Bamboo and Exotic Wood Floors - Bamboo flooring

Hello
I purchased Home Legends bamboo flooring (toast) about six months ago and my floor is strached all over the place. I was wondering if anyone has had any sucess with the company fixing or replacing the floor. the floor has a 25 year warranty and the inspector came out and said it was typically wear and tear. I was told by several people that the floor was 25% stronger then oak and you can't go wrong with purchasing a bamboo flooring, and besides it eco-friendly. :madhell:

I installed the Home Legend bamboo, also toast, in my dining room and it scratches like crazy. I'm very dissapointed, and am glad I didn't carry it through to the kitchen and laundry room. The joints also slide apart and I constantly have to kick them back together (very annoying). I will be tearing these floors out and installing hardwood.

Hey Mossman
Have you tried to file a complainant with the company or Home Depot? I just recieved my report and of course it typical ware and tare, but I am still trying to pursue other aves.

No, I haven't. I installed the floor in my dining room in order to replace the carpet that was in there. I wanted to try it out before I carried it through the kitchen, laundry room, and bathroom, which I will no longer be doing. I'm only out $500, so I'm not too upset. May be worth a try though.

Hello
I purchased Home Legends bamboo flooring (toast) about six months ago and my floor is strached all over the place. I was wondering if anyone has had any sucess with the company fixing or replacing the floor. the floor has a 25 year warranty and the inspector came out and said it was typically wear and tear. I was told by several people that the floor was 25% stronger then oak and you can't go wrong with purchasing a bamboo flooring, and besides it eco-friendly. :madhell:



Man, have you have been misinformed!!

I can see this floor is not meeting your expectations, as it is now.

Have you called in a refinisher, and asked about recoating with Bona Traffic, or Basic StreetShoe??

Carpets Done Wright, if you aren't aware, the Home Legend bamboo is a floating floor. Don't think it can be refinished without tearing it to pieces.

Oh, it looks great the first couple of weeks - but it scratches and dents very easily (oak is much more resilient in my experience) - plus it is deadly in the kitchen - the large length wise "pores" are wicks for any moisture - of which there is alot in a kitchen - a periodic leak in the dishwasher door, same for the refrigerator or an condensate tray under the refrig that overlows. The bamboo soaks it up, and the water runs down the hollow pores and turns dark - not nice!! I will not use bamboo again and if I was forced to, I would get the type that is a bit on the darker side - I think they call it oxidized or something like that. Home Depot (Expo) did my floors through a contractor who was marginal and Home Depot did absolutely nothing for me other that take my money. They did not even send an inspector out to look at the finished floor. Typical big business attitude. Caveat emptor.

What I have found with refinishing the floor is that it just leaves shining scratches all over the floor. I'm not sure but I think you can only wet sand the floor you can't use a floor sander. I know with the floor I have you can only refinish it 3 times, but I will look into your suggestion.

It is important to remember Bamboo is a grass not tree and does not even have a Janka Hardness rating, it is very soft and will scratch and scuff very easy, it is not hard at all, as many retailers will try to convince you.

So what do I do with these retail stores and their employees telling you it is harder then all other wood floors but it is not true at all. I wish I spoke to you before I bought the floor. I am so disappointed. Is there anything I can do to fix the floor and protect it from scratching?

I don't think its true that ALL bamboo is soft..it depends on the species I'm sure. And probably how it is manufactured as well. Since you can never be sure of that without a lot of research, its more of a trust issue. Both trusting the salesperson and the manufacturer. You would probably be happier going to a certified independent than any Box store.

If you'd ever been hit by a solid piece of dried bamboo on the leg or arm...you'd believe it was hard...lol. Now once they strip it down for flooring...who knows.

Janka hardness test - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Janka_Wood_Hardness_Rating) I found this same chart at various flooring sites...can't testify to its accuracy though.

Just like any other product, there's good and there's not so good.

There are species of bamboo that make better flooring than others. In general, bamboo also needs to be about 5-6 years old before harvesting to achieve maximum density and hardness. There are glue and finish options as well that contribute to durability and longevity.

Caramelizing (which might be how 'toast' color is achieved) is essentially a steaming process, and reduces the hardness.

So, it probably pays to find a reputable manufacturer to get a quality product. There are a few out there who have been making bamboo flooring for quite a while and they have good track records. Teragren and Plyboo are two that I'm aware of.

There are absolutely valid Janka tests for bamboo flooring. All Janka testing requires is a steel ball of certain spec (just under a half inch diameter) and a calibrated device to embed it.

Ultimately, though, bamboo is just another wood(type) flooring. It will scratch and dent. You want harder, use tile.

