo has never been so green.

This family had leftover pieces of Fossilized™ Java flooring which they successfully incorporated into the Fossilized™ Natural installation in their home office.

BAMBOO PLYWOOD

This repurposed bamboo plywood coat rack shows sometimes the simplest designs are best.

Even the smallest plywood scraps can be reincarnated as classy drink coasters. A set of four makes a great DIY gift!

Marbled bamboo plywood finds new life as a statement-making coffee table.

Mirrors can make rooms appear larger, and the horizontal grain of this leftover marbled bamboo plywood creates the illusion of additional length.

Past Project of the Month winner, Ed of Vermont Fine Woodworking uses his bamboo plywood scraps to make custom picture frames.

Finding the right bamboo to floor your home can seem a daunting task. (And we’ll admit that with over 30 unique styles, we’re not making your decision any easier.) To help you along your journey here’s a handy infographic charting which floor is destined for you. Below you’ll find a cheat sheet decoding your additional options. Note that only 10 of Cali Bamboo’s top-sellers are represented here, many of which come in a variety of other sizes and styles. Your quest starts now!

Cali Bamboo® Floors DECODED

Fossilized™ vs Organic

Bamboo flooring manufactured in the traditional process is referred to as organic and has a classic, clean, streamlined look that shows off the bamboo pole’s original strips. Organic flooring comes in two different styles: horizontal and vertical. Horizontal features slightly wider strips with the natural nodes of the bamboo still visible. Vertical flooring has much thinner strips without the visible nodes. Both styles come in Natural and Mocha colors and sport 10 coats of UV-cured scratch-resistant coating.

Cali Bamboo’s version of “strand woven” flooring is referred to as Fossilized™ and has been tested as the world’s hardest floor. This makes it ideal for homes with an extra amount of foot/paw traffic. (All the floors in the infographic above are Fossilized™.) This proprietary process interweaves and compresses shredded bamboo fibers into an uber-dense block, enhancing both the color and grain contrast. Fossilized™ floors come in an array of shades and also feature the 10-coat scratch-resistant finish.

Wide Plank vs Standard

Several of Cali Bamboo’s Fossilized™ floors and all of our Organics come in either a standard narrow plank or a wide plank. Both styles boast outstanding durability; it simply depends on what type of installation and look you prefer. Wide planks are the more popular choice. They tend to have a more contemporary, expansive feel and take less time to install because fewer pieces are required. Some customers prefer the more traditional look of the standard planks which can add length to smaller spaces.

Click-Lock vs Tongue and Groove

The majority of Cali Bamboo floors are manufactured with a traditional tongue and groove design which allows for a glue down, nail down or floating installation. 2012 saw the introduction of CaliClick™ Fossilized™ bamboo floors. Designed to be snapped together without the need for nails or glue, this click-lock system is perfect for DIY enthusiasts looking to install themselves.

What is Antique, Distressed and Vintage?

Most Cali Bamboo floors feature a completely smooth, satiny surface providing a very modern feel. The floors in our Exotic series, on the other hand, have undergone aging techniques to give them a unique “reclaimed wood” look. These styles include Distressed, Vintage and Antique.
- Distressed – These planks are hand-scraped lengthwise so the surfaces have a slightly wavy feel to them. Distressed styles include Natural, Mocha and Sienna colors.
- Vintage – The surface of these floors looks slightly worn, a bit like driftwood. Vintage styles include Pearl and Java.
- Antique – This style is a combination of Distressed and Vintage techniques, with a hand-scraped and a naturally aged surface. Antique is the most rustic of the three exotic styles and includes Java and Natural colors.

Bear in Mind…
Regardless of what style you choose, consider this bit of guiding wisdom: Not all bamboo floors are equal. Like a finely-tuned science, creating a quality bamboo floor depends on a host of variables: what variety of bamboo you use, how old it is when it’s harvested, what time of year harvesting occurs, where the grove grows, and the level of oversight during the manufacturing process. Get the whole formula right and you have the most eco-friendly, beautiful product that also happens to be the world’s hardest floor. (We’re more than a little proud.)

