www.ultimatehandyman.co.uk

Just starting to re-dec/re-furb our hallway and was thinking about laying some nice solid/engineered wood flooring (floors are solid) and have been looking at some nice oak, ash and even walnut but the missus saw some bamboo flooring (so bamboo it is then).
Dimension and fitting wise it is the same as standard wood flooring but has anybody out there had any experiance of bamboo flooring ie performance wise and longevity, it is considerably cheaper than standard wood flooring which makes it quite appealing and info suggests that it is more hard wearing and stable than most hardwoods
Any additional info or personnal experiance will be greatly appreciated.

bamboo is a grass doesnt move too much and has one colour unless stained


my [b]TOTALY COMPLETLY AND UTTERLY BIASED [/b] point of view go for oak. naturally it comes from any colour from red to standard oak

it can be treated traditiaonaly to white with lime, traditional method
to any bcolur browns with beeswaxa natural prooduct to jacobian black with age

Hi Dirty deeds,

Thanks for the reply
I totally agree that oak is for me a far better option, but like i said the missus now likes bamboo so everything else is now out of the window

I have water treated bamboo on my floor in my kitchen and bathroom. I love it. Just installed it, or rather had it done. I would say this on insulation. There can be too much and not properly installed. You need to make sure you can have breathing chambers for your roof so moisture buildup will not rot your wood. I am not sure of the weather there but if you ask your local insulation person to come out and give you an idea of how much then you can use their expertise. Also if you have home improvement centers they can take the pitch of your roof plus footage and figure it in a formula. Good luck. The bamboo is beautiful and its very earth friendly!

WTF

ooh i was thinking to have bamboo as well and i think its lot better option then any other and its solid bamboo not sandwich.

wasim21k wrote:ooh i was thinking to have bamboo as well and i think its lot better option then any other and its solid bamboo not sandwich.

WHAT?

Bamboo is a tube. It's hollow. Can't be solid? Unless you laying tubes.

no its not tube its solid plunks like other wood. go to ur nearest B&Q and have look.

Well if it's in B & Q?



That above is another form of Bamboo, not the one B & Q have though?

Manufacturing Bamboo Flooring

Bamboo flooring originates from the bamboo stalk itself. After harvest, which typically takes between six and eight years for more mature bamboos, "logs" are sliced and ready for further processing. Following the slicing process, strips are cut near the approximate width of what we see in the horizontal bamboo appearance.

In most cases the next step is the darkening process that achieves the color of carbonized bamboo. Strips are often steamed under pressure(term carbonization). Natural bamboo keeps it's original appearance after being boiled to eliminate sugars and insects.

The carbonization process reduces the overall hardness of the bamboo; one reason why we don't advocate the darker bamboos in high traffic areas. They will show more damage given the right amount of punishment or use.

In most cases? Yea, we know it's a broad generalization. Unfortunately with bamboo there are no governing organizations such as what we have in the states with hardwood flooring. This is one reason we see very cheap priced bamboo being sold. Whether or not they follow practices to insure a quality product is in doubt. It's a real wild card when appealing low priced bamboo floors look attractive.

Following the "purifying process" inspection takes place to "grade" bamboo. There's always a market for good or marginal bamboos. Grades A or B are sorted. In the case of Greenwood and other products we offer on our site, B grades are sold to discounters who inevitably use it for their two dollar bamboo lines.

At this point, bamboo strips are often kiln dried to assure a comfortable moisture content. Final milling of strips takes place.

The final phase before finishing is gluing. During the production process, glued strips are assembled face up for horizontal flooring and side by side for the vertical construction. This is followed by hot pressing, where heat and pressure of up to 1,200 tons PSI binds the strips together.
Formaldehyde Glues?

Lower grade bamboos use more formaldehyde resins in the gluing process. How much is not known, as once again, there are no governing organizations in China overseeing production. More quality, better known brands sold in the USA exceed indoor air quality requirements for formaldehyde emission.
Final Milling & Finishing

Once "blanks" are completed(shown image right)milling takes place. Bamboo flooring is constructed the same as ordinary hardwood flooring with a tongue and groove system. However, common thickness can be found at 5/8" for solid 3 ply and vertical bamboo. Unlike traditional hardwood flooring that comprises one full blank or piece of wood, each common 3 5/8" bamboo board consists of 15 strips for horizontal construction and 19 for vertical.



Don't get upset I'm only playing. It's not solid board, don't want you thinking your buying Solid 'as grown' planks of Bamboo cause it's a grass and grows as a tube.

hhhmmm well u make me think before buy as i was thinking it is solid and about grown in tubes i thought they process it and straight it in that process all in one piece.

There's also some concern about just how ecco friendly it is.

Not that I'm a tree huger!

so in end bamboo is not good option?

well i was thinking to buy bamboo flooring but end up buying solid oak for my living and dinning and kitchen area now this weekend is going to be busy enough, i watch b&q diy dvd about solid wood flooring, i can not find stickey underlay.
and second if i glue then what type of glue should i use? and what type of underlay i have to use its on concert floor.