All about bamboo flooring

We are putting up crown molding in our "billiards" room in the "sunken in" bottom floor of our tri-level townhome. The walls are a deep red. We have an espresso pub table and an espresso mirror. The fabric on the sofa is a cream/tan with brown lines. The cieling is white. The room opens up to the kitchen and there are three bamboo shades (on the darker side). The fireplace tile is kind of a golden yellow/tan color but we may change that someday to match the sofa more… The question is whether we should go with white crown molding (even though there isn't really any white in the room) or whether we should stain it to bring in the color from the bamboo shades or a color from the sofa (creamy tan or medium brown). I have only really seen white crown molding before but Lowe's sells quite a bit of stained crown molding too. So, we thought it would be good to consider our options.
The room is carpeted with a cream/beige/berber look and feel. We picked thinner/less ornate molding since the walls aren't super high (just high enough to handle molding).

I just built a 6000 sq/ft home and to my interior designer had us go with painting the crown molding an ivory/cream color instead of white. It sounded odd to me but it looks great. The ceiling color and other molding in the room should be the same color but the molding should have a more sheen finish to show it off. Good luck to you.

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Is anybody knows any good factory that I can contact with them?

you can get many information on alibaba:
http://www.alibaba.com/trade/search?Type=SALE%2CAGENT%2CMISC&year=&month=&location=&keyword=&SearchText=bamboo+flooring&Country=&srchLocation=&srchYearMonth=&IndexArea=offer_en&CatId=0

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I live in an old house, and there is one area in the kitchen where it transitions from one floor level to the other. I have no idea why it is this way, but it is right down the center line of the house, so I am sure there was a structural reason. There is a total drop of 3-4" over a distance of about 6", so in effect it's like a tiny ramp. I have not pulled up the carpet to see what exactly it looks like underneath. I am planning on installing new floors myself on a budget, so re-doing a bunch of structural stuff is not really an option. I need ideas on how to handle the slope, what types of flooring could do this, etc. I was wanting to do a wood / bamboo throughout the house (the house is very small and I want the visual unity).

Thanks for your help!
Again, to clarify, the house is probably supposed to be this way. It's a transition between two different rooms / parts of the house. It's not something that can be "repaired."
Also, I think I may have exaggerated the difference in the levels. It's barely noticeable under carpet, so I am thinking it's around 1.5" to 2" drop. Not enough to trip over.

3 inches in 6, that's quite a hump. If you can't be persuaded to repair the structural issues, use an engineered floor (such as Tarkett). This is not a laminate, the appearance side is solid wood (of the chosen specie) about 3/16 thick , all glued to a plywood substrate. This product is more forgiving than solid wood flooring.

Hope this helps, let me know if you need further info

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in doing research I have found that there are 2 primary methods ie: engineered and solid and have also read some about 'starnded' bamboo. I am hoping someone can provide some first hand insight into bamboo and its durability for an active family.

Bamboo (not engineered) is very strong and durable, but expensive.

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How hard is it to install hardwood floors by myself? I am about to buy a 2,300 sqft. home and would like to install flooring myself so i can save some money. Also, there is a part of HWF allready installed in the kitchen. Is it going to be hard to take it off, or should i leave it and stain it to match maybe the new floor? About how much would a 1, 200 sqft. floor cost me to buy the wood? I heard that bamboo is the best to get. Thank you.

http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=howTo&p=Improve/lamflr

i highly recommend that you install your flooring your self if will save you loads of money..just read up on it, it is very simple to do
if you have a lowes store near , they have free class's and video tapes to show you how to do it..you need to find a liquidation center for flooring we have one here and you can get the flooring for about $10 a box and the liner for about $17 a roll. if you own your own home it is always wise to learn home improvement to take care of stuff like this..

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I have used bamboo as the flooring in the interior of my home. I would like to continue the look on my outdoor living space as well.

I have seen it used that way, with small spaces between adjacent slats, to allow the water to drain. ~

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Hey all you contractors out there….I need to install flooring in a kitchen that has been gutted. Hardibacker is about the only thing on it now. I have a limited budget, and am willing to get creative. Problem is, I have champagne taste on a beer budget! (Don't we all?) Laminate is out of the question. I hate it. I like hardwood, but is it considered appropriate for a kitchen? I like stone and tile, but it's expensive. The concrete flooring I'm seeing is BEAUTIFUL, but I can't seem to figure out if it's expensive to have installed, or not. Cork and bamboo, also attractive, but I don't know how expensive it is. I'm in San Diego, if location has anything to do with it. Thanks for your advice!

Just remember, you'll pay maybe 50% or so for installation
of the products cost. I think you should be thinking first who
will install? Also, just to give you another option:
REAL LINOLEUM produces 0 off-gasing and is the top
choice for health reasons. And with linoleum,it should last
many many years. Also,they go by the "mils" this indicates
the wear value/toughness/and costs a little more.