Yes i will agree that all wood floors will eventually scratch, but not in two weeks or six months.* I have family who have had oak flooring for 10 to 12 years and there is minimum damage. Bamboo flooring is horrible and I am just trying to find a way of fixing it without having to tear the floor up.*

Well said I put a lot of trust into the sales people at several stores, and the research on the internet I read before pruchasing the floor. everyone spoke so highly about the floor, saying it 25% stronger then oak and you won't have any problems with your dog. I basically I was lied too.

Hardness and durability are two completely different things.
If you are concerned about indenting the floor, either from heels or pets, than you are talking about hardness. The dogs probably did not dent the bamboo, so the sales people are accurate in saying that Bamboo is hard.
You should have asked about the durability of the product. Every wood/bamboo floor will scratch and it has nothing to do with the hardness. Bamboo has a very smooth, near perfect, finish so scratches so up very easily. Oak has a rougher grain that will usually result in a rougher finish. Both floors will scratch the same amount, but the finish of the Oak hides it better.

I'm very satisfied http://www.100-free-web-host.com/nata2/smile1.jpg with bamboo floor

Today is the first i'm reading this thread and i went through the complaints from the bamboo owners there is some definite confusion as to what hardness means. Vette explained the difference well. Bamboo can be Janka rated as stated by xiphias. But they are inconsistant between manufacturers due to who is producing and harvesting the raw material. I've seen Janka ratings on HD bamboo samples come in at 450 and oak ones in the next test at 750. So not all bamboos are harder.

But visible scratching seems to be the real issue, especially on the carmelized versions. The issue is the finish. Not the bamboo itself. The finishes on most bamboo is a very hard, clear finish. When you make a finish really hard, it shows scratches easier. If you soften the finish it doesn't but you lose durability. It can also look hazy or like a film over the floor. I had a long conversation with the Bona tech department about this exact issue about 4-5 months ago. A consumer had massive scratches on there carbonized, stranded bamboo in the first 2 weeks. (if you want hard, it doesn't get harder than stranded) They were told about the hardness and equated that with scratch resistance. Wrong. And there is no warranty on scratch resistance. You have a wear warranty. The 2 of you who have had an inspector look at your floor i hope have figured out the difference.

I do understand what you are saying. Is there anything out there that can prevent or help the floor from scratching?

I read most of the post here and noticed most of the flooring mentioned was carmalized bamboo but could not determine if it was engineered, solid or stranded flooring. Have done much research on bamboo flooring and would like to get it for my house. Another factor in the hardness of the flooring is the age of the bamboo used. It also stated that the solid or stranded was not likely to crack.
I would not think glueing flooring directly to concrete floors would work well because. Wouldn't it need a vapor barrior of some sort.

Thanks for the head's up!! I was seriously considering bamboo flooring for the same reasons you gave. Is it just one brand that has these issues, or all bamboo flooring?

I do understand what you are saying. Is there anything out there that can prevent or help the floor from scratching?

Socks.;)

Seriously. These are floors that will show scratches so you need to be nice to them. I have 4 boys - you couldn't pay me to put a bamboo floor in my house. But for people who can control their traffic better, it can be a good floor. There are also people who are not bothered by the scratches. It's a good floor for those personalities.

To get rid of the scratches you can have your floor pad and recoated. It's like a sand and recoat except they use a pad that only roughs up the finish and never gets down into the bamboo. This will take away everything except deep scratches and dents/gouges.

I read most of the post here and noticed most of the flooring mentioned was carmalized bamboo but could not determine if it was engineered, solid or stranded flooring. Have done much research on bamboo flooring and would like to get it for my house. Another factor in the hardness of the flooring is the age of the bamboo used. It also stated that the solid or stranded was not likely to crack.
I would not think glueing flooring directly to concrete floors would work well because. Wouldn't it need a vapor barrior of some sort.

This is an excellent site for information on bamboo. Ecotimber is a smaller company with some very good quality control measures in place for all of there woods (not just bamboo). They also do torture testing in the Denver location. And they use Bona finishes on their bamboo products. It is one of the only companies i trust for high quality bamboo. If you have a dealer in your area for these guys and you know bamboo is for you, stop shopping and buy their product. They are selective in their dealers and will stand behind their product if installed and maintained correctly (they all should but some are easier to work with than others).

Glueing directly to concrete works well and yes a moisture barrier is always a good idea and mandatory some of the time. Testing can be done to determine if it is needed. You can still glue down when a moisture barrier is needed. There are several types of moisture barriers for every installation type.

I own a flooring store up in New England. We have been selling bamboo for 7 years. I have seen all different qualities of bamboo. Color Tile Eco-Choice and Teragren are our most recommended product. They have excellent quality control and allow their bamboo to mature to a minimum of six years. They also have a aluminum oxide finish that is very resistant to scratches. Aluminum oxide is the second hardest substance other than diamonds. The problem with bamboo is that it mass produced out of China and almost exclusively from China. Chinese products have a tendency of being inconsistant and poorly constructed.

