Bamboo Flooring

[madrat]

We are looking at renovating our home and laying bamboo flooring throughout the house with exception of bedrooms and wet areas.
We have done as much research as we can with regards to floating floor laminates vs bamboo.
What we would really like to know is if there is anyone that had bamboo flooring for about 5years or more, what the wear and tear factor is for 'normal' use.
We are aware of the sandpaper effect from dirt being brought into the house from shoes and not to 'slide' furniture when moving etc, but how does it go for 'normal' use?
Any help anyone can provide would be appreciated!

[123]

bamboo wears quite well, you would generally look to re-coating a bamboo floor minimum of 10 years after installation with normal traffic.
Bamboo flooring is also very hard, if you go for what is called strand woven or compressed.
the only small downside to bamboo flooring is the beveled edges between the joins, these sometimes trap dirt in them.
One more thing, if you go with a bamboo floor, make sure you read their warranties very carefully, and go with a company that has been manufacturing it/ selling it for some time (there are many many cheap copies out there and will only get you in to trouble)

[pawnhead]

It's an individual choice of course, but I think it will date like a lot of fads. Slate was all the rage in the seventies, but it's not very popular now, and if you were thinking of reselling in future, then I'd go for a more conventional and popular solid flooring.
Solid timber floors have been around for hundreds of years and they would always add value to a property.

[Dusty]

I'm in agreement with John, in the post above^

You live in WA, the home of some of the worlds most spectacular hardwoods, such as Jarrah and Karri and you looking at laying Panda Bear food as flooring.
To me, that defies logic.

Just recently, I've read several bad reviews regarding the Bamboo flooring (mainly from the States). Where it doesn't seemed to of held up to the claims the marketing people have heaped on it.

Also, like many pale floors, they are a nightmare to keep looking pristine, as they tend to take and show up dirt horribly, particularly, as already pointed out, in the bevelled edges.

[pawnhead]

Forgetting about the bamboo for a minute, I'll just add that a solid vs floating floor may cost a bit more, but It will stand the test of time, and a lot of people (especially on these forums) know what they are walking on, and they can tell the difference between the real McCoy and a pretender. :wink:

Of course the best floating floors are very good quality, just as sandable, and hard to pick, but they're generally in the same price range as solid anyway, so I don't know why you'd bother.

[123]

bit off topic, i suppose people go with floating floors as you save costs on installation (no need for a sub-floor) and the finishing costs.

madrat i think you may have chose the wrong place to ask about bamboo! (woodworking forum!)

I have seen many bamboo floors, yes they do look great but as pawnhead said, timber flooring will never go out of fashion!

[pawnhead]

bit off topic, i suppose people go with floating floors as you save costs on installation (no need for a sub-floor) and the finishing costs. What about direct stick, 12mm solid? I'm not a flooring expert or supplier, but you can get prefinished solid as well. Not sure about 12mm though. I realize that it takes a bit longer, and it's a bit of a pros job compared to a floater which a handyman could lay. It would cost a bit more in glue as well I suppose.

[madrat]

Hi All,
Thanks for all your suggestions.
It looks like we have been steered away from the Bamboo!!

:doh:

I guess at the end of the day it was the high shine effect that attracted me to it, not so much the fact that it was 'bamboo'.

I will continue to 'research' my flooring options!!!!

Thanks again....

[Connollys]

You should check out your local species like Karri it is a hard timber, with great variation in color and not to dark that it will show all the dust. It polishes up well and because it is a local timber to your area, you should be able to get it for a good price.:2tsup:

Cheers

Craig
http://www.connollys.com.au

[StylePlantation]

It's an individual choice of course, but I think it will date like a lot of fads. Slate was all the rage in the seventies, but it's not very popular now, and if you were thinking of reselling in future, then I'd go for a more conventional and popular solid flooring.
Solid timber floors have been around for hundreds of years and they would always add value to a property.

Bamboo flooring has established itself past the fad used by date, bamboo flooring has been available in Australia for over 10 years now and a reseller network has built up around these products.

The main fact that people convert to bamboo flooring is the hardness factor, the CSIRO produced a report that found bamboo 70% harder than Jarah flooring.

The main reason that bamboo has taken off is that its now reliable and consistant (based on who you purchase from of course) in output, and the result has a lot more character than traditional options in the market place.

Another reason why its popular and will remain so is that eco wise and this is very important at the moment Bamboo is a plantation product, and therefore does not affect natural growth forests.

Sorry about my entry but I am passionate about this product.

[StylePlantation]

Hi All,
Thanks for all your suggestions.
It looks like we have been steered away from the Bamboo!!

:doh:

I guess at the end of the day it was the high shine effect that attracted me to it, not so much the fact that it was 'bamboo'.

I will continue to 'research' my flooring options!!!!

Thanks again....

