All about bamboo flooring

Absolutely Perfect 2 Bedroom Condo. Come See Gorgeous Bamboo Flooring Both Up & Down! Kitchen Features Stainless Steel Dishwasher, Microwave, Stove and Refrigerator. Off The Kitchen is A Laundry Closet Which Has Custom Pantry Shelving. Granite Countertops and a Glass Backsplash Are Just Some Of The Reasons You’ll Fall In Love. Updated Cabinets Feature Both Above and Below Cabinet Lighting. Did I Mention Slate Flooring? What a Great Feature! Track Lighting and Upgraded Brushed Nickel Fixtures Illuminate This Condo in a Romantic Way. Speaking of Romance, The Den Features a Wood Buring Fireplace w/Marble Mantle. Just Amazing. Enjoy Entertaining in Your Formal Dining Room Which Opens Into The Den, Overlooking The Wood Fenced Patio, Featuring French Doors. Sellers Cleverly Converted a Hallway Closet Into An Office w/Custom Shelving. Lots of Detail in This Immaculate Home. Lots of Closet Space. And Talk About Storage ~ There’s a 10×30 Private Storage Building Just For You!! Need More? Check Out The Virtual Tour!!

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along with my shark steam mop. The floors looked great. Then a few days ago I used Orange Glo for woodfloors with my steam mop and now the floor looks so bad. It looks so cloudy and you can see the lines from my mop. Now, I have no idea how to get it back to what it looked like before! I hope I didn’t ruin our flooring. Any suggestions?!!!!

First you really do not have to use a product with a steam mop. The steam mop cleans and kills germs better than almost any cleaner out there.

Try mopping the floor with white vinegar and hot water. The white vinegar should remove the Orange Glo stuff. And it might take more than one mopping. Keep rinsing your mop out so you don’t just liquefy the Orange Glo and put it back on the floor. If white vinegar doesn’t do it, try some Simple Green. That is great for removing "wax" and isn’t harsh.

Our den is an addition to our original house that you step down to enter. You can enter it from the living room or the kitchen, both of which have wide openings larger than just a standard door, so the rooms have a somewhat open feel. Our house is all oak hardwood floors. The den right now has carpet that we’d like to replace. We were considering bamboo flooring in the den since the color matches the oak in the rest of the house but I don’t know if that’s tacky? We’d rather avoid carpet since it stains easily being right next to the kitchen, and can’t afford to install oak floors since the addition is on a concrete subfloor, meaning it would require extra work.
I was looking at a solid bamboo from Home Depot that’s on sale in a light color similar to our oak. I don’t think it’s engineered because the associate said it was a type that could be refinished over and over again just like our hardwoods with different color stains, etc. Will it end up looking really different from our existing hardwood? I just worry about it looking like we tried to match but didn’t succeed. Thanks for your help!

As long as the color is complementary you ll be fine.What kind of bamboo or wood you looking at? Full 3/4" hardwood cannot be installed a cement floor w/o a sleeper system being installed. This raises the floor up a minimum of 1 1/2" plus the wood.
But by going with a 1/2 or 3/8" floating or engineered ( floating or glue direct) you can put this flooring on fully cured slab.
Any questions you can e mail me through my avatar. GL

Over the last few years, bamboo floors have become the latest craze. Environmentally conscious home owners are choosing them over traditional hardwood floors because of their sustainability and environmentally sound origins. However, some critics are raising the alarm that bamboo flooring are not as “green” as they could be. 

There are different forms of bamboo floors available to consumers. In North America, the manufactured bamboo flooring that is commonly found is highly processed. The bamboo is first split and flattened, and then dried. Later it is laminated in layers with glue under high pressure. Manufactured bamboo floors are usually available in planks with either vertical- or horizontal-grain orientation.

Bamboo flooring is available in two major colors: natural (similar to beech) and carbonized (similar to oak). Bamboo flooring gets its color from a process called carbonization in which bamboo is steamed under a controlled pressure and temperature.  As the bio-organisms and sugar breaks down, the color of the material changes into a brown. Natural and carbonized bamboo floors are often referred to as solid bamboo. This can be somewhat misleading as the structures are layered, similar to a plywood.

One of the main advantages of bamboo is that it is a renewable resource.  The bamboo plant is a grass that reaches maturity in about three years while many conventional hardwood floors (such as oak) can take 120 years to grow to maturity. The bamboo plant also regenerates with replanting and requires minimal fertilization or pesticides. Bamboo floors are also considered to be water repellant, making them a save choice in kitchens and bathrooms. 

However, some will argue that bamboo is not being managed in a sustainable fashion. While it is true that the plant regenerates, forests are being cleared to grow bamboo. Producers in Asia, mainly China, have been aggressive in their planting often at the expense of existing woodlands and their ecosystems. When the bamboo is transformed into plans, the factories often use glues with high levels of formaldehyde. Should you choose to install bamboo floors in your home, beware that, like any hardwood floors, it can be damaged by dents, scratches, etc. 

The bottom line is that you will have to do your homework before you buy  bamboo flooring materials. While it is a beautiful wood with a high regeneration capacity, beware of the potential health risk of the glues used to make the product. Ask questions and don’t be shy to request test results. Reputable flooring companies offer glues that emit less than 0.01 parts per million of the substance. You may have to pay a little more for this option, but your health is worth it. Also, be sure to walk on an installed bamboo floor before making your final decision. The feel of a bamboo floor can vary depending on how the material has been treated and the finish applied. You want to be sure that you new floor will grace your home for decades and not have to be ripped up after a few years. 

Sterling Wong
http://www.articlesbase.com/real-estate-articles/bamboo-flooring-a-greener-option-672438.html

This spacious three bedroom three bathroom single family home is located in the quaint neighborhood of Woodridge Estates in Clearwater, Florida. Situated on a corner lot, this single story home features beautiful details throughout including new custom oak cabinetry in the kitchen and dining room, ceramic tile and new bamboo flooring, and French doors that lead to a separate den.

