Bamboo flooring is only one-third the cost of hardwood flooring, making it roughly 20% cheaper than eucalyptus flooring. Either way you go, you’ll want to acclimate the flooring before installation. If you are hiring a professional installer, they tend to not want to take the time to do these very important steps so it’s up to you to get on them and make sure they follow the instructions to a T. I would document their work with photographs, take a picture of the acclimation stack, sealing the concrete, and those little expansion gaps, this will ensure everyone is doing their part. Fossilized bamboo flooring becomes so hard because of the process in which it’s made. By taking a brief look into both sides of the coin you can make up your mind if bamboo is the right type of floor for you. Fossilized bamboo flooring is nearly off the charts in terms of hardness. Walker. But that area is where the toilet is- when we pulled up the carpet in the rest of the bathroom, no mold! I’d assume yes if only for noise reduction. I forwarded your question to our service department, they’ll have some good suggestions for you. Is the engineered as scratch resistant as the solid fossilized. Let me know if you have any other questions. I have Antique Java and a light-haired Chihuahua that sheds and I have to dust mop twice a week because the light hair shows on the dark floor. Installed by a professional. I live in Miami myself and would love to cover the “Mediterranean Style” tiles around my pool and in my patio area by your product. If you email me your phone number and address, I can get samples in the mail to you, so you can put them out and see if they keep cool enough for you. Humidifiers can help, but it not a practical solution. Hybrid Engineered Bamboo (moisture tolerant) Avoid closing up the house, turning off the AC and leaving for weeks at a time. I’m not a big fan since I have real wood in my home, but it does look really nice, it’s cost effective and nearly indestructible. Do you recommend the bamboo, I was looking at the tree house or antique? We had moisture barrier put in at installation time and have had no problems, but this leak is from above. A coworker and I were out in Miami this time last year and visited a few of our decks, check out these videos from our trip. Sure, we’ve seen lots of people use flooring on the walls. Hi L.S., Engineered bamboo is less expensive than solid bamboo, and it is usually installed by DIYers. In the old part of our house their is some unevenness and we were concerned, but it has worked well. Horizontal bamboo flooring is manufactured by cutting the strands into thin strips which are then glued together to form planks. I am confused as well as to how many days the wood should be acclimated in a criss cross fashion in our house–5 days or several weeks? Is floating okay? Can the bamboo planks be laid out on the existing tile flooring to acclimatize or should they be placed on the concrete after removing the tiles? I have experience actual real hardwood deck of friends and they get really HOT in sunlight – One of them told me that “artificial” or composite decking will even get HOTTER that that. Can it be floated and is this an adequate choice for use in kitchen as well as bedroom and livingroom..thanks. I thought I’d read that for below grade/basements it is highly recommended to do a glue down installation vs a floating installation? We have been having some ridiculous weather lately (hot to cool to rainy) and had doors/windows open for a majority of that time. Hi Jenny, I live in South Florida and plan on acclimating for ten days. Conducting your own scratch testing on the samples is another great way to distinguish the more durable, high-quality material. Those are some of the most important bamboo flooring pros and cons according to our experts at Ambient®. If so did you use an underlayment? Yes, if possible you should disconnect rooms from hallways, etc by using T-Moldings at the doorways. In nature, bamboo relatively grows faster. The initial product wasn’t very aesthetically pleasing and was susceptible to denting. Brad and his Tahoe Cabin Hi Seth, We are looking at replacing out Hickory Hardwood with the Napa Fossilized wide T&G. I have cognac stranded bamboo floating floor. In extremely dry or humid climates, it can do unexpected things or it can do nothing at all, we’ve seen plenty of both happen and proper acclimation can minimize it. The final question regularly posed by people considering bamboo is “Can it be refinished?” Traditional hardwoods have been around so long that homeowners have become programmed to brace themselves for the pain and anguish of a laborious refinishing process every 5-10 years. Any truth in that? We visited Nate and his customers a few years back. We are thinking of installing the Fossilized Cognac Bamboo in our stairs and upstairs areas. Should I do that or not? Thanks. Expansion space is like having a little insurance should your flooring expand during the rainy season for example. I don’t want to have to remove the adhesive from the concrete slab under the VCT–I’m assuming I would have to get the floor completely smooth by removing that glue, yes? 1. Here’s a video one of our customers sent us showing how they did the overlap stair nosings. We live in Santa Fe, Texas (between Galveston and Houston). Bamboo floor planks are manufactured by slicing or shredding the stalks of