By Lisa Hutchurson
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

When it came to choosing hardwood floors, Steve Bartolotta had his mind set on oak.

After all, he reasoned, what else is there?

A lot more, says flooring company owner Pete Harman.

Harman walked Bartolotta through his showroom, which has samples of exotic, imported hardwood flooring - an increasingly popular choice among homeowners.

From Africa, there is dark wenge. From Indonesia, the flickering kempas. And from Asia, the light, bright, clean-looking bamboo.

Bartolotta and his wife, Liz, who were building a hot-tub room, loved the look and function of bamboo: simple without the swirling grain of wood, as durable as oak and comparable in price, extremely tolerant of moisture and humidity, and available in darker hues and grains (cut either horizontally or vertically).

"I think it's a more contemporary look," says Bartolotta. Bamboo is "more light and uniform. And we're glad to have something unique."

Bamboo, adds Harman, is an ideal choice for minimalist, simple decor, contemporary-modern looks and, of course, motifs with an Asian flavor. But the look will complement any decor.

Compared with maple, the light-blond bamboo wood typically used for such looks is twice as stable. And at $4.25 a square foot, it's $1.25 per square foot cheaper.

Bamboo, Harman continues, expands and contracts better than traditional woods, so it's better in moist climates. And since it's a fast-growing reed that grows back every five years or so, it's also an ecologically correct choice.

"Bamboo is so unique, it just stands out," says Harman.

"When people go in the showroom, they typically go right to one product. And that's what they do with bamboo" - increasingly so even though bamboo emerged on the scene nationally about a decade ago.

"We've been actively stocking this for about a year, and it's really catching on," Harman says. In the past year, Harman has gone from ordering one pallet (or 1,000 square feet) of bamboo flooring to five or six pallets every two or three months.

"With the opening of a lot of Asian markets, many of the exotic species are priced very competitively with oak," says Tom Harman, co-owner of Harman Flooring Co. in Rochester, N.Y., with brothers Pete and Dave. "These are nice alternatives to domestic woods that used to be a good deal more expensive."

Many exotic woods tend to be harder, adds Pete Harman. "A lot of these woods are very dense - some of them so dense they have to be cut with carbide tools."

Durability is important when you have kids.

Even better, is knowing their home features "something different."

Foreign hardwoods sample

Tigerwood: From Brazil, reddish-brown with wide, brownish-black "tiger" striping that tends to mellow with age. Tight-grained, durable, 70 percent harder than red oak, which is used as a universal measuring stick for wood hardness. About $5.75 a square foot.

Merbau: From Southeast Asia, hard, durable (50 percent harder than red oak). Medium brown with reddish-orange highlights, coarse graining varying from straight to interlocked, many pieces with yellow "flecking" in pores; color variation mutes over time and darkens to a deeper orangy-brown. About $4.50 a square foot.

Brazilian cherry (jotoba): Rich, dark red to reddish-brown with occasional darker streaking. Tight grain and texture similar to mahogany; extremely hard and durable (82 percent harder than red oak). Premium grade more consistent in grain and color. About $4.99 a square foot.

Australian cypress: Cream-colored sapwood with contrasting heartwood honey gold to brown. Darker knots throughout add to rustic appearance. Slightly harder than red oak; strong and durable. About $5.75 a square foot.

Source: Ridgeview Hardwoods of Taylorsville, Md., www.rvhardwoods.com.