Anyone here HAS bamboo flooring ??? Check the link inside.

[laptop-tech]

We have been thinking about replacing the floor in the dinning room/living room (currently carpet) and since we have a small dog, many things should be considered.
Wife likes hardwood, but it bothers me to imagine we'll have to baby it to keep it nice. We had laminate before (sort of a higher end, 12mm thick) which we liked but it indeed does have the "cheap" look. We need something durable, easy maintenance, not too cold and good looking. Initially, ceramic with radiant heating was considered, until we figured out the costs...ouch !

Then.... bamboo flooring seemed to be pretty good. Price is a bit less than hardwood, most people say its very sturdy (harder than Jatoba or Oak), but doing my research I found this link :

http://www.finishing.com/260/96.shtml

and it really scared us !

Has anyone here had bamboo installed for a little while ? Any inputs would be much appreciated.

[t3359]

thanks for the link... i may need to reconsider what i use in the kitchen...

bjl

[bluespecv]

thanks! good info.. i guess i should reconsider

[D-3vil]

we just put in bamboo flooring about a month ago, no scratches yet and it's holding up pretty well.

[Freddie473]

We had 2 rooms installed with bamboo (1 vertical, 1 horizontal) about 6 months ago and so far they still look brand new. No scratches of any kind, but then again we have no kids or pets.

[vsavka]

i have bamboo installed in family room and 2 bedrooms and it somewhat does scratch easier than oak, just use soft underpads for the couch and chairs, very easy to install to :)

and for a big hint, buy from Costco or Sams Club in US, comes up to $2/sq ft tax in, compared to 4 + tax here

[steen]

Costco has this (http://www.costco.ca/en-CA/Browse/Product.aspx?whse=&topnav=&prodid=10295855&ec=&pos=0F) in store for about $2.60/sq. ft. before taxes if I remember correctly.

[laptop-tech]

hummm... mixed feelings now...

[apollo]

Where is the best place to pick-up hardwoord in the GTA?

[blexann]

Costco has this (http://www.costco.ca/en-CA/Browse/Product.aspx?whse=&topnav=&prodid=10295855&ec=&pos=0F) in store for about $2.60/sq. ft. before taxes if I remember correctly.

??more like $4.27 a sq foot

[cupcake delite]

I was at the Costco in Vaughan yesterday and the Golden Select Bamboo Flooring Horizontal Carbonized (product #851300) was $2.24 sq foot. $39.99 / box.

[felix]

Where is the best place to pick-up hardwoord in the GTA?
I'm wondering this as well. Seems to be the most popular and reliable for a 4000+ sq ft house. Our house came with parquet flooring and after many years of having a dog and cats, it's all scratched up and needs to be replaced before selling.

[atLANtic]

Where is the best place to pick-up hardwoord in the GTA?
Try this one
http://www.hardwoodflooringstore.com/

[DSTU]

We have been thinking about replacing the floor in the dinning room/living room (currently carpet) and since we have a small dog, many things should be considered.
Wife likes hardwood, but it bothers me to imagine we'll have to baby it to keep it nice. We had laminate before (sort of a higher end, 12mm thick) which we liked but it indeed does have the "cheap" look. We need something durable, easy maintenance, not too cold and good looking. Initially, ceramic with radiant heating was considered, until we figured out the costs...ouch !

Then.... bamboo flooring seemed to be pretty good. Price is a bit less than hardwood, most people say its very sturdy (harder than Jatoba or Oak), but doing my research I found this link :

http://www.finishing.com/260/96.shtml

and it really scared us !

Has anyone here had bamboo installed for a little while ? Any inputs would be much appreciated.


Bamboo is actually quite soft - its a grass, plus its only been around for a few yrs, not really proven itself.

go for a real hardwood, Jatoba, Merbau, etc.

[patrob]

Bamboo is actually quite soft - its a grass, plus its only been around for a few yrs, not really proven itself.

go for a real hardwood, Jatoba, Merbau, etc.

Agree...

Plus Bamboo looks very busy on the floor...unless you like that look :lol:

[tcmb168]

I've had bamboo floors installed on my first floor. A couple scratches hidden by the couch, other than that the floor has held up very nicely.

I purchased the flooring from Rona.

[clock]

Glad we didn't go with bamboo after hearing these stories... :cheesygri

We put down a Merbau wood floor (We brought it here www.advancehardwood.ca, guys there claim this is one of the most durable floor) The floor held up much better than the original floor we had in the house...Maple wood I think.

[misterDuck]

This is interesting reading, My wife and I are looking at installing bamboo floors because of price ( Home depot has a 20% off sale right now which would take the cost down to 3.50/sq foot) and the reputation of its hardness ( we have kids)

We are a little unsure of the look though......

Anyone in Vancouver who has installed bamboo floors? what has been your experince in a humid climate?

[Gidget]

You can look up the hardness of some types of hardwood commonly used for flooring. There are two Bamboo types listed. One is Timbergrass type and the other one is listed right after "Heart Pine".

http://www.woodfloorsonline.com/techtalk/hardns.html

[vggirl]

i have had bamboo floors in our beach house since 2002, even in the bathrooms. The floors are excellent, weve had kids, sand, water and they have held up better than any hardwood we could have ever gotten. I am not renovating my main house and putting in bamboo again. this time i am trying the costco golden select as the price is amazing... the only thing i have realized is costco does not sell stair nosing, or any other reducers or Ts and i am having an awful time locating any! Any tips please let me know. A lot of other bamboo manufacturers in town get snotty when you call and ask.

[fireguy9]

bamboo scratches very easy as does hardwood. We have a 120+ lb dog that tests floors out. Only thing so far he has yet to scratch is our uniclic laminate tile flooring. He will dig his claws in for grip and try and run when door bell goes and he goes no where (just like doing a car burnout) and no scratching. Our hardwood is done and bamboo would be totalled.

[Regin8r]

I installed the Golden Select Bamboo from Costco in one of the bedrooms. It is carbonized (meaning softer) and it does damage pretty easily. I installed Jatoba from Goodfellow in the main master bedroom and it's significantly more resistant to wear and tear.

Also the Costco packs only come in one length boards, the Goodfellow and most of the quality hardwoods come in variable lengths.

[patrob]

bamboo scratches very easy as does hardwood. We have a 120+ lb dog that tests floors out. Only thing so far he has yet to scratch is our uniclic laminate tile flooring. He will dig his claws in for grip and try and run when door bell goes and he goes no where (just like doing a car burnout) and no scratching. Our hardwood is done and bamboo would be totalled.

I installed the Golden Select Bamboo from Costco in one of the bedrooms. It is carbonized (meaning softer) and it does damage pretty easily. I installed Jatoba from Goodfellow in the main master bedroom and it's significantly more resistant to wear and tear.

Also the Costco packs only come in one length boards, the Goodfellow and most of the quality hardwoods come in variable lengths.

You both are 100% correct. Bamboo wears & tears as any hardwood floor. I frequently go to Costco & look at their "hardwood" products & they are crap. The price is the only good thing about it.

As for T-moulds, reducers, nosings, go directly to the flooring store with a sample piece & tell them what you want & hopefully they can match closely.