We are interested in your Wide Click Fossilized Engineered Bamboo flooring, but have a few questions. So the above applies to solid bamboo and eucalyptus. Hi Thelma, Most of the major hardwood flooring manufacturers also carry a selection of bamboo flooring products. If you have samples, you can also compare bamboo flooring by weight and scratch resistance. Best, Very nice, tough, beautiful floors. We keep the house at a constant temp and the installer said that it may take another 2 weeks. We’d prefer to get your engineered bamboo (antique java) and are having samples sent. This makes them even more durable and scratch-resistant, so bamboo floors are easy to maintain. Most rugs are fine, especially if they are fabric-backed. What are my best options for the stairs? Many traditional hardwoods and bamboo floors will rank in the 1,000-2,000 pound range for Janka hardness, while many Cali Bamboo floors rank upwards of 4-5,000. It is a floating floor. A second way manufacturers can cut corners is with the amount of bamboo used in each plank. in our home Can you tell us if what we are looking at is the right type of product? Best, Humidity fluctuations are actually more concerning than temperature and we recommend keeping relative humidity within a 20% range if possible. Light surface scratches (typically appearing as white lines) can be easily disguised using a color-matched touch-up marker. Great stuff. Also, what is the best way to handle scratches made by our movers? Now you’ve got me super interested in this thing…. 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. Just had a contractor come and do a measurement for the material and labor costs. We are in the process of doing a “refresh” of our newly purchased home. Kitchens are fine. That is BS!!!!! I have done so much research that my head is swimming. I bought approximately 800 sq. I’ve forwarded this concern to our customer service department, they will be contacting you shortly to provide you with assistance. If you have heavy furniture that will inhibit natural floor movement, I’d recommended that you glue down the flooring and skip the CaliComplete. Walker. We live in Olympia Washington. Wood stove heat in living room. A: Not all bamboo flooring is created equally. I was looking at other flooring and you can see the difference in your flooring.. I live in the Northeast and have purchased the Cali Bamboo T & G Fossilized Hardwood Flooring. In short, the material used is eco-friendly and renewable. The Hybrid Engineered doesn’t require as much acclimation, it can adjust in just a few days and you only need to open the box ends and plastic wrapping. Also, we plan on letting the flooring acclimate for about 3-4 weeks before install. If you think bamboo is right for you, call one of our flooring professionals today at (866) 710-7070! Oct 14, 2016 - Explore Anita Lowe's board "installing bamboo flooring" on Pinterest. Keeping the home’s relative humidity as consistent as possible and avoiding prolonged exposure of the floors to direct sunlight also helps minimize wear and discoloration. If you choose a solid bamboo floor, floating is an installation option that allows the floor to expand and contract with seasonal temperature and humidity changes. Floating floors have a bit of “give” to them and you can use underlayments to soften the floor making it more comfortable to stand and walk on. Also, we plan on running the same flooring directly onto the slab of our daylight basement. We live in the Midwest and the wood has been acclimating for 6 weeks and is still not ready to be installed. Perhaps you have heard the claim that bamboo flooring is as hard as some of the hardest of hardwoods. Carbonized bamboo flooring is softer than natural bamboo. Hands and knees? I love it Megan, When compared to hardwood, bamboo is slightly more resistant to water damage. I truly believe you get what you pay for and don’t want to spend thousands and thousands for it to be ruined and have to do something else down the road. Whether you have an old floor or planning to install a new bamboo floor understanding these advantages and disadvantages will help you ward off bamboo floating floor problems. I actually like them on the stairs because it keeps my dogs from sliding down the stairs. A steamer will destroy hardwood flooring. On average, bamboo is less expensive than eucalyptus, and there is a wider offer. We live in Missouri – a high humidity state. Bona Pro can be found at most home improvement stores, and it leaves very little residue. Installation of nail-down or glue-down bamboo planks is usually handled by professionals. Or I have to separate them and do the acclimation in each individual room? What can be done? The initial product wasn’t very aesthetically pleasing and was susceptible to denting. First thing yes, you can float the flooring over concrete and utilize an underlayment. This is a premium form of bamboo flooring, available in many colors. The real offenders here are pianos, large fish tanks and pool tables. You’ll want to try and install it using the same method as the other flooring. Chrissy and her two big dogs Alex and Blue Like wood, there are lots of reasons why bamboo can be a perfect material, but there are also drawbacks. Hi Klaus, This can leave you with equal parts intrigue and apprehension. Great question George, and thanks for asking! Make sure not to wet mop the floor, only lightly spritz with Bona Professional and mop with a damp mop or microfiber mop. I am also concerned about how the bamboo flooring will hold upto to such a dry climate.after installation. i have a question on the Cali bamboo flooring I have pursed from lowes , I live in Florida and was told that if i shut off my A/C in the cooler months that it would void my warranty its his true ? My question is which flooring would work best for us the nail down, the glue down or the floating floor? Most commercial bamboo comes from plantation-like operations that are farmed responsibly. 