Anyone have bamboo flooring?

[mattg1500]

Looking to replace about 700sqft of carpet and we are considering Cali bamboo. We have a 115lb german shephard and 3 kids so we need durable. I have read that is is very durable and it is cheaper than hardwood. Anyone have bamboo? Or did you stick with HW

Edited January 1, 2017 by mattg1500

[Septicdude]

I just did 1200 sgft of hardwood in my house the place i got.my.florring had both but i decided to go with hardwood over bamboo just get a real hard hardwood they have raiting the one i got was around 3000 rating which is rediculously hard. Go to builddirect.com cheapest place i found and still really good quality

[mattg1500]

I have seen that site before and the prices were good. What I read was bamboo is way harder but then I saw some reviews wherw people said its not sooo..

[robnj]

 I used in my last house and would not use again. It expanded and contracted way too much. That made the seams open and fill with dirt. 

[mattg1500]

Ugh that sucks. Id go with nail down not the snap or float. It would be solid not engineered and

[BowhunterNJ]

Rob what brand did you use, was it strand woven, and did you let it acclimate for approx 2 weeks before laying it down?

 

mattg1500 I'll fill you in on my research when I get on a computer. I'm about to start a Reno at my place and am planning in using the Cali bamboo eucalyptus. Much harder than standard hardwood floors unless you go exotic.

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[robnj]

Mine was nailed down 3/4 x 3" wide planks.

[BowhunterNJ]

Do you remember the brand or if it was strand woven? Earlier bamboo was not and as a result prone to softness. The acclimation period is very important as well from what I've researched.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[robnj]

Rob what brand did you use, was it strand woven, and did you let it acclimate for approx 2 weeks before laying it down?

 

mattg1500 I'll fill you in on my research when I get on a computer. I'm about to start a Reno at my place and am planning in using the Cali bamboo eucalyptus. Much harder than standard hardwood floors unless you go exotic.

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I forget the brand name but did acclimate it for a long time. It was very fine strand woven. 

[mattg1500]

Rob what brand did you use, was it strand woven, and did you let it acclimate for approx 2 weeks before laying it down?

mattg1500 I'll fill you in on my research when I get on a computer. I'm about to start a Reno at my place and am planning in using the Cali bamboo eucalyptus. Much harder than standard hardwood floors unless you go exotic.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks! My wife likes the antique java from Cali. Before that she couldnt decide on a HW

[BowhunterNJ]

Here's are two Cali Bamboo samples. Top is eucalyptus and bottom is their bamboo.

 

IMO the eucalyptus just seems tighter and harder. You can see the edge of the bamboo splintering. Granted we messed with these a lot to test them out but that splintering is a lot harder to do on the eucalyptus. You can also see the porous stacks of the bamboo.

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[mattg1500]

Just ordered 2 samples to try and bang up. Lol

[BowhunterNJ]

OK so back on a computer, so a little easier to type.

I went through a lot of research (months) looking at and testing various hardwoods, bamboo, and eucalyptus.

I was also all over the place with hardwood, bamboo, eucalyptus, engineered hardwood, vinyl, tile, etc.

 

I settled in on the Cali Bamboo based on the research and messing with the samples.

The eucalyptus just seems super hard, very difficult to scratch and very durable overall surface wise.

It's around 3-4 times harder than oak hardwood floors based on the Janka hardness scale.

I found oak and hickory very easy to dent and scratch.  In fact, when I went into showrooms, all I saw was high heel divots throughout the planks, that was enough for me to look elsewhere and how I found the Cali Bamboo.

 

Regarding the Cali Bamboo eucalyptus, I've had my brother (home builder), his son (home builder), and another friend of mine (previously a renovator) look at it and all agreed it was ultra dense and shouldn't be a problem at all.

They all said you better have a bunch of blades because that stuff isn't gonna be easy cutting (IMO that's a good thing).

None of them have experience with this manufacturer or eucalyptus so they can't really given an opinion on it other than the first impression of handling/seeing a sample.

I'm going with the T&G nail down planks.

 

The one unknown and the biggest complaint I've seen online generally from bamboo (not really the eucalyptus probably because it's a bit more rare, not often used) is the swelling/shrinking factor that happens with fluctuations between humid and dry conditions.  This is why they say the acclimation period is so important, but it's the one thing you can't really "test" without laying the floor.  Most of the issues I've seen online in respect to Cali Bamboo have been people installing it in humid, moist or non-temperature controlled environments (near the ocean, basements, etc) or not letting them sit in the installing environment for enough time in order to acclimate.

 

The other thing I'd recommend is dealing directly with Cali Bamboo, I can give you a contact there if you're interested.

If you have a flooring contractor you're working with, they can get a discount/better pricing by ordering directly as well (although they probably also get a discount from a big box store).

The benefit is you can work with Cali Bamboo directly on any issues, whereas if you go through Lowe's you MUST go to Lowe's for all issues...which is a pain in the ass.

The contact I've been working with there has been really helpful overall, so zero complaints in that respect.

 

Regarding the product, I really won't know until I get it down and give it some time.  Hoping it lives up to the hype and matches the testing we've done to it.

I guess like anything, you don't really know until you try it and can only do your best to torture test it before you pull the trigger and go with a full floor of it.

 

Good luck with your decision, keep us posted and likewise I'll let you know how my reno goes!

[Axiom]

I use to sell real-estate.. Bamboo Was a fad back in the 90's and early 2000's, especially in new condo's in Hoboken.. it was the latest and greatest.. Everyone had to have it.. A beautiful and technically superior flooring.. in reality it sucked and I would venture to say everyone who had the crap installed back then has already replaced it with traditional wood flooring.. those who installed traditional wood flooring during the Bamboo craze probably still have it... the choice is yours..

[BowhunterNJ]

It's worth adding that bamboo back in the day was often straight strand and total crap.

Likewise the stuff Lumber Liquidators used to sell was loaded with formaldehyde and they faced lawsuits over it. 

I think the stuff that is out there today is a different realm from back in the 90s and 2000s.

Not to say it may not be without problems, but it's not comparing apples to apples.

 

Hardwood is beautiful, no doubt about it, but if you're looking to avoid scratched, gouges, and dents...you're generally not going to get it with standard hardwood types like oak, hickory, walnut, etc...you'll need to go exotic ($$$$) to get harder density hardwood.