Bamboo will damage just like other timbers, i.e. sand paper affect, stilletoes, hammers dropping on the boards, etc, BUT !!! the damage if compressed Style Board (TM) will not be as bad as traditional timbers.

The reason why Bamboo has a beveled edge on each sheet it a design feature and this is something that is lacking in traditional timbers; when the timber expands its possible that it could splinter the edge, so the bevel is to stop splitting, whilst is could keep the dirt in it, this should not be an issue if like myself you wipe it clean with a dust cloth daily.

Bamboo is not a good idea in bath rooms or swimming pool areas due to the mould factor, however there is product alternative called Paulownia, this comes in three different colours and is light.

One more thing bamboo comes in various make ups:


vertical / horizontal in Matt, Semi-gloss, gloss
Styleboard (tm) Coffee (compressed) matt, semi-gloss in wide and thin board
Styleboard (tm) Natural (compressed) matt, semi-gloss, gloss, also in wide and thin board.10 years as someone else mentioned is the expected traffic time before re-surfacing by sanding.

Also the coating is not just any coating on the Styleboard its an alluminised hardened coating designed especially to stop scratching.

[StylePlantation]

I'm in agreement with John, in the post above^

You live in WA, the home of some of the worlds most spectacular hardwoods, such as Jarrah and Karri and you looking at laying Panda Bear food as flooring.
To me, that defies logic.

Just recently, I've read several bad reviews regarding the Bamboo flooring (mainly from the States). Where it doesn't seemed to of held up to the claims the marketing people have heaped on it.

Also, like many pale floors, they are a nightmare to keep looking pristine, as they tend to take and show up dirt horribly, particularly, as already pointed out, in the bevelled edges.

Sorry I dissagree with you on all your arguments!

If you keep chopping down your natural forests where will the animals live? in the new forests you call HOMES? :doh:I could not leave that one alone sorry!~

Come on guys! Australian product has its place as does Bamboo flooring and like most products if you dont know what you are doing when laying it then it wont work, just like traditional flooring.

[rhancock]

Sorry about my entry but I am passionate about this product.

Never apologise for your passions!

[Pusser]

... :wink:

Of course the best floating floors are very good quality, just as sandable, and hard to pick, but they're generally in the same price range as solid anyway, so I don't know why you'd bother.

Because the house has a slab and was designed to be tiled and they wanted extra insulation under the floor. That was my case anyway and I am quite happy with the tassie oak flooring which can be sanded and installation did not cause other prolems with fittings. I like solid floors and given my druthers would have them but it was not practical when I bought this house. Having had all the fittings and benches raised I did not want to lose the extra height and it was too costly to raise the windows which was another option.

[supa007]

With the bevelled edges and subsequent gap between planks, apart from dirt collecting, I'm more worried about moisture getting in! How can this problem be avoided?

I've also heard that bamboo is less demensionally stable (shrinks and expands more than timber), is this true? And is this the real reason why the gaps there, to allow of this movement?

I'm just trying to weigh up the pros and cons of the flooring material.

[StylePlantation]

With the bevelled edges and subsequent gap between planks, apart from dirt collecting, I'm more worried about moisture getting in! How can this problem be avoided?

I've also heard that bamboo is less demensionally stable (shrinks and expands more than timber), is this true? And is this the real reason why the gaps there, to allow of this movement?

I'm just trying to weigh up the pros and cons of the flooring material.

Regarding the moisture getting between the gaps: Pre Finished Compressed and Non Compressed bamboo has been treated against moisture with the exception of the ends if cut, once cut they need to be sealed. Having said this It is suggested that when cleaning dont tip a bucket of water on the floor boards rather use a mix of water and metholated spirits with a small mop and lightly spread then wipe up with a static type surface cloth or towel. Similar cautions to normal timber.

Regards in expansion:
I only deal with Style Plantation Styleboard (TM) compressed and non compressed Vertical and Horizontal products. It is my experience that expansion happens width wise and not to much lenth wise, its very small. Personally I have not seen this affect any floors that we lay; and yes it does depend greatly on how its layed with respect to the Sika T53 or T55.

I dont know what you mean by "GAPS", I have never seen any gaps in our product. If you are referring to the beveled edges, they are only there to stop splintering; splintering occurs just like normal timber when something has been dropped on the join between two planks it may splinter, (I say may), or heavy traffic occurs with shoes such as stoletoes with sharp heals, the angle of the bevel also stops any issues such as expansion on sharp edges that leads to splintering.

Gaps may be occuring in some floors because they have not been tensioned when being layed, bamboo has the same tongue and groove joints as normal hardwood and also has them on the ends.

One way of making sure of the quality in my mind is to ask the supplier if their product is purchased in batches? and if each box is batch marked at the factory.

If you visit www.styleplantation.com (http://www.styleplantation.com) you can download care and maintenance *.pdf files

[pawnhead]

That's a nice looking product there Paul.