Rocking chairs have never been so cool, or so deserving of the spotlight. Kevin DesPlanques “Sublime Rockers” are smooth, swooping creations that achieve an elusive balance between modern design and old-timey warmth. The rockers practically glow thanks to DesPlanques’ expert woodworking skills and the variety of timbers in his arsenal. Wood appears to melt into place as his pieces defy conventional application. “This process allows for more curves and fine lines than traditional woodworking methods, since the shape is entirely sculpted you get a very ergonomic fit,” he says.

Most of DesPlanques’ work is done with special hardwoods like zebrawood, walnut, oak and maple, but he’s recently been expanding his palette to include Cali Bamboo plywood.

“I have seen a shift in some of the top shows in the country and they are encouraging the artists to use more recycled and eco-friendly materials. Bamboo is a perfect fit and it has helped me get into some of the very best art shows in the country. I find it much easier to work with than some of the exotics as well it shapes very nicely and the final product is very good.”

Stay tuned to DesPlanques’ site sublimerockers.com for upcoming bamboo art pieces. If you live in the Miami area you might even catch him at the #1 outdoor fine arts festival in the nation…

“I am making several new pieces out of bamboo including benches, bar stools, dining chairs and tables. I hope to debut them at the Coconut Grove Fine Arts Festival in February.

Designing ahead of their time at Kansas State University, one group of idealistic architecture students is not about to keep their talents all to themselves.

As members of the Freedom by Design organization (a nationwide project run by the American Institute of Architecture Students) each year the K-State team uses their skills to give back to the community. The term “Freedom by Design” refers to the goal of making structures more accessible for disabled individuals and thereby aiding their ability to live independently, bathe, ascend stairs and enter and exit a building with ease.

The K-State team had previously completed projects at the nearby Fort Riley, building accessible structures for wounded veterans. This year their faculty sponsor Professor Nathan Howe suggested designing a better wheelchair entrance at a Protestant church in the small town of Eskridge about an hour away from campus. The church had been home to a Methodist congregation, but they had recently decided to share the facility with Eskridge’s Lutheran community, doubling both the church’s usage and the need for better accessibility.

Under the guidance of Professor Howe and Professor Sam Zeller, a core team of six K-State students (co-chairs Lindsey Telford and Travis Shockley, Michael Luczak, Nick Kratz, Landon Hubbard, and Jake Hofeling) rose to the challenge.

The original plan was to repair an existing broken wheelchair lift, but they soon realized the cost would be too great and it wouldn’t be as reliable in the long run — leading to additional repairs and expenses. So the group decided on a ramp instead, which as fourth-year architecture student Telford puts it, “seemed like a more sustainable and viable option.”

When it came to choosing a decking material, durability and sustainability were big priorities. One of the students had heard about Cali Bamboo’s BamDeck™ composite decking and knew of its 60% bamboo-40% recycled plastic composition. According to Telford, convincing the congregation’s leaders that the bamboo composite decking was the best option was not too difficult.

“The clients wanted something that would last. We went to a client meeting in about the middle of May and they brought up the concern about how slippery the ramp could be. We started thinking about it. If we used a cheaper material we would have to seal it and add a paint with a grit in it to give it a texture. Then we would have had to add at least two layers on top of it. The cost and extra labor involved would make it a less viable option.

“So what was a material that would last a long time, that would be strong and beautiful and wouldn’t have this slippage issue? And we thought of [Cali Bamboo]. Then we explained to the church that this would be more expensive upfront but would be more viable in the long run.”

Fortunately, the congregation saw their logic and decided to go with the BamDeck™ material. Their funding help along with a Cali Bamboo® donation allowed the team to see their design through.

The Freedom by Design team pre-cut and shaped all the deck boards in their university shop, making it easier for volunteers to help with the onsite installation. Extra BamDeck™ scraps were used to make planter boxes and benches, keeping waste to a minimum.

When sustainability is a chief concern, Telford notes choosing a durable product that’s not going to have to be replaced is just as important as using environmentally-friendly materials. The fact that it’s low-maintenance means no toxic paints and finishes, and a more permanent deck keeps waste out of landfills.

Learn more about the AIAS Freedom by Design program here.