Even the top of the line Teragren product is going to show scratches pretty easily because the finish is so uniform. And when you call the company to file a claim they will most likely tell you that the for is performing correctly and that the scratches do not fall under the warranty. A wear warranty covers your floor for complete wear through of the finish. Hope this helps out.
Good Luck!

Who is manufacturing the colortile branded bamboo?

Hi All
I just joined. Some added info on bamboo flooring. I read many threads but one thing I didn't see on gluing flooring to concrete was that the adhesive be a urethane.Especially
the solids. I have seen floors done with the wrong adhesive
that buckled badly. Moisture barrier is also important. I have in the past glued engineered bamboo to concrete with good urethane (Bostik Best) with no problems,but would not recommend it. Knowing the subfloor will work for this is tricky.
There are many types of barriers. Some that are like a vinyl glued down first. Some are liquid similar to a concrete sealer (V1 blocker) is one. Probably best is a glue like viscosity spread with a trowel. All of these require being
done day before. Be prepared for the extra cost of these.
Good info here about hardness etc. Another thing. Refinish or sand and finish is usually for older floors or to change stain color. Reurethane can be done often to fix scratching. That would be the lite nylon buffing first spoken of in another thread here. There is also a sandless reurethane using TYCOTE. More about this at BasicCoatings.com They also make the cleaners and WATERBASED urethanes which are
best. (Streetshoe,etc.)But any brand of waterbased urethane
will work with the tycote method.(I am not connected to Basic Coatings,lol) Be careful about having a waterbased urethane redone with an oil base. Can be a disaster.
Hope I have helped.

Hi All
I just joined. Some added info on bamboo flooring. I read many threads but one thing I didn't see on gluing flooring to concrete was that the adhesive be a urethane.Especially
the solids. I have seen floors done with the wrong adhesive
that buckled badly. Moisture barrier is also important. I have in the past glued engineered bamboo to concrete with good urethane (Bostik Best) with no problems,but would not recommend it. Knowing the subfloor will work for this is tricky.
There are many types of barriers. Some that are like a vinyl glued down first. Some are liquid similar to a concrete sealer (V1 blocker) is one. Probably best is a glue like viscosity spread with a trowel. All of these require being
done day before. Be prepared for the extra cost of these.
Good info here about hardness etc. Another thing. Refinish or sand and finish is usually for older floors or to change stain color. Reurethane can be done often to fix scratching. That would be the lite nylon buffing first spoken of in another thread here. There is also a sandless reurethane using TYCOTE. More about this at BasicCoatings.com They also make the cleaners and WATERBASED urethanes which are
best. (Streetshoe,etc.)But any brand of waterbased urethane
will work with the tycote method.(I am not connected to Basic Coatings,lol) Be careful about having a waterbased urethane redone with an oil base. Can be a disaster.
Hope I have helped.

I just found this thread and wanted to chime in. I too installed the home legend bamboo flooring "toast" color. Keep in mind, the home legend bamboo comes in an engineered and a solid variety. I installed the solid 5/8" thick nailed down on over 600 sq ft of my living room, dining room, and foyer and I have been extremely happy. the ones that mentioned the floating floor are probably talking about the engineered floor which clicks together, and the solid floor has to be either nailed or glued, you can not float standard t&g hardwood. there are a few scratches here and there but nothing major and look at any hardwood floor, there are scratches. I personally think that is what makes hardwood floors unique to each house is that each family puts their "touches" on it.

first time poster...

I have had bamboo flooring installed in my house for a little over a year now and it looks fantastic, was inexpensive, everyone that sees this floor loves it, i would highly recommend this material. did i mention, two dogs (lab and bernese mountain dog). Sure there are scratches, but show me a floor besides pergo that doesnt scratch under the nails of a 50lb dog.

overall, very pleased with the bamboo. if you are concerned with scratching carpet, tile, linoleum, or pergo should be on your wishlist.

Great choice!

Bamboo flooring has become an excellent alternative to traditional hardwood flooring.

The available colors are vibrant and rich. The durability is also outstanding.

I do understand what you are saying. Is there anything out there that can prevent or help the floor from scratching?

1. For simple scratches, there are scratch-removing sprays.
2. Oils and finishes can repair small scratches on the wood.
3. If the scratch has a slight texture (past the finish) you should use wood patching.
4. Deeper scratches require wood fillers and repairing chemicals.
5. If you want to do it the easy way, you can just throw a carpet over the scratch. (Nobody will ever know.)