Bamboo and Exotic Wood Floors - About to Buy Bamboo for the 1st Time

So, I have been planning/researching flooring for approximately 6 months, ordering samples, abusing them, etc, and have decided the "Premium Green Bamboo LongStrip | Loft Collection | Horizontal Natural" was probably the best for me:

http://www.simplefloors.com/products/Bamboo-Flooring/Loft-Collection/Horizontal-Natural/flooring244.aspx

We have radiant heat, so that cut out a lot of options. We knew we wanted bamboo vs hardwood. My only concern at this point is if the "Premium Green" brand is all every one says it is. And, if this particular type will hold up to a decent amount of abuse from kids and a dog. We abused the samples, but it is a lot different (I am guessing) than an entire floors worth with real wear.

Thanks.

Well, we are going to order it in 1-2 weeks. Then, we have to spread the planks around the radiant floor so it can acclimate. I've read that the longer the better (up to a month or so), so we will probably let it sit for 2-3 weeks.

I have never sold or installed bamboo, so I should probably not be replying to this post. You must, however, read, understand, and follow manufacturer's instructions and follow them accordingly to be able to achieve warranties, if available. Acclimation to temperature and humidity in rooms where flooring is to be installed is important, and the temp and humidity shoud be maintained year round at as near-constant level as possible.

When it comes to bamboo, we have so many bamboo products dumped into the US market that it is impossible to keep up with brands. Go with a major manufacturer and reputable retailer that has a display in the local retailer's shop that offers good, better, best levels of quality, warranty, and price, and purchase the one that your budget can best afford. Read warranties, ask about installer warranties if not DIY, and make sure you understand and follow installation instructions.

Contact customer service re: special instructions over radiant heat. Document everything--call times, dates, and representative with whom you spoke. Confirm that your product is ambient heat radiant rated. Confirm finish rating and warranty. Maintain interior temp and humidity levels at near level constants year round.

Confirm that it's a low VOC product and there is no formaldehyde or other Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) that will be offgassing in your home.

My husband and I fell in love with bamboo floors, too, and had it installed in our home when we moved in about 2 1/2 years ago. Since then, it has been scratched up pretty badly by our two Siberian Huskies. I know, DUH to us for thinking that wouldn't be a problem, but we had heard so many people singing the praise of bamboo as such a hard surface that we thought we'd take the gamble. We lost. We are now looking to put the house on the market, and we will most definitely have to refinish before we can sell.

Additionally, we are having a problem with "tanning." Our dining room table is in front of a 15' wide set of glass doors, sitting on a lovely 8' x 10' rug. If you pick up the corner of the rug, it looks like the Coppertone baby. That is, it's super light blonde underneath, just as when we had it installed, but the floor around it is now a deep golden color.

We have been told (now...too late) that this is typical - blonde floors get darker with exposure to light, and carbonized get lighter - and that you should "move the rugs around" to even out the coloration over time. Yeah. Not so practical when you're talking about the dining room table.

The long and short of our experience is that we would NOT recommend bamboo to people. I wish it had worked out better, as it is just lovely, but... the wear and tear of less than 3 years has essentially trashed it, and we're now looking at having to pay thousands of dollars to get the situation fixed.

:(

Twelvepole - thanks for your input.

I checked the issues you mentioned. The Loft Collection I was talking about met all the requirements. Unfortunately, a few days after I posted this, I found out from Simplefloors that they were out of stock. I called the manufacturer (who it turns out sells it) and they only had 300 SF. I then found out a few days later that they discontinued the Loft Collection Horizontal Natural. Darn - I should be installing soon, instead I am way off schedule.

So, now I am looking at LumberLiq's version " Schön Quick Clic Horizontal Natural". Unfortunately, they don't have all the specs like simplefloors did, so I have to spend more time researching to make sure it is what I want.

akmandam - thanks. We also have a lot of glass. We have 25 feet of sliding glass doors on one side, 6 more where it wraps the corner, and more windows along the south and west. We are almost all glass. The good thing is we don't use carpets and rugs much.

As far as the scratching is concerned, I am concerned. I have heard about this before but, I have also read that this typically happens with lesser grades/brands of bamboo. I read that if you get a good bamboo product this scratching problem isn't an issue. I don't know though, I never had a bamboo floor.

I guess I will be finding out soon.

Well, we decided to go with the Loft Collection vertical natural. It should be here in about a week. We are way off schedule due to the horizontal natural being discontinued. I did all the research on this floor and ordered samples a ways back. We walked on, scratched, and hit the samples with various objects pretty good and they seemed to hold up real well. It has a lifetime structure, 25 year finish warranty, as well as very good rating for everything else mentioned by twelvepole.

If any one is interested I post some results after installing.