Anybody here had any experiences they can share about Bamboo flooring? The Home Depot guys in Denver (I travel a lot) told me they shipped theirs to California because bamboo doesn’t work in the dry Colorodo climate. But a floor sub contractor here in Mississippi said he didn’t have any problems with it. Any info appreciated. Thanks.
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My limited experience with bamboo flooring is that it can very greatly in hardness and durability. The Lumber Liquidators I checked, I could take a housekey to it and barely make a mark, But the cheapo stuff i ended up buying will mark up siginificantly with just a hard stare. Get samples and test it. I am unbelieveably unsatisfied with the material I have in my bedroom. I didn't get it from HD, but on a recent visit gave their sample a key test and it marked right up. In general i'm thinking the vertical orientation would be more durable than the horizontal.
> because bamboo doesn't work in the dry Colorodo climate
That's simply a ridiculous comment.
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On softness vs hardness...makes sense to check samples before buying. Used to be just a few distributors, but now there are lots, and quality can vary. Most bamboo used to be older growth and harder. Now it's newer growth and can be softer. That's the explanation provided by my supplier when I asked him about differences between what I had 6 years ago and one year ago.
fwiw, I put 4500 sf in my house and loved it.
????"Old Growth Bamboo" isnt that an oxy something?
I thought the saving grace of bamboo was that you could clear the forest and regrow it in 3 weeks cause the darned Grass grew rthat fast. One of the "green" benefits of bamboo is its rapid regeneration.
Not weeks, years. Old growth is maybe 4 or 5 years, and of increased hardness. New growth is 2 or 3 years.
Sorry Cloud, I should have put a smiley face on my intended sarcasm/humor.
Compared to wood, it isn't exactly "old".
I installed a bamboo floor in Colorado, it was the second floor installed because the first bamboo installation shrank a lot. The first contractor brought the bamboo to the job in the back of his pick-up and installed it the same day. Furthermore, the first installation was oriented horizontally and finished with a water-based finish. I tore out the first floor and let the new vertically oriented material season in the house for three weeks prior to installation and finished with a urathane finish. That was over a year ago and the floor looks great and is very tight.
I don't know which process doomed the first installation, but when installed properly, Colo. climate has not made a difference. By the way, today in colorado, we are up to our arm pitts in snow with plenty of moisture to go around.
With Bamboo floors you definitely get what you pay for. The big boxes sell pretty lousy stuff IMHO. I would not buy anything from Lumber Liquidators either.
I would stick with the better companies that directly source their own flooring if not control the whole process.
My favorite is Teragren. http://www.teragren.com/
BTW, while I have actually heard a couple accurate comments from HD employees in the last couple decades, in general I would not put too much stock in anything they say. Sad to say, but most big box people have not the slightest clue why they stock anything, let alone any practical experience actually using their own products.