Hello!
If you have any words of wisdom regarding bamboo flooring, I'd be happy to hear them. I have already read how "green" the product is. I was looking for your opinions on brands you recommend, why you chose (low/no VOC, reasonable in price, durability - especially with pets :-, FSC certified or not, etc, etc), what you chose (strand woven, natural, prefinished or not etc etc), who you chose -- a store or installer and anything else I missed :-).
Thanks so much!!!!
Hi Anna.....we put in bamboo flooring 4 yrs ago.....we have it throughout our first floor....it is beautiful........we ended up getting it from lumber liquidators after going to almost every flooring store in the chicagoland area......they by far have the best prices......back then they only offered 2 colors, we went with the darker of the 2.......it is very easy to clean, vinegar & water.....& you dont have to worry about the water from cleaning them like other hard wood floors.....the one thing with bamboo is that it is a soft wood so you will get scratches, nicks........we have the carbonized finished it is $1.99 sq ft......we saw the exact same flooring for $8.99 sq ft!!!! it is very expensive to have the floor installed & lumber liquidators does not install but they will give you installers cards.....we had granite counters being installed the same time we bought the flooring & it just so happened the salesman had a side business & he & his employees came out & installed it......my friend loved our floor so they got the bamboo too & found another installer because the installer we used was 1 1/2 hrs away & they didnt have enough work to make it worth him driving that far....this is a unique floor so you probably wont find many people that have it......if you want photos to see in a large room let me know........hope this helps IM me if you want more info.
Jina
We know people who just put in bamboo floors in their new home. Bamboo has a high natural water content, so when the flooring is delivered, it needs to "cure" or basically, sit in your house unwrapped for a long time (at least a week) to let some of that water evaporate. Our neighbors didn't let the bamboo cure long enough and once it was installed it "shrank" as it dried and the planks pulled away from eachother. Make sure your installer is familiar w/ bamboo as it is different from other flooring. Good luck!
We purchased bamboo flooring from lumber liquidators about 2 years ago (got a great deal). My husband installed it and said it was easy to do. You do need to bring the flooring inside and let it sit for at least 24 hours before installing it so that the wood can contract or expand depending on the temperature. We didn't wait long enough and have some gaps, though it isn't too bad. Though the floor is beautiful it is incredibly soft and scratches very easily. We have two dogs, both of whom hate having their nails clipped, and we have marks all over the floor, though they are only visible in certain light. Paw prints are also extremely visible and I am forever washing the floor. In all honestly, I won't do bamboo floors again with pets, and I would really like to redo the floors already.
I'm beginning research on flooring for our home so this is such a timely subject. I am also interested in bamboo but am not so sure that it is as "green" as it is touted to be since it has to be transported from China. I was at the City of Chicago's Center for Green Technology looking up information on this particular subject and the staff there pointed me to a series of articles on green remodeling. You can download them at www.cityofchicago.org/environment. Click on "Chicago Green Homes". You'll get 2 options to pick. Select "Green Remodeling Series." I hope there is something in there that you will find helpful. I also found information on a green version of Home Depot - greendepot.com. I haven't looked them up yet but there might be someone there to ask about bamboo flooring. I hope you write an update on what you choose. Good luck!
adam's info his number is 630-417-8196 or website: amkitchenandbath.com
there are different grades of bamboo we had the hardest one installed he does all sorts of remodeling he did our floors and bathroom install