Bamboo Flooring?

fruitty · Jun 10, 2010 2:17 pm

Reporting back from visiting Floor planet.

Their strand woven coffee bamboo they are doing the 'on special' for $86 installed (probably a little more with further negotiating). I did query why the price difference compare to places like bamboo select but did not really get a good answer. The sale guys sort of rubbish bamboo select as I saw a sample price on the desk and query about it. He said they were selling them at one point but not anymore. We got a sample in form of a left over from one of their job. I can't see any different.

Will be trying to visit perfect timber floor in hoppers this weekend for a look / pricing.

ring09 · Jun 12, 2010 9:55 pm

I know someone who has used floor planet bamboo and it looks really good - he used the coffee colour and it looks great. He also used the tongue and groove and glued it down.

When comparing Bamboo I have found you have to find out the brand of the bamboo as many of the flooring companies eg perfect timber floors, carpet places that have bamboo etc will all use different brands e.g. Embelton, Style etc. You have to check the different brands out and then you can ring the flooring companies for price comparison.

fruitty · Jun 14, 2010 2:03 pm

visited PTF on Sat and wasn't impress one bit with either the product or service. We we in and out of there under 10 minutes.

Their bamboo is only 12mm thick for 'special' on $96 installed for coffee colour. The store manager did know the product he was selling as he could not answer my few simple questions abut the bamboo. It feels as if they are selling bamboo as it's the next popular thing.

So far floor planet looks most attractive.

mswilmot · Jul 01, 2010 9:55 pm

I see most of the places selling bamboo flooring are selling the Unilin click lock system for joining boards. We'd like to (if we can afford to) replace the baltic pine boards in a our house with bamboo and I'm just wondering if there is tongue and groove options available that can be nailed direct to the joists like the existing boards. I don't really want to have to put down chipboard and then lay the bamboo on top.

simplybamboo · Jul 07, 2010 8:55 pm

Hello mswilmot

Trouble is that bamboo Flooring comes pre-finished so that means you would be putting a nail through the finish, wouldn`t look to good. The best method would be to put down marine ply first then the bamboo on top, floating or direct stick.
You can get raw bamboo but would be cheaper to put ply down and then pre finished bamboo on top. For more information on bamboo flooring vist

mswilmot · Jul 08, 2010 8:37 pm

simplybamboo

Hello mswilmot

Trouble is that bamboo Flooring comes pre-finished so that means you would be putting a nail through the finish, wouldn`t look to good.

Would secret nailing facilitate attaching directly to the joists without affecting the finish?

simplybamboo · Jul 09, 2010 1:18 am

Hello mswilmot

Yes you are right you can sercet nail, trouble is wouldn`t you get movement when standing on between the joists, maybe you would get sqeaking. Also another thing to think about is if using the compressed bamboo flooring it trends to be brittle because it is so hard, so also may split the tongue when nailed. In my experience I have only done direct stick and floating. If you are spending all that money on a good floor why try and cut cost with the application, for the small added cost using ply and then direct stick the flooring for the best result.

franky · Jul 09, 2010 8:17 pm

hi Im new to the forum but we have just imported our own bamboo flooring from china wayyyyyy cheaper than buying locally a bit of time with them sending samples etc.. but well worth the wait we chose, vertical, compressed carbonised looks great and super tough I tried everything I could to scratch it and I had to scratch my car keys sooo hard into it to make the slightest mark, I got my sons trucks and bashed them on it threw them on it ( trying to simulate a toddlers roughness lol and I am very impressed, Im even tempted to try my heels on it once its laid??? I will post pics it goes down in a week!!, But yes the world of bamboo is very confusing I did alot of research and got heaps of sampes of different types so I could pick the toughest and most durable, friends have told us we are mad getting it as their friends had some laid but obviously the wrong type and they said it marked really easily, and that they wouldnt touch it, but Im very pleased with it super tough wood

franky · Jul 09, 2010 8:20 pm

bamboo flooring is glued down or you have it floating not nailed

simplybamboo · Jul 09, 2010 8:56 pm

hello franky

Trouble with buy direct from china if your not a supplier of bamboo, is that you don`t no what type of flooring you are getting A-Grade or B-Grade
B- grade is cheaper to manufacture because they use 2 year old bamboo where A-grade is 5-7 years and most importantly they use cheaper finishes which have a high level of formaldehyde which is very harmful to the little ones.
So buying direct from china if your not a regular buyer is a very risky business.