I've been looking through your flooring gallery, and is that all bamboo? And the big question is, how much per $quare metre?

[StylePlantation]

That's a nice looking product there Paul.

I've been looking through your flooring gallery, and is that all bamboo? And the big question is, how much per metre?

Yes you are correct all pictures shown in our gallery section are 100% Bamboo with one exception; at the bottom of the page is all our natural fibre carpeting/rug products e.g. Sisal and Coir.

Pricing; I would need to have an idea of the SQM you would require first or even a plan so we can calculate with some accuracy what you need.

Please if you have time fill out an enquiry form on website I will put something in writting for you which would include all adhesives, moisture barrier, reducers, and if you intend to not remove skirting boards supply pricing on bamboo beading.

Also let me know where you are located and if you need it layed as well.

I will then also send you some brochures and depending on if you want to install yourself supply you with install instructions.

Thanks
Paul

[pawnhead]

I'm not interested in any myself, but I'm a carpenter/builder and I've laid a lot of floors in my time. I may be in a position to make recommendations depending on how the price stacks up against floating/solid flooring, if a client is thinking about something along those lines.
The renewable/eco-friendly aspect would be a plus for some people.
At the moment I'm a full time carer for my elderly mother, but that probably won't always be the case. My brother is still working as a carpenter, and I try to keep up to date with what's happening in the industry and keep him informed of anything I've learned from surfing the web.

I must say that some of those photos on your site have changed my impression of the appearance of a bamboo floor. :2tsup:

edit: The ones I'd seen in the past looked like they'd just gotten bamboo stalks and flattened them in a press. They looked like bamboo with the accompanying segmented appearance between growth rings (if that's what they're called :?), and you could clearly tell that it wasn't wood from a tree.

[StylePlantation]

I may be in a position to make recommendations depending on how the price stacks up against floating/solid flooring, if a client is thinking about something along those lines.
The renewable/eco-friendly aspect would be a plus for some people.
I try to keep up to date with what's happening in the industry and keep him informed of anything I've learned from surfing the web.

I must say that some of those photos on your site have changed my impression of the appearance of a bamboo floor. :2tsup:

edit: The ones I'd seen in the past looked like they'd just gotten bamboo stalks and flattened them in a press. They looked like bamboo with the accompanying segmented appearance between growth rings (if that's what they're called :?), and you could clearly tell that it wasn't wood from a tree.

Thank you for this continued discussion.

The cost is roughly around $70 p/sqm + laying, the price will come down once a firm understanding on how much per job is required.

It will be more expensive than floating flooring but on par with conventional flooring, however the result is harder (Styleboard (tm) compressed)and better aucoustic qualities.

Thank you for your feed back on what the product looks like, this is why we are so passionate about bamboo, bamboo offers an alternative choice with a modern look that is new.

Definatley not sticks and squashed, the process of getting bamboo to our finished state is involved; basically the compressed product is harvested from 16.6 meter trees after a period of 5 years and only during a mth period. The compressed bamboo is strand woven meaning the fibres are torn from the trunk and then mixed together in a large vat, then resins are combined and the mixture is then forced out through a mould which creates the tongue and groove, then finished and the alluminiumised matt, semi-gloss or gloss coatings are applied. The conventional boards are harvested from segmenting the trunks, meaning you the cut into small laminations and then make these into horizontal or vertical boards, quite inovative and unique products created.

Paul

[madrat]

Sorry I dissagree with you on all your arguments!

If you keep chopping down your natural forests where will the animals live? in the new forests you call HOMES? :doh:I could not leave that one alone sorry!~

Come on guys! Australian product has its place as does Bamboo flooring and like most products if you dont know what you are doing when laying it then it wont work, just like traditional flooring.

First of all, you have just won me over with this comment and i congratulate you on your passion - NO APOLOGIES NECESSARY.
MORE people need to think about this.

In saying that, we did a full circle (several times) and are now having bamboo laid in February! :U

HOWEVER, we went with a bamboo laminate (I know what you are all going to think.....'cheapskate'). It wasn't exactly cheap in $$ sense and it actually looks quite classy.

We heard so many conflicting stories about the laminate is harder than real bamboo and vice versa. In all honesty, found it hard to believe anyone. So we took the punt, bought the laminate. We liked the look of it and time will only tell whether we made a mistake or not.

Went with the lighter colour in a high gloss. We did try to lay it ourselves over Xmas. Realised we were in over our heads (too much the DIY DVD's DONT TELL YOU!!), bit the bullet, 'uninstalled' what we did and found someone to lay it professionally, which is a huge relief for us. We had too many angled walls and around 100sqm to lay.

If it was a smaller square room, we may have been alright. But best to admit inability now than to pay the price a little further down the track.

Thanks for your continuance in this thread though. Still interesting to hear people's views.

Cheers