Browse Forums Flooring & Floor Covering 1 Dec 12, 2012 5:23 pm Hi All, I'm currently building a new house and I've been doing some shopping for floor boards. We've settled on the Bamboo variety and I've got a couple of samples here that I've been torturing. One is from the flooring company that my builder uses and it is quite expensive. The other is from a place that imports it themselves from China, albeit at half the price of the other. The most notable difference between the two samples becomes clear when you compare the side of the samples. The more expensive one (lighter colour, shown on top in this photo) has a much finer grain to it. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Comparing the top of the sample I actually prefer the colour and finish of the cheaper one. The edges are rougher where it has been cut but that could be because they used a blunt saw. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ I have tried scratching the tops of the boards with keys and other household items, I've hit them moderately hard with a hammer and I've tried dropping things on them. I can't pick a difference between the two in this regard - they are both impressively hardy compared to other types of wood I've looked at. So far I'm sold on the cheaper one. It's literally half the cost installed and I prefer the colour. BUT, and there's always a but, I'm still not 100% convinced. Judging from these pictures is there something obvious between the two that I should be worried about? Is there any other torture tests I should be trying before I do the deal? The boards will be laid on a cement slab, floating style with underlay. Thanks to anyone who is able to offer any input. Regards, Ryan Re: Comparing these two Bamboo samples - anything I'm missin 2Dec 16, 2012 5:50 pm The denser, finer cross section is strand woven which is a better, stronger product. However at the end of the day it depends upon your budget for flooring and your preference as well. Re: Comparing these two Bamboo samples - anything I'm missin 3Jan 16, 2013 1:16 pm Hi rjc786, Compressed bamboo flooring is made from bamboo which is shredded and then processed together in a 2000 tonne press - then cut and manufactured into floorboards. Looking at the photo - it is quite obvious the cheaper store has larger grains. You can see where the bamboo has been compact and processed together where in the more expensive floorboard this isn't evident. This could be for a number of reasons - the cheaper company may be using premature bamboo or bamboo that has not aged properly, or it could be that when compacting and processing the floorboards together it was not done with enough pressure or at a high enough temperature. If you can, try and find a few more samples from the cheaper company and see if they are all the same in that they all show the large grain on the sides where they are cut. It might simply be that a few floorboards were not processed properly but all the others are fine. If the hardness and scratch resistance are the same for both floorboards it shouldn't be that big of a difference. The only thing I could say that might be an inconvience in the future is that the cheaper floorboard may damage easier if exposed to a lot of water - e.g. a flood. Hope this helps and any questions feel free to PM me. All the best! Re: Comparing these two Bamboo samples - anything I'm missin 5Jan 20, 2013 7:15 pm Hi guys i had bamboo installed a year ago thru out whole house from one of the bigger shops.It has cupped a little and does scratch,but i do love it, To my understanding early saw cuts are to control shrinkage cracks, so doing them now would be pointless. Control joints may reduce ugly cracking during periods of soil… 3 9862 Hey guys building a new place through a volume builder and just wondering if i should complain to the site supervisor as we just had plasterboard installed. Looks like… 0 11273 Yes, the builder is required to finish the wall. What else have you missed? 1 3361 |