A Bamboo Flooring Installation Guide: Tips and Tricks

Bamboo floors are one of the most innovative and interesting types of flooring you can bring into your home. The problem is that a lot of people think that bamboo floor installation is too hard or too expensive. No matter how much they may want it, these thoughts stop them from getting what they want. Choices are not the problem. There is bamboo you can glue down and even some that works with concrete. Unfortunately, very often when you purchase this type of flooring, there are no instructions whatsoever. The good news is that if you know anything about installing traditional hardwood floors, then you really should not have a problem with bamboo. Oh there are certainly differences between the two. There are definitely some techniques special to bamboo installation specifically. Following those can make installing these floors a breeze.

Before you even begin thinking about putting down bamboo floors, there are certain things you need to prepare first. These are namely things like acclimation, testing for moisture, and preparing the floor itself correctly. When people put down bamboo floors and they buckle up or do not sit right, improper floor prep is the most common cause. Really, this is true of any type of floor covering. Hardwood, linoleum, tiles, vinyl, and carpet – if you do not prepare your floor, they are going to look terrible. Experts say that the sub floors need to be flat. In addition, there needs to be an allowance, or tolerance, of three sixteenths of an inch for spans of eight to ten feet.

There are many different methods you can use to install bamboo flooring. If your sub floor is made of wood, then you can greatly benefit from using what is known as the direct fastening technique. Mind you, though, this is for "amateurs." If you are familiar with putting down floors of any type, then you might want to use staples rather than more traditional flooring cleats. Staples tend to provide a more stable floor. When you use staples, the bamboo will not squeak or make other typical sounds once it is down on the floor. As far as that goes, the kind and size of staples you use are really up to you. There are special staples designed for materials like bamboo, but some of the sturdier, more industrial stables will work just fine as well.

In terms of installation, using staples to put down bamboo flooring is quite like the method used for putting down hardwood floors. Ideally, you should fasten the bamboo to the floor every six to eight inches, on center or OC; they should be separate from every end joint by about two inches or so. When you come to this point, you always need to pay attention to the overall penetration of the staples. Staple guns are primarily pneumatic. Therefore, if there is too much air pressure, or too little, then the staples will not go in correctly. That means they ultimately will not hold the floor. You can end up with crushed, squeaking, dimpled, or bumpy bamboo if you are not very careful.

You cannot talk about bamboo floor installation with discussing floating bamboo floors. At the onset, you need to realize that this is not possible for all types of bamboo. Some types simply cannot hold up to the floating floor technique. The only bamboo materials you should consider if you want a floating floor are materials which have been engineered to be wide or cross ply pieces. You see, floating bamboo is designed to be installed over a number of under layers. This is to give it a soft, cushioned feeling. Three in one under layers, or under layments, are the most popular, as they offer cushioning while simultaneously protecting the sub floors from moisture damage.

There are also snap lock bamboo floors, also known as click lock floors. People who prefer the Do It Yourself methods with household renovation really seem to prefer this method. Just recently, experts have finally reached a consensus on this method. The good news is that snap lock bamboo floors seem to hold up just fine, provided that you do not put them down in an area prone to heavy moisture. Experts also prefer floating floors which are glued down to the floor.

However, the glueing method is not really recommended for people who like to do flooring themselves – unless, like say, you have a good amount of flooring knowledge and expertise. If you have ever worked in the floor industry, for example, installing carpet, linoleum, et cetera, then you can safely glue to your heart's content! If you decide you want to try glueing yourself anyway, at least make sure that you use the recommended adhesive. That is, whichever brand of glue down bamboo floors you go with should definitely come with recommendations. They do so for a reason, and you would do well to follow that!

Never underestimate the importance of leaving a proper expansion area. This is vital with any type of bamboo flooring, not just floating bamboo. A common mistake people make is to confuse laminate expansion with bamboo. This is completely incorrect, as laminate comes with a completely separate recommended expansion area. With laminate floors, you need to allow five sixteenths' of an inch worth of expansion room. With bamboo flooring, it needs to be about three eighths' of an inch for small rooms. Larger rooms may need more. This is also true if your bamboo floor will be flowing from room to room – from the kitchen into the dining room, for example. It is better to never, ever install your bamboo flooring flush against a fixed object, be it a wall, a column, or a fireplace. This could lead to buckling very quickly, thus ruining your hard work and making the room look like a mess.

Lastly, you also always need to consider the hardness of bamboo. There are many differences in textures and hardness, which are often used to make a sale. You also need to examine the consistency in color and texture ranging from one stick to the next when purchasing bamboo flooring. Any good salesperson will be able to help you decide which is best – just make sure he or she knows enough about bamboo quality first!