I have a cottage that experiences both very hot humid summers as well as severe winters. The structure sits on solid rock and as such gets a fair amount of humidity. To fight this I have installed an air exchange and insure the building is heated at all times during the winter. I plan to cover the rock with 6mil plastic to assist all this as well. Given the best laid plans of mice and men…..moisture still exists to some extent.
Its now time to install a flooring. I have been advised to stay away from hardwoods as they might expand and contract severely. Hence, my thoughts are to look into installing bamboo flooring. I would appreciate any insights and experiences you might have had, and any suggestions you can pass my way.
Many thanks…………..Jim
Replies
I do quite a bit of work on cottages and summer homes that are closed up for long periods of time, and flooring choices are to be carefully made.
One large home I've installed a lot of new flooring in is doing well, but the owners keep the heat on year-round. One winter, however, there was a long power outage and the flooring in one room buckled slightly (all solid hickory). (The floor returned to flat in the following summer....)
Since, in other situations, I've gone to a higher end engineered floor; a fairly thick "hand-scraped" surface on a plywood back.
However, last year, one of the local Safeways did a large remodel and installed some peel-and-stick flooring throughout the store. It's a heavy-duty vinyl, looks like a nice wide plank floor and is none the worse for wear after a year of shopping carts, gritty shoes, canned goods dropping on it and various spills.
I'm currently building a large bird room (DW and I have 9 parrots) and I've decided to lay this stuff over the slab floor.
The product is called Konecto (no website that I can find) and it comes in a variety of wood replicas. It also comes in three grades....the type Safeway used is the industrial grade (called Prestige, IIRC).
It's a fairly easy DIY install and can be put down over a variety of substrates (I'll be laying it over plywood on furring on a concrete slab with radient heat.
One of your local flooring suppliers should stock it and loan you a sample fan....this stuff is really tough and durable.
I've layed quite a bit of bamboo, but never tested it's resistance to swelling.
Many thanks for the input. A friend of mine indicated he found a material that sounds much the same that he plans to use at his cottage.I'll get looking locally to see what I might find!Thanks again for the Info...........Jim
I meant to mention, the industrial "prestige" style runs about $3.80 per sq. ft. at my local supplier. When I did a google search to see if konecto had a website I noticed a lot of internet suppliers; their prices may be less, but I didn't take time to check.
But I urge you to touch and feel some samples....this stuff is really tough!
I'm pretty much a wood guy at heart, but some of the new products available are good and sometimes better substitutes in certain situations.
Thanks again! I went on the Internet and found their site as well. Now to find a local distributor?Thanks...........Jim
Out Safeway did the same when they remodeled. I've been wondering what that was - my eyes say wood but the transition to the other floor materials is too smooth and I know they didn't remove any of the original slab. Nice stuff!
There is a Home show here in Toronto next weekend so I'm looking forward to seeing this product!thanks for the interest..........Jim