bamboo grass plants and then compressing the pulp back together using heat, pressure, and a resin-based adhesive identical to those used in many other flooring products. Do you have a recommendation? Help! I have about 975 square ft, which includes the master bedroom, two additional bedrooms, and the hallway. Thanks much! In general, bamboo falls at about 1,200 to 1,400 on the Janka Hardness Scale, which means it’s a little harder than oak and ash. I love it Megan, You can find bamboo flooring products ranging from about $2 to $8 per square foot, with a national average of $3.84 per square foot. Just had a contractor come and do a measurement for the material and labor costs. This score (achieved through a process of applying thousands of pounds of pressure) helps determine how well the floor will hold up under weight, as well as its potential for scratching and denting. Cheaper products may contain more formaldehyde, while more expensive products may use alternative materials in the resins. Solid Bamboo Flooring: Pros and Cons ... Cali Bamboo claims to protect its strand bamboo Fossilized Flooring with 10 coats of finish, upping its Janka hardness to a whopping 5,547 pounds. Either way you go you’ll want to make sure you acclimate the flooring for a minimum of 5 days prior to installation. Lower quality bamboo flooring will be lighter, while higher quality bamboo will be heavier due to the amount of bamboo used in the final product. But your installer knows best, there is absolutely no way to overacclimate hardwood flooring, and the extra time you put in now is going to pay off when seasons change. Hi Deana, We are literally living in a construction zone, in a complicated pregnancy with only 3 weeks left to go. What flooring would you recommend? But this may not mean much. Best of luck! We will have 13 stairs and a platform that is currently raw.. Also, this is a great video that explains how floated floor expansion and contraction. Pros for Bamboo. Retailers will often sort lots into grade A and grade B materials, but that is an arbitrary system that means different things to different retailers. My husband planned on nailing everything in but we have found that along several N-S running walls that the nail gun will not work. He said it’s subject to mold which I’m highly allergy to and I was wanting to do a way from carpet for allergy reason… It’s very large investment to then have to ruin … Lowes is carry so I hoping they know how to install it the right way to allow the adjustment for the high humidity…. Here you can find Moso bamboo: The species most renowned for strength, hardness, and versatility. Lastly I would prefer solid because in one post you mentioned engineered not as hard , I have to crazy active dogs. You don’t need to use transition pieces, but you’ll have to wait 24 hours before you can walk on or move furniture back onto the floor. If you go this direction, you’ll want to use our CaliComlete™ Underlayment or seal the concrete with Titebond 531+ first. Solid can be installed but you must take your time and do it right. Stranded bamboo is made by shredding the bamboo stalks into small strands, which are compressed into sheets using heat and resin binders, then cut into planks to use as building materials. We’ve been redoing our house for the last 1.5 years and the T&G flooring has been sitting in boxes in the middle of the living room the entire time (we live in a construction zone). Solid Bamboo & Eucalyptus (same as other hardwoods). We live in Olympia Washington. Solid or Engineered Bamboo Flooring: What You Should Know, Hardwood Flooring in Kitchens Review: Pros and Cons, Prefinished Hardwood Flooring Review: Pros and Cons, Pros and Cons of Laminate Flooring in Bedrooms, Understanding Solid and Engineered Bamboo Flooring, Hardwood Flooring in Bedrooms Review: Pros and Cons, Laminate vs. 2. I just put this in my new house and the noise is awful. I have done so much research that my head is swimming. Do we just take the ends of the boxes off, and how long do the boxes sit?? Also, some of the runs are long(26+ feet) the one that wants to float it wants transition strips in a hallway and into the kitchen ☹. ?how could I attempt to clean this off then use Nona cleaner? Strand-woven, aluminum-oxide finished solid bamboo flooring breaks this cycle due to its extreme resistance to denting and scratching. “Volatile Organic Compounds” (VOCs) like these can pose serious health risks to anyone but are especially dangerous for young children due to the vulnerability of their developing respiratory systems. Last weekend we received about 3 inches of rain and the flooring began to buckle. I like a flow room to room. 4) Expansion gaps – You installer will know more about these but in short, you need to give a 1/2″ allowance around fixed objects like walls, poles, pillars and fireplaces. 