An open foyer leads to the large living room and separate den. The spacious kitchen has been upgraded with all new Kenmore appliances including refrigerator, dishwasher, microwave, and range. Accessible from the kitchen is the large dinning room with built-in computer niche and backyard access.

A hall leads to two guest bedrooms, a full guest bathroom and the beautiful master suite with large closet, attached bathroom and bamboo flooring. A full laundry room is located off of the garage and features a washer, dryer, sorting table, drying shelves, additional storage, wash basin, and additional bathroom.

The large fenced-in backyard is an excellent accent to this Clearwater home. Privacy fence, mature trees, tree house and low maintenance landscaping makes this yard a wonderful Florida retreat. The house also features a storage shed and private cement pad ideal for boat or RV parking.

This exquisite home in Pinellas County is located outside of flood zones and includes hurricane shutters and a new Genex 18KW propane generator capable of generating two weeks of electricity for the entire house. The home is located just minutes from ample shopping and dining and fifteen minutes from the pristine Clearwater beaches. State Road 60 allows for an easy commute through out Clearwater and Tampa.

Sarah Noreikas| Real Estate Specialist
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My husband and I are remodeling are downstairs. We’re putting in light bamboo hard wood floors. Currently, our kitchen cabinets are maple. We were thinking of making them black cabinets with some glass inter-lays to contrast the light flooring. We also chose a tannish colored granite (we wanted something very neutral). Do you think the black cabinets are a trend or do you think this will still look good when we go to sell the house 5-10 years from now?

When I was small one night my mom served dinner on her best china. It was not an exceptional dinner it was meat loaf or something else mundane. When we questioned her on it she said. "I love these dishes. I want to enjoy them more then just the holidays. They make me happy." After that she pulled the dishes and the good silver out at least 2 times a week.

I learned a lesson from that. Do what makes you happy. Enjoy your kitchen for what you want. In 1825 days or 4000 days from now let the next person decide what will make them happy.

You could have the most impressive kitchen in the world and it may not suit someone else. What will sell is neat and clean and functional.

We are interested in tearing out our wall to wall carpet (which I hate) and replacing it with either Laminate wood or Real Hardwood flooring. We have a newer home, tile by the front carpet in the living room and bedrooms and vinyl tile in the kitchen and bathrooms….my thought was to put the vinyl or hardwood throughout the kitchen living room bedrooms and hallway, and then tile the bathrooms with stone….which should I use real Hardwood or Laminate….heard bamboo flooring is nice too. Want something that is going to up the resale value when the time comes and something that is durable and not over the top for expense, we have approximately 1,048 square feet in our home.

Real wood looks better, laminate is cheaper though and easier to maintain. I wouldn’t use wood flooring for the kitchen use tile instead. You can use wood for the kitchen but the water and spills can warp the wood, and also the food particles get caught between the crevices of the wood flooring.

about 2 shades lighter. We are now thinking we should have bought a few shades darker. Any suggestions?!

Since your kitchen cabinet choice is already a medium shade, a lighter color for the floor will be a good contrast. I think it will help make your kitchen bigger and brighter, whereas a darker shade might box you in. I’m sure it will look fine, good luck!

http://sellingsaskatoon.com – http://cambird.redhotwebpage.com – Located 209B – 4th Ave in Aberdeen- this is a Brand New 1493 sq.ft. 2 storey with 9′ ceilings on main as well as in open basement. The main floor offers bamboo flooring in living room and dining area as well as in the 3 bedrooms on the 2nd level while the kitchen and bathrooms offer porcelain tiled flooring in kitchen and 2 of the 3 bathrooms. The kitchen has maple cabinets with anti slam kitchen drawers plus an island with a view to the dining and living room areas. The top floor has the 3 bedrooms with a very nice ensuite bath and a walk in closet area plus a laundry chute from the top floor to the basement laundry area. Additional features include energy efficient furnace and water heater, water saving toilets, pedestal sink in main floor bath with a door to rear yard off the bathroom area, 30 year shingles and more. This home will appeal to anyone looking for a new home in small town quiet environment-Welcome to Aberdeen with its new sports complex and easy access to Saskatoon along highway #41. Price includes GST with rebate to the builder. For more information on this great home contact your REALTOR Cam Bird at 306-221-0654 or e-mail Cam at cambird@sellingsaskatoon.com – For even more information visit his websites at http://sellingsaskatoon.com or http://cambird.redhotwebpage.com

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Our livingroom carpet has seen around 10 dogs that weren’t housebroken, two episodes of whipworm, dog vomit, dirty diapers, baby spit up, formula, a variety of food and about 30 gallons of water from a leaking aquarium. It’s a very tightly woven commercial type carpet of a light color that is absolutely NOT standing up to heavy traffic. To make matters worse it wasn’t installed properly and is wearing in areas without a threshhold.

We have a hardwood floor in our Diningroom/Kitchen (10×20) that I absolutely hate. Not only is it a yellow color that won’t even go with a neutral paint, it too was not installed properly and is warping, etc.

We want a non-carpet floor to cover our livingroom, diningroom, kitchen and hallway. I have heard good and bad things about bamboo, hard wood and laminate flooring. What would you recommend for a very high traffic area, small kids and dogs? We’d like something that will last and not cost a small fortune to put in. The total area (for the sake of a nice round number) is around 600 square feet.

Any brands that are better than others would be great. I’d love something that we can install ourselves.

Also, is there anyway to "recycle" the current wood floor?

These days Concrete Floors have become very popular. They solve all the problems that you are having currently with carpets. Concrete floors are beautiful, affordable and durable.