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. For solid bamboo and eucalyptus, you must remove the flooring from the cartons and sticker-stack as close to the installation site as possible. We are doing a cosmetic fix in that master bathroom, as a full gut remodel is just not in the cards for us now. Hybrid Engineered Bamboo (moisture tolerant) Pros of Bamboo Flooring. Hi Seth, Hi Bhuvana, Hello, our house is new, we gave lived in it for a year….we are finishing our bonus room upstairs. 2. Installing bamboo flooring means gluing or nailing to a subfloor. Since you like the Antique Java color, your best bet is going to be with the engineered version, it will give you the beautiful look, moisture stability and scratch resistance with only a slight loss of hardness as compared to a solid floor. In this case if you wanted a seamless floor from room to room you will need to nail down the flooring. If the flooring is installed in a very humid climate, the moisture in the air can cause the floor planks to swell and buckle, while in a dry environment, the planks can shrink. Thank you, Rik. Not only is this a huge disruption in anyone’s personal life, but it is also a difficult, expensive, time-consuming process that creates a hyper-awareness of every small imperfection in the floor. It wouldn’t hurt to use some construction adhesive in addition to be extra safe. 3. Have fun! Yay! Many bamboo options can last upwards of 50 years if properly maintained, although the average lifespan ranges from 20-25 years with normal family wear-and-tear. Bamboo is the obvious eco friendly choice vs the vinyl. Are you thinking Natural or Mocha? Hi Cindy, Considering bamboo for the stairs and the bonus room. 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. Should I skip the Underlayment and just glue down to slab? Unlike traditional hardwoods, bamboo has been known to expand unilaterally. A Closer Look at Bamboo Flooring: The Pros & Cons. Im having the Natural I really am afraid of mold. Because it is an organic material, bamboo can be affected by mold if water is present. We installed Cali Bamboo Vintage Moonlight after a few months acclimation in our house in Northern Vermont on Lake Champlain. I plan on getting a wall-to-wall wardrobe in the bedroom and an entertainment center in the living room. Currently have vinyl through the rest of the house, hopefully that will last another 5-10 years then upgrade the whole house to bamboo. In the meantime, we are trying to figure out the best floor solution. Would T&G be better or click. We launched our engineered flooring in March of 2016. For stairs, we recommend gluing everything with a high-quality Urethane based glue, such as Titebond Fast Set Construction Adhesive. More details instructions for floating solid floors can be found here. Hi Ernie, I’d assume yes if only for noise reduction. Lastly I would prefer solid because in one post you mentioned engineered not as hard , I have to crazy active dogs. One additional, general question about cupping: If flooring is going to cup, and begins to show signs of cupping, does the cupping generally continue with time, or does it reach some sort of equilibrium at some point? Joseph Lewitin is a flooring expert who contributed home improvement content for The Spruce for four years. I have been told by a few flooring stores that bamboo is not a good choice for florida due to the humidity and that I would have alot of probblems with it. We want to help you shape an intelligent understanding of how bamboo is sourced, manufactured, acclimated, installed, and maintained in order to alleviate your concerns and enable you to make empowered and informed decisions when choosing your flooring. Is it advisable? Conducting your own scratch testing on the samples is another great way to distinguish the more durable, high-quality material. Which is why I m looking at the internet to see how to deal with it and for the cost I hate to spend that money and it would ruin! I am doing a bathroom remodel and was going to install Cali “Mocha Fossilized” on one wall the the ceiling. Regardless of the method preferred, it is vital to follow the manufacturer’s guidelines and choose the proper method of acclimation in order to diminish any potential for future concerns. Our installer says this is our only option but I see that you make a Java .88 inch stair nose that appears to click in place. You’ll lose some of the Janka hardness that the solid flooring is known for but you’ll gain peace of mind knowing the floor is less likely to expand or contract season to season. I live in Minnesota and I’m considering purchasing the Fossilized bamboo flooring for use throughout my house except for Laundry room and Full bath. Find out whether it … If so, how does a glue down expand and contract If you’re considering our Antique Java, Java or Natural Bamboo colors we offer them in vinyl as well. If the flooring was properly acclimated for 5-10 days at 50% humidity, the humidity in the home can go as high as 70% or as low as 30% before any action should be taken. Think of what your saying. We are back to square one with a reliable contractor & insurer this time. How should I apply the Bona cleaner. If this is a risk you’re willing to take, you’ll definitely want to make sure to follow our installation requirements closely and barring any flooding your flooring should be just fine. It burns my eyes. There is a question of whether we want to glue it down this time or use an underlay in our variant humid weather in San Antonio of 30 – 60 percent. Did this creaking noise ever get better ? I hope this helps alleviate some of your apprehensions, it may sound like a lot, but it’s really not, and a good installer will have no problem taking the time to do it right. For deeper gauges, a fill stick can be used prior to the touch-up marker. It’s actually even more important for treads since most homeowners don’t want expansion gaps against the wall for stairs. Those are some of the most important bamboo flooring pros and cons according to our experts at Ambient®. Results seemed to follow logic install allow for expansion and contraction than 10′ transitions. 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