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Bamboo flooring will transform the feeling in any room. Something about it will relax you and make you feel quiet inside...Its rich golden tones are warm and touchable, elegant and serene.
Bamboo floors can take punishment from kids, pets and even commercial foot traffic. Use it in your kitchen or bath, rec room or living room, basement or even in your covered deck.
What Makes Our Bamboo Different?
After six years of selling bamboo we have learned that all bamboo flooring is not alike. Here are several reasons why our bamboo flooring is worthy of your attention:
Performance: Bamboo floors are tough: 15% harder than Maple and almost 100% harder if using Bamboo Strand board. Your bamboo floor will last a long time if it is properly installed and cared for. However we have found from experience that not all bamboo floors perform equally. Some may split, warp, or delaminate over time. Others may not fit well together from the beginning.
The best manufacturers use only the bottom portions of mature stalks of bamboo that are tougher and more stable. A durable product also results from careful cutting and edging using sophisticated milling equipment as well as proper drying techniques.
If this milling equipment is outdated or poorly maintained, the result may be split or uneven edges. Also, if bamboo is shipped across the ocean without proper plastic wrapping excessive moisture may be absorbed by the flooring. This will inevitably cause future problems when the wood dries out.
Check this out. Below is a recent photo of a bamboo flooring sample we just received from a large internet flooring company which has one of the lowest prices. When you look at the edge you can see obvious signs of delamination. And this is brand new!
This could be due to improper drying, poor packaging, faulty glue application, or dull milling equipment. Imagine what might happen if you installed this on your floor? The floor could buckle, twist or warp causing a noticeable bump in the floor.
The warranty might cover the piece but you would have to rip it out at your own expense and try to find a matching piece and then replace it. No small task. Your floor may never look the same. And this could happen to numerous pieces. So much for saving a few bucks. We've all been there and done that.
Grading: There now appears to be varying grades of bamboo on the market although they may not be labeled as such. This is due to: age at harvesting time (4 year old bamboo is noticeably softer than 6 year old bamboo), culm (trunk) selection (lower to the ground the stronger), manufacturing processes (some older equipment mills, glues and finishes products differently from newer state of the art factories), certification (while not available in China it is available in the US and Europe for certain manufacturers that comply with those standards of manufacturing).
Durable Finish: The Chinese are now finishing most of the bamboo with much better finishes than they did years ago. However, some finishes (especially the inexpensive ones) are simply multiple coats of polyurethane. The best manufacturers use a five coat German Klump finish of aluminum oxide with a super tough scratch resistant ceramic top coat. It is difficult to tell which finish is the best just by looking at it. You have to know how to test the surfaces to determine which ones chip off easily and which ones don't.
Longevity: Some manufacturers are so confident of their new finish system they warrant thier products for LIFE against delamination and for 25 years against surface wear (residential). Their are different warranties for commercial applications, usually 5-10 years.
The questions you need to ask are: 1) "Will the company that sold me the product be around that long?" and 2) "What good is a replacement warranty if I have to pay for the cost of removal and installation which is much more expensive than the floor itself?" Although it is not always easy to choose the best products, seasoned homeowners rely on reputable companies that only sell top quality products. After all, your floors are require a significant investment; inferior quality is not worth the risk
Environmentally Friendly: In the mid 90's most bamboo manufacturers said their bamboo flooring was non-toxic. Later this was proven to be untrue. They used formaldehyde based glues and finishes that off-gassed. Today, these practices have changed for the better due to pressure from consumers and better certification procedures.
Still many manufacturers make claims that are not easy to verify. The best manufacturers now use adhesives and finishes that comply with or exceed European standards for safety and can prove it. These are water-based, solvent-free and do not off-gass toxic chemicals. They may cost slightly more but they are better for your health. Again, this is not easy to determine by smelling a sample of bamboo, even if it is freshly sawn. You have to know your sources.
In sum: We provide bamboo flooring products that are well made by reputable manufacturers who use quality raw materials, adhesives and milling equipment and who have a commitment to the environment and their employees. We have learned that selling poor quality products, no matter how cheap, are in the long term not a good use of anyone's time or money. That is why we only sell the best.
 TRADITIONAL BAMBOO FLOORS : This type looks like normal hardwood flooring with a tongue and groove side and a micro bevel on its top edge. It's 5/8" thick and 3 5/8" wide and is used primarily in new construction. It may be nailed or glued down. This requires a perfectly flat subfloor.
Click on image to enlarge.
Shown above are carbonized colors on top and natural colors below.Traditional bamboo is generally less expensive than normal hardwood flooring. Installation costs are the same as hardwood and slightly more than plank or engineered (see below).
 PLANK BAMBOO FLOORS : (also referred to as floating, wideboard, or engineered) Click on the image and you'll see that these are much wider than the Traditional Bamboo.
Easy to install even for amateurs. The veneered planks are now available in both tongue and groove as well as glueless click (shown). Plank bamboo floors can be nailed, floated or glued down. They are ideal for remodeling because the long wide planks span over any small imperfections in the subfloor. In other words, your subfloor doesn't have to be perfectly flat as it does under traditional bamboo flooring.
Plank bamboo is about the same or less expensive than Traditional bamboo. This is because installation take about 1/2 the time and requires no previous experience. You can even do it yourself and save hundreds or thousands of dollars. Underlayment is required when floating method is used.
 STRAND BAMBOO FLOORS This new product is extremely dense, heavy and almost indestructable and has some exciting applications. Strand bamboo is very similar to Traditional in every way except they can be used outdoors under covered roofs or in very damp areas, such as bathrooms or basements. Chinese railroad ties are made in a similar fashion.
This chart summarizes all the styles, colors and grains of bamboo flooring:
Style
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Color
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Grain
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Edge
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Width/Length
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Traditional
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Natural/Carbonized
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Horizontal/Vertical
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Tongue and Groove
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3 3/4" x 36" or 72" x 5/8
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Traditional
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Natural/Carbonized
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Strand
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Tongue and Groove
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3 5/8" x 72" x 9/16
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Plank
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Natural/Carbonized
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Horizontal/Vertical
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Veneer T&G
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7 1/2" x 86 1/2"
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Single samples are $9.95, including shipping. Order single samples with the web description of the type of flooring you want - click on the desired link on this page.
Or, you can receive three bamboo flooring samples for $19.95, including shipping. To order, note the specific kind of samples you want (examples: Traditional Natural Vertical, Plank Carbonized Horizontal, Strand Carbonized). Order Samples |
Air and Water Purification
Natural Flooring
Non-Toxic Finishes
Environmentally Friendly Cleaners
Eco-Countertops Wood Furniture
Wool Carpeting
Energy & Water Conservation
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