Bamboo flooring is a hybrid product similar to engineered hardwoods. But it’s not wood: It’s a grass. Bamboo stalks are milled into strips, then reassembled as floorboards. The boards are typically 3⁄8 in. or 5⁄8 in. thick, and have either square edges (on unfinished boards) or micro beveled ones (on pre finished boards).

Depending on how the strips are aligned, the flooring resembles either quarter sawn or flat-sawn hardwood. The unmistakable figure of the bamboo nodes adds a visual interest to the “flat-sawn” boards.

Pre finished bamboo is available in two colours, natural and carbonised, and in two sheens, high gloss and matte. The carbonised colour shows a lustrous warmth, akin to natural cherry, that would enhance any kitchen.

This newcomer is milled from the dark wood of the coconut palm. Developed by Smith & Fong, Durapalm is a 3⁄4-in. thick, 72-in. long, 3-ply tongue-and-groove floorboard that is 25% harder than red oak. It is free of formaldehyde and VOC emissions.

Durapalm is available both unfinished and pre finished. The latter type uses the ceramic system of embedded particles to prolong finish life, which is warranted for five years. The edges are micro beveled; the colour choices are a medium mahogany and a dark brown. The installation methods are the same as used for other hardwoods, and so are care and maintenance.

Why use it? It has the same benefits as sustainably harvested wood, along with an alluring colour, warmth and figure.

This material is gorgeous, but will it work for you? It has some great qualities, and some not-so-great ones (“Pros/Cons, below). It is manufactured now in a host of heavenly and earthly colours, patterns and textures. But a lack of demand means that manufacturers’ distribution networks aren't’t geared to sell most rubber flooring at retail.

Flexco is an exception. Its Repel rubber flooring is formulated to resist grease, and it’s sold in retail stores. Repel is available in 12-in. and 18-in. squares, which can be heat welded together following installation. Install using their solvent-free adhesive.

No surprise that this high-style floor is made in Italy. I understand it’s the flooring choice in at least one showroom there: Ferrari. If it can hold up to cars, it likely will hold up to foot traffic in even the busiest kitchens.

Manufactured in 18-in. sq. and 24-in. sq. panels, each piece of stainless flooring has a raised pattern, all the better to slow skids. A custom underlay of interlocking rubber squares cushions and guides panel installation. The combined thickness is less than 7 mm. The steel panels do not attach to the subfloor; they are screwed to the rubber underpayment with Phillips-head screws (made of stainless steel) in predrilled holes.