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I have about 550 sq ft to install and im hoping to finish in one weekend. Two rooms and a hallway. I live in Phoenix so moisture shouldn't be a problem. But i could use some helpful tips.

I just glued down about 300 ft2 of Bamboo in my upstairs home office just last week. The timing of your question is pretty lucky.

My first tip is not to stop until you get to a clear stopping point such as a door treshold or transition. I had to stop twice when I layed the floor and the gaps between these pieces are noticably wider than those I installed continuously. When I stand on the floor I can't really tell but when I get on my hands and knees, I can see the difference.

Be sure to vary the lengths of the starter pieces. I used a 4-row pattern, beginning with a full piece, followed by a 1/3-piece, a full piece, a 2/3-piece, and then repeat. The partial pieces were not measured out so there was some irregularity but to my eye, there was still to much repetition. If I had to do it again, I'd try for more randomness. Just keep in mind that randomness means more scrap.

Most of my time was spend spreading out the glue, which is a real pain in the neck. It was the $90 tub of polyurethane glue from Homedepot. It worked well but is very messy and expensive. The last 25% of the job I used polyurethane construction adhesive instead of the tub. I bought several of the big tubes and put it into my cordless caulking gun. Although I used it very liberally, it still took only 1/10 the time to spread. If I had to do it again, I'd highly recommend using this from the beginning. If you have to used a manual caulking gun, you may want to stick with the tub.

Definitely clean up the glue when it's still wet with the Mineral Spirits, it just doesn't come out as clean if you have to scrape it after the fact.

I hope you can finish in one weekend. My bamboo office project took about 14 hours of actual work time.

I assume you are gluing down the floor because it is on concrete. If the concrete is prone to any moisture, be sure to seal it first. At a previous job I used Titebond 531. Smelly and just as messy as the glue but worth it for long term floor life.

If you're gluing down over wood, I'd reconsider using a pnuematic flooring nailer. It's much cleaner a job once you set it up properly.

Lastly, acclimation to humidity is important. I had the planks sitting in the room for a few weeks before hand. Little did I know that inside the pretty boxes that the planks were encased in plastic. Be sure to open it all up to the air. You may be in dry Phoenix but your bamboo may have come from somewhere much wetter. It needs to stabilize. I think mine came from China.

Use a lot of clamps to hold the planks together as you move along especially if it's a big room. The last thing you need is the glue to dry and there's a big gap somewhere. The easiest way I found is to screw a board into the sub-floor. Reverse the clamp to push off of the board and squeeze the planks together. The more clamps the better.

Good Luck

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Which is better for a kitchen. Bamboo or cork? Is there a huge price differencial? I want to try to do this myself.

Both bamboo & cork are excellent choices for kitchen floors. Prices vary greatly depending on the supplier. Look for quality as well as price, as quality varies as much or more than price. Bamboo tends to be a bit more expensive than cork.

Whatever your choice, it is a good idea to apply at least one clear coat (urethane or other, as per manufacturer's recommendations) after installation to better seal joints and protect from water or other spills penetrating to the subfloor.

You can visit www.duro-design.com for more information.

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Please let me know your experiences with bamboo flooring.

Most flooring store oversell bamboo floors as one of the hardest flooring available, truth be told they are NOT. It is similar with any natural hardwood flooring, and based on the Janka hardness rating (This is the measure of a wood floors density. Denser floors have a higher rating and are harder to gouge and indent from daily wear) Bamboo is tougher than Oak and almost as hard as Maple which is around 1380 psi. This puts it in the average rating in terms of hardness.

The finish that is applied to the floors however determines the overall wear. It does scratch and any wood floor finish will scratch, aluminum oxide is however the most scratch resistant finish available for a floor today, and there are many versions of aluminum oxide as well. It is important to use a branded version, Treffic aluminum oxide from Germany is an example.

Anyhow, there are now different types of bamboo available, Strand Woven Bamboo for one comes with a Janka hardness rating that is the same as Brazilian Walnut which is about 3000 PSI and is hard to dent, is responsible green building, and looks amazing.

Installation should not be an issue either since Bamboo floors can either be nailed/stapled, glued or floated (same as a laminate floor installation) which can go practically anywhere, except heavily wet areas of course Aesthetically speaking, bamboo flooring spans all design themes from traditional to ultra contemporary and certainly provides a distinct look to your home.

And the best part of it all, bamboo is affordable!

I answer the live chat for simplefloors.com so if you need any additional information on this stop by and chat with me, flooring is what I specialize in and I am happy to help out, no strings attached.

Goodluck on your project

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