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Hi Folks,
Has anybody out there had any experience with a bamboo floor in Puna that was installed using a floating method?
I installed a solid, vertical grain, t&g floor according to the manufacturer's instructions about three months ago. Since then the boards have expanded across the grain to a degree that, even after I cut off an additional 3/8 inch next to the wall, I've gotten some buckling. [
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The supplier is a company called Cali Bamboo, and their customer service reps have been very unhelpful and unsympathetic so far. [xx(]
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Your experience is one I have heard before. Swelling from the humidity. The basic local advice, not too useful for you, if to let the material acclimate for a couple months before installation. If your supplier was local they should have told you that.
Assume the best and ask questions.
Punaweb moderator
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I really don't think that the bamboo floor has lived up to its hype. Having said that, I still use it and enjoy the look.
My favorite though was recycled Australian Eucalyptus t&g from a hospital that was dismantled in Australia.
As far as the bamboo floor I suggest you stay away from the "engineered"
and stay with the solid and square edged style.
If you like I would be happy to have a look at your floor and see if I can suggest anything,
enjoy.
riverwolf
riverwolf
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We installed some "blonde" bamboo in a sunroom, it turned to caramel color wherever the sun hit it (and not under the area rug...) Easy solution to that is to get the caramelized color in the first place.
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I have bamboo floors in the rainforest. I have some cupping but not too bad. My main problem is that it is too soft and dents and scratches too easily snd finish fixes are almost impossible. I wouls spend a little extra next time for maybe maple which is much harder and still light in color
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There are grades of bamboo flooring. We have the cheaper kind and it is a bit soft. It has discolored at the ends but overall I like it. It has been installed for almost 10 years.
Jerry
Art and Orchids B&B
http://www.artandorchids.com
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Try Googling Cali Bamboo compaints....
I found this gem:
"This is a direct quote from their customer service rep: "If we had to honor all our customer complaints, we'd go out of business." !!!! "
Puna: Our roosters crow first
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I have engineered bamboo floating floor. It was closer to high end, about $5/sq ft, from Home Depot but is no longer carried. When we tested it there it was the most scratch resistant. We literally scraped our keys on samples. I have 3 dogs and it has held up better than what I assume were oak hardwood floors I had with dogs in CA. Pretty happy with it overall. Go online and order samples or terragren and others and see which scratches the least. I have no buckling anywhere, but some spots show little bubbles where dogs peed and it wasn't caught to clean up right away. I'm in Seaview where it is less humid than a lot of Puna.
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To test bamboo flooring before installation you can do what my brother in law does before installing in houses he builds. Throw samples into a garbage can full of water for a week. When you pull them out you will be able to tell which will hold up best. He has found little relationship between cost and endurance, the best flooring after 10 years has proven to also have been the cheapest.
Carol
Carol
Every time you feel yourself getting pulled into other people's nonsense, repeat these words: Not my circus, not my monkeys.
Polish Proverb
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I know this thread is old, but I was wondering what ever happened with your Cali Bamboo floor issue. I just bought 1000 sq. ft. of it and let it acclimate for almost 6 weeks and it still won't install. The boards just aren't clicking together. Cali Bamboo says to wait longer, but I'm not so sure that's going to change this problem. All the experts I spoke to think that a month is long enough and if I'm having problems now, I will have more in the future. I must agree with them. It's causing a lot of stress, but I think it's really a blessing as the sample boards I have have grown mold all over it after only 3 months. Nothing else has mold on it around here, not even the particle board desk I have. Gross. The Lowes sales man in Kona thinks that mold is everywhere and after 3 months it's bound to happen. Well, I've been living here pretty much all my life and know that things mold here, but this is unacceptable.
