Browse Forums Flooring & Floor Covering 1 Feb 19, 2012 4:23 pm We are trying to make a decision on whether to have engineered timber floor or bamboo. It would def be a light colour ie. oak/blackbutt or natural bamboo. The bamboo would be stranded as I believe that is the best. Either would only be single plank width. It would be done as a floating floor as we are in Qld and do have humidity. It would be either T&G or a similar lock system. The flooring substrate is 1/2 concrete slab and 1/2 yellow tongue, so we would probably put underlay on the concrete for moisture reasons and on the yellow tongue for sound insulation to the floor below. 1. What is the perception in the market place..it is quite a large expensive house so would it be "expected" to have the timer and not bamboo? 2. Would the value of the house ( when we sell in the future) be less with bamboo? 3. Does bamboo change colour over time and under sunlight as timber does? 4. Is the grain more uniform in bamboo than timber? I know that natural differences are part of the "joy" of timber, but I personally don't like a large floor area having some very "different" boards in amongst it, and I will sort them before I lay them. 5. I like the look of wider boards, but can you get wider sizes in bamboo? 6. As the area is large I realise that I have to leave a space around the edge, and probably in the middle of the run for movement - is this the same for timer and bamboo...? (approx 22m x 7m) 7. When we initially looked at solid timber we were told that the floor goes down before the skirting, door frames, kitchen cupboards etc.....is this the same for timber and/or bamboo? I realise bamboo will be harder and cheaper, and that there are different thickness" and quality of the timber and bamboo available. Any comments / suggestions / info etc etc would be welcomed.... Re: engineered timber floor vs bamboo 2Feb 19, 2012 4:50 pm We have decided on bamboo for our new hom. We also were looking at stringy bark as our alternative. Here our answers to your questions. 1. Before deciding to kdrb we looked at many many houses with a view to buying. We looked for wood or bamboo floors of a good quality and in good condition as one of our big pluses. But thta is personal taste. So 2. Not imho 3. I think not. Changes in colour are more often the result of poor quality coatings. 4. Definitely more uniform colour. 5. Yes we are getting wide boards. 6. i believe the nneed to leave small gaps under the skirting boards is the same for both. 7. Bamboo is not as thick as TAnd G timber so only height of skirtings is affected. Have to say I'm just another homeoner who has done a bit of research but hope this helps. Find a shop that only sells bamboo and ask all these questions of them. Any comments / suggestions / info etc etc would be welcomed....[/quote] KDRB Carlingford, NSW Building Garden Retreat with MDJH Re: engineered timber floor vs bamboo 3Feb 19, 2012 5:44 pm Great questions. They are exactly what we are talking about at the moment. We aret ruing to decide between bamboo and engineered timber. I'll be watching for opinions also. BLOG: thehousewebuilt2010.blogspot.com (And are still building!) Re: engineered timber floor vs bamboo 4Feb 19, 2012 8:34 pm we went for bamboo flooring as it feels like timber with less cost... just make sure you get the stranded wooven one as it is 2x harder... i like the coffee color.... Re: engineered timber floor vs bamboo 5Feb 19, 2012 8:59 pm If you're having a floating installation, it is generally 'recommended' that it be installed after the kitchen cabs, although there are many who would argue this isn't crucial. It is best to have it installed prior to the skirts (especially as I've managed to damage some plaster during skirting removal for a floating installation), but don't worry too much about door architraves etc as these can straightforwardly be undercut by the installers (ie the boards slide underneath and you'll never notice there's an expansion gap under there). Likewise, best to leave kitchen kickboard installation until the floor is installed so the expansion gap can be hidden underneath. Unless of course you don't mind having beading around the perimeter of the flooring, in which case ignore my previous comments. As for adding value to a home, I generally get the feeling that only 'non-floating' floors add value to a home - floating floors are regarded as being somewhat less 'permanent' even though many floating floors have a lifetime residential warranty against wear and structural defect. However, I'm learning pretty quickly during this renovation process that if you only did things that 'add value' to your home then you'd leave it exactly as it is and put it on the market straight away. You'll pretty much never 'make' money by adding things to your home, however, if you choose wisely (as you are doing with either bamboo or eng timber) you'll recoup a reasonable value (50-80%) upon sale. Generally speaking, if you're not adding square footage, it isn't worth doing unless you're planning on living in the place for > 5 years. Re: engineered timber floor vs bamboo 6Feb 19, 2012 9:25 pm With bamboo, there are different grades of bamboo, so if you want something consistent with an "expensive" house, get a better grade; you can actually feel the difference. There are UniClic joints which gives a sold joint. And there is no problem with bamboo in expensive houses as long as you don't skimp on the quality of the bamboo. Re: engineered timber floor vs bamboo 7Mar 31, 2012 9:13 pm Hi chatterbox! I posted the janka (hardness) ratings of the various floors on the topic: "is timber or bamboo preferred floor" so check it out, it might help you in your decision, especially if you are wanting the floor to still look good in a few years time... Engineering timber is certainly a less fuss option, times cheaper to supply and install and better withstands humidity. 1 15904 Thanks Simon, I guess I'm no concerned with the volume of the noise rather that dead and hollow sound and feel that is associated with floating floors. But I'm not sure… 3 6128 The most likely cause of your timber swelling (parquetry?) is either a plumbing leak or carelessly leaving water on floors after use or both. Without seeing, i am ignoring… 1 3276 |