1) Prepare the subfloor – make sure your subfloor is clean, flat and stable. If you’re dead set on Mocha, you’ll want to screw some 1/2″ plywood to the studs and use an 18 gauge pneumatic nailer, to nail the Wide T&G flooring to the ply (just like you would nail to floor). Do you recommend nail – glue – float. Home Depot told me they won’t even install bamboo or any hardwood over concrete!? Any solid hardwood floor is going to react to swings in temp and humidity. Here’s a post on using flooring for everything but. If not, that’s ok, our solid Fossilized® flooring can still be installed, you just need to make sure you do the following we call it “P.A.C.E”: Our BamDeck Composite is made with bamboo and recycled plastics. Some of the additional apprehension about bamboo centers around a lack of knowledge regarding the application, installation, and care and maintenance. Installation options often vary based on how the planks have been milled: Industry-standard tongue and groove (T&G) is the most versatile format, allowing for gluing, nailing, and floating. Will this go away as the wood settles and acclimatizes more, or do I need to change my installation technique before I get too much further down the installation path? We recommend keeping the relative humidity within a 20% range of what the flooring was acclimated to. Considering bamboo for the stairs and the bonus room. Any help would be greatly appreciated asap! Which installation would be best? I’m assuming you’ll be moving all your furniture from room to room as you install? There are also thinner forms of solid bamboo designed for floating floor installation. We were assured it could be installed floating over in-floor heating in a concrete slab. Unfinished bamboo has a light color similar to oak wood but can take on a darker brown hue after the application of heat. Either way, the entire floor rests over a thin layer of foam underlayment, with no permanent attachment to the subfloor. In each box, what percentage of boards is considered usable? They will be assessing steps to fix the issue and hopefully they can come up with a solution for the problem areas. Question can I install a click and lock Bamboo floor under a 120 gallon fish tank as a floating floor? The next key factor in choosing bamboo flooring should be the amount of finish applied to the floors. But like wood, bamboo can be scratched, and it is prone to cracking in conditions where humidity levels swing dramatically. I live in the Northeast and have purchased the Cali Bamboo T & G Fossilized Hardwood Flooring. Also, nailing down the engineered TG product is a very fast and easy process and doesn’t require a special nailer (like or solid bamboo does) and when you nail down, you can put your stuff back on the floor right away. Hi Dean, If you did this and it still creaks, I can tell you it will diminish over time, my subfloors are very unlevel and the creaking was very noticeable at first but over a few months it faded away and a year later they are almost silent. A haze is often caused by residue left over from wax-based cleaners. Walker. It sounds like you have already read thru our PACE pre-installation guidelines but here’s the link again just in case. Any insights are appreciated. I intend to try and maintain a 20% relative humidity range by using a humidifier or dehumidifier when I see the humidity decreasing in the Winter or increasing in Spring/Summer. Our Warranty covers product failure that is not related to improper or negligent installation. Can your bamboo flooring be installed in a bathroom? Yes again, the stair nosing pieces are designed to be used with the floor boards. I suggest a real world test! If you think bamboo is right for you, call one of our flooring professionals today at (866) 710-7070! Climate is moderate Northern California, i.e. Bamboo flooring comes in several different types of products: Solid bamboo planks are installed much the same was as solid hardwood. I live in Palmdale, California and here the humidity levels typically range from 15% (very dry) to 81% over the course of a year. While our Engineered line is more tolerant to moisture than say solid bamboo or eucalyptus, it’s not waterproof, and it sounds like you looking for something with a bit more protection. That is BS!!!!! I an concerned about the backing on my kitchen throw rugs, what kind of backing do I need and what do I use for the mat under the rugs. Any as to which way I should be leaning? You are correct Paula, flooring your bathroom should be fine, but an overflowed toilet could lead to water damaged flooring. The problem, however, is that there is a lot of contradictory information on bamboo flooring quality. That’s great that you maintain a controlled environment in the home when you are away for extended periods, that will help with product stability. Aesthetically, bamboo can work with almost any home style, though it is best suited for contemporary settings. Your concerns are real and I’m glad you are doing your research. I assumed you saw our decking heat test video. Also, should we glue the wide click pieces together not just under the refrigerator, but the entire floor? Home » Blog » Know-how » Bamboo Flooring Quality. Do we need to sticker stack/acclimate the wood for more than 5 days since the flooring has been in the house the entire time? Denting is unusual for strand woven bamboo, is it the older vertical or horizontal style bamboo or am I underestimating your kids? Our Antique Java, Distressed Natural, Distressed Mocha, Napa, Catalina and Malibu colors have a wavy surface, but only Antique Java, Napa, Catalina and Malibu come in a T&G milling suitable for nail down installation. Using the Cali Complete should be fine, but keep in mind, if you have large grout lines that dip down between tiles, you may experience floor noise when walked on. I am interested in any feedback from others with dogs in the area with this flooring. Stranded/woven bamboo has a …