posted on May 2, 2010 03:33:42 PM new
We're considering bamboo flooring. I'm wondering how it holds up and how easily it's cleaned. Anyone?
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"Here in America we are descended in blood and in spirit from revolutionists and rebels - men and women who ***dared to dissent*** from accepted doctrine. As their heirs, ***may we never confuse honest dissent with disloyal subversion."*** --Eisenhower
posted on May 3, 2010 06:01:07 PM new
I looked into bamboo flooring,it looks nice and strong,but they do scratch.
So it is recommended for summer home,not your year round residence.
I ended up with 20 by 20 inches tiles through out the whole house except for the bathroom where I have 8 by 8 inches,it is cold in winter but nice walking on them barefoot in the summer or even now.
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There is no 'Global savings glut',only wild horses and loose bankers.
posted on May 3, 2010 06:17:39 PM new
Thanks! I didn't realize they scratched easily. It's the same with pine flooring. A friend of ours makes everyone take off their shoes when visiting - a real pain in the neck.
posted on May 12, 2010 04:59:28 PM new
Have you considered cork?
Before we decided to sell our house we were considering cork. Soft and comfortable to walk on and wears extremely well.
We did a lot of research and it all seemed very positive.
posted on May 13, 2010 09:11:20 AM new
It's obvious that cork flooring would float, while with the bamboo flooring, one would have to be concerned with pandas.
posted on May 13, 2010 02:07:18 PM new
I'd considered cork but decided against it, based on upkeep issues from friends.
The carpeting in the house we bought, here in the high mountains, is a light light beige, and it shows everything. I'm sick of it, and yet I don't want any carpeting that's dark enough not to show everything in the living room. I've seen our daughter's bamboo flooring and like it, and I know I could get it in a light color, but I was just wondering if it dents easily and how easy it is to keep clean. I'm going to send this to my daughter for her opinion(s).
posted on May 15, 2010 11:31:03 PM new
I asked our married daughter about her bamboo flooring; here's her reply today:
Hi, Mom – Sorry it’s taken me so long to get back to you. We love the bamboo floor in the tea house (8 yrs old), and Alison and Vernon love the bamboo flooring in their remodeled kitchen (about 4 years old). We have not found that it scratches easily. Much *less* easily than the pecan flooring in our house. It’s tough stuff. There’s a reason it’s the hardwood of choice for people who want wood floors in their kitchens and bathrooms. Also, it’s gorgeous, it takes stain beautifully. It will not show more dirt than a light carpet does, and because it will reflect light a little, it will make your space look bigger (architect/designer trick).
You’ll have a couple of choices to make. There’s the stain color, and also whether you’re going to use the planks made up of little narrow strips, or the wider strips.
Your other decision, and I think this is the important one, is whether you buy prefinished, where all you need is for the contractor to install it; or unfinished, where you’ll need a hardwood flooring guy to finish it in place. This means installing, sanding, then coating with varnish/varathane/whatever. The latter is what we did in the tea house, whereas Alison and Vernon used prefinished planks in their kitchen. The difference is aesthetic. With prefinished, when you put the planks together, there’s a visible joint between them. This works in Alison and Vernon’s house because the existing oak planks in the rest of their house have visible joints (for effect). In our house, Curt and I wanted to see the grain of the bamboo itself, not the lines between the planks. We opted instead to get unfinished flooring. We let it sit (piled up is fine) in the tea house for a few days to adjust to the moisture level inside your house; if the boards are going to do any curling, you want them to do it *before* they’re installed and sanded. (Trust us on this: we had new pecan flooring installed in one room without allowing the flooring to sit and adjust to the space, and the boards are curled up slightly at the joints, which is kind of silly and unattractive.) After a few days, the flooring guy installed the flooring, sanded the surface, and applied the finish. The sanding and varnishing is a very impactful process; you’d have to cover everything in the rooms you’re doing, or move everything into other rooms, and you’ll probably need to move downstairs for 3 days or so while coats of finish are being applied and drying.
By contrast, with prefinished, the contractor just installs the stuff, and you’re walking on it right away. I guess that’s why so many people are doing prefinished! I don’t know how the two compare in price. You can probably see examples of prefinished at Home Depot.
posted on May 16, 2010 08:37:12 AM new
Well, sounds like two happy owners of bamboo!
Now you just have to make the decision between prefinished or not. Whichever you choose I think you will really like it.
Many new homes here are coming with bamboo flooring and I have not heard anything negative about it.
I was just more interested in cork for the particular room we were looking at which faced North and could be a little chilly. Cork gives some insulation value and is warm to walk on.
posted on May 17, 2010 09:39:20 AM new
Regarding the durability of bamboo. I got a bamboo cutting board as a gift and stopped using it as it was dulling my knives too much- I'm a stickler for sharp knives- I have an ancient butcher block of mesquite, a notably very hard wood, and it's not nearly as devastating to my knives' edges as that bamboo board was. I'd think a bamboo floor would be hard as nails and difficult to scratch.
posted on May 17, 2010 10:44:58 AM new
On the other hand, I bought some bamboo socks last winter and holes appeared in them in the first day of wear. I took them back and was told that many other folks were too!
So.............bottom line.
Bamboo socks............NO
Bamboo Cutting Board....NO
Pandas as House Guests..NO
Bamboo Flooring.........YES.
posted on May 18, 2010 02:04:31 PM new
Profe: I've had a bamboo cutting board for a couple of years and have enjoyed it. However, I put a very hot pan on it, and it warped. Now I'm trying to unwarp it on the bottom side.
I'm considering those heavy plastic? silicone? cutting sheets that you can cut on and then fold to easily transport the stuff to a pan or bowl.
posted on May 22, 2010 01:16:56 PM new
I use those. They're plastic, and come in packs of 6 for a few bucks. Good sized, probably 12 x 18 or so. Very easy on my knives and great for switching from produce prepping to meat to poultry etc. They do wear out after a while.I've seen the silicone ones, but I'm a cheapskate.