So paying less for your bamboo but what cost to your family health?

Lex · Jul 10, 2010 10:56 am

Hi simplybamboo,
So this means that, if I buy from a shop here in Oz, I will always get 100% what I paid for? I didn't even know there are different grades of bamboo. Should I then specify that I want A grade, or is it a "given" that customers want the A grade? Can I expect that, when the bamboo arrives to my house, it will be factory packed, undamaged, and clearly labelled with things like "A grade" or even going on to say a bit more about the bamboo on every pack? Does the labelling mention formaldehyde levels??

Or, is it more like - I come to the shop, I say I want bamboo "like that one displayed over there", they order it for me, it comes in damaged packs with little or no or sporadic labelling, I have no chance to even look at the packs and in the end, I actually don't know what I paid for? :shock:

Northbound · Jul 10, 2010 5:51 pm

Just came home from putting a deposit down on our Earth strandwoven bamboo in natural colour. We are having the underlay and are going to have a crack at laying it ourselves. Can't wait :z:

aLLaNNa1 · Jul 15, 2010 4:15 pm

Hi simplybamboo,

Seeing that you import and sell bamboo yourself, do you then guarantee your customers that they will get A grade bamboo, and that the formeldahyde levels will be at a safe level?

aktg · Jan 26, 2011 3:05 pm

hi guys,
as a buyer / user of bamboo flooring, what are you looking for the product? (eg. durability, price, safe to use-no formaldehyde, etc)

thanks, hope you help me with this one...
currently doing a survey with regards to this...

kineso · Jan 26, 2011 10:30 pm

I wanted more colour choices than light and dark. So it was all about the looks for me. Ended up using mosowood.

Steveo · Mar 05, 2011 11:59 am

fruitty

visited PTF on Sat and wasn't impress one bit with either the product or service. We we in and out of there under 10 minutes.

.

we tried PTF in Cheltendham and they seem ok, narrowed down to Mosowood and Style flooring.

Will check the warranty on both

edit :" Appears to be the same 25 years on the product for residential

however for our quote they are both the same price installed $87 The style product is thinner and the rep came up with a cold versus warm pressed manufacturing process which allows them to go to 12mm. When I asked about sanding he said that there is no problem, however beware that strand woven Bamboo's hardness and the oxides they put in (I think he said alluminium) makes them difficult to sand regardless of brand.

hmmm

Dollar · Mar 05, 2011 12:02 pm

http://www.bamboo-flooring-facts.com/ba ... ehyde.html

Steveo · Mar 05, 2011 12:38 pm

Dollar

http://www.bamboo-flooring-facts.com/bambooflooringformaldehyde.html

I forgot about this link, thanks for re posting Dollar

Bamboo King · Mar 05, 2011 2:45 pm

aLLaNNa1

Hi simplybamboo,

Seeing that you import and sell bamboo yourself, do you then guarantee your customers that they will get A grade bamboo, and that the formeldahyde levels will be at a safe level?

Yes I can Guarantee to my customers that they will be getting A grade bamboo, as I employ a person who checks the flooring during and after manufacture, from the bamboo coming in raw to the finished product, and will inform me every step of the way. Also I go at least once a year to the factory, to see new machines and new finish lines. The finish is a Klummp finish which meet E1 standard for formeldahyde level. I have a very good relationship with my factory and this takes good reasearch and years of experience to find such a good factory. There are so many smaller factorys out there which don`t produce A grade flooring

BonBon · Jan 29, 2012 8:20 pm

Hi All,

First time renovator and poster.

I'm also looking at bamboo for a small unit. I'm currently looking at Embelton strandwoven in natural and have been quoted $59 for boards underlay and scotia. I will be laying myself.

My question is are how does Embelton compare to the other brands like 'Elite' and 'Eco'
I've managed to knock a few dents in my sample, concerted effort though so i'm not too concerned.

Anyone with some insight as to the above would be great.

Thanks