Greetings all,
We have gutted the first floor of our 1888 victorian home in Denver. I would like to install bamboo flooring, but do not want any beveled edges. I am a DIY who has installed flooring, Jotoba, which turned out real nice, and I have refinished many other floors in our rentals. I plan to do this aspect of our remodel myself.
The existing floor is T&G fir. Very old and beyond further refinishing. There are some dips and uneven spots throughout, but none of the depressions exceed a 1/2 inch over a 6 foot span. Once the new walls are framed we plan on having the floor leveled by a professional. I understand that they use lasers, metal lath and a mortar type product to achieve a flat floor.
Once leveled, we plan on putting down plywood, tar paper, then the flooring. I would like to use pre-finished flooring as it’s finish is highly touted.
Q: Will square edged, prefinshed, solid T&G bamboo flooring installed in this fashion create a truly flat floor, or should we plan on using an unfinished flooring and then finish on site?
Q: There are sooooo many brands and qualities available – any recommendations for good square edged pre-finished bamboo flooring?
Q: Does the floor leveling work well? Any other recommendations?
Thanks Much!
-Brian
Replies
Bump......for your prime time viewing enjoyment.
Not sure, but Google gypcrete. Its a light concrete slurry that gets pumped in and self levels. It was used extensively in the Old Oakland project in California. Nothing levels as good as gravity!Those who can make you believe in absurdities can make you commit atrocities- Voltaire
I've seen hardwood floors laid over self leveling gypcrete on loft projects in old buildings and they seemed to come out okay, but I didn't install them.
I will say that while the gypcrete was more flat, it was far from perfectly level.
I would be very careful about adding that much weight to an old victorian floor. Even though they "really built 'em back then", the floor joists are often maxed out on spans.
It doesn't sound like your floors are so bad, maybe some fixall and some 1/4" ply on top would get you straight enough. Level in a 120 year old house is a relative term.
Mike
Trust in God, but row away from the rocks.
What you can do with Bamboo flooring is lay the prefinished, sand it and refinish it.
This may sound bazaar, but I did that on one home where, after the floor was layed, the HO's hated the microbevels (even though they're quite fine on bamboo).
Fortunately, we had layed the Vertical grain, in which the bamboo strips that are glued up to form the plank go full depth. (the flat grain stuff, which has a more "bamboo" appearance, will give you about 3/16" of sandable surface, which may be good for a couple of careful sandings).
The VG version of Bamboo looks very similar, at first glance, to VG Doug Fir.
I've never layed the square edged bamboo....that micro bevel is mostly there to protect the edges until the floor is layed, but, for all I know, the square edge may be OK. I've had very good luck with bamboo as far as the quality recieved....I've used mostly Panda, a midpriced brand.
I've bought all of my bamboo from http://www.FastFloors.com and have had zero problems after 12 orders.
I'm not pushing them....I've just had good luck there. I buy all my other solid wood flooring locally.
And you can get 7/8" bamboo, instead of the typical 5/8" and provide another 1/4" of life.
BTW, I usually don't do the sanding and finish...I have a very anal (and very capable) finisher that does that part. It's worth his price (usually about $3.75 sq. ft.) to get a terrific finish on the floor.
Notchman,Do you happen to know (and be willing to share) what sort of finish your finisher uses on bamboo floors? I have a flat grain blonde bamboo floor three years old that is dirty in the v-joints, and have considered refinishing it. Floor refinishing is not in my experience bank.I have always preferred the look and feel of site-finished floors. I also like the cracks filled with finish, hopefully better excluding spills, etc.Thanks,
Bill
He uses a polyurethane finish called Dura-seal; I used it once on a small office floor once....he'd done the sanding....
The Dura seal is formulated for floors...he orders it through the local Ben-Moore retailer, but it's not a B/M product.
Thanks.Edit: I just went to the site. It is made by Sherwin-Williams. They make a solvent based product and a couple of waterbased crosslinked products. Which does your guy use?Bill
Edited 9/28/2006 10:27 pm by BillBrennen
Solvent based. Fairly potent; wear a respirator!
Q: Will square edged, prefinshed, solid T&G bamboo flooring installed in this fashion create a truly flat floor, or should we plan on using an unfinished flooring and then finish on site?
A: Square edges of prefinished strips will not register evenly. Some edges will be higher and some therefroe lower everywhere. This is why we sand floors or more accurately why prefinished flooring has a beveled edge. The bevel camouflages the unavoidable uneveness.
Q: There are sooooo many brands and qualities available - any recommendations for good square edged pre-finished bamboo flooring?
A: Nope.
Q: Does the floor leveling work well? Any other recommendations?
A: I would NOT add another component to the floor to level it. If you do, you are adding weight. Weight is not good. Instead, sand the existing fir floor on the diagonal, twice, to create an X type of pattern. This should get rid of most of the hills and valleys. Sandpaper will be very rough <36gr. Apply tar paper. Sheath using 3/8 underlayment + rosin paper + new flooring.
Hope this helps,
Frankie
Experiment with the placing of the ingredients on the plate. Try the mozzarella on the left, the tomato in the middle, the avocado on the right. Have fun. Then decide it goes tomato, mozzarella, avocado. Anything else looks stupid.
Richard E. Grant as Simon Marchmont - Posh Nosh
"Instead, sand the existing fir floor on the diagonal, twice, to create an X type of pattern. This should get rid of most of the hills and valleys."
hows does sanding get rid of a valley?
Hills and valleys follow the schedule of the joists. By sanding on the diagonal, you are not sanding parallel to them, which would take off the same amount on the hills as in the valleys and maintaining. And you are not sanding perpendicular to the which would do the same but with a greater exageration.Sanding on the diagonal allows you to cut through the hills and leave the valleys less disturbed. You'll see when you do it. It will begin to make perfect sense.Frankie
Experiment with the placing of the ingredients on the plate. Try the mozzarella on the left, the tomato in the middle, the avocado on the right. Have fun. Then decide it goes tomato, mozzarella, avocado. Anything else looks stupid.
Richard E. Grant as Simon Marchmont - Posh Nosh
hmmm..ok
I simply mark out the high spots and sand them leaving the valleys un sanded, makes sense to me - but what do I know I'm a framer.
Thanks for your advise.I understand why tar paper is used, but wonder about the extra layer of rosin paper. Is that to further elliminate squeeks? I guess it would also help racking the boards.