Bamboo and Exotic Wood Floors - Glue Down Bamboo Concerns (Wellmade & Roberts)

Hello!

I bought the Costco Wellmade Bamboo Flooring. I'm installing the flooring on top of MDF, so according to the manufacturer instructions, I can only do a glue-down application.

I purchased Roberts 1408 urethane adhesive and am totally stumped. On the container, it states that the room is supposed to be kept at 65 degrees F.

The flooring says that it should unwrapped so that it can acclimate to the local climate. Best if it's installed during average temperatures and humidity levels.

Here are my questions:
- Do people only install bamboo floors during the winter or in air conditioned (cold!) buildings?

-Why 65 degrees? What happens if/when I install the floor and it's 75 or 80?

- Since the flooring and the adhesive have different temp guidelines--which do I choose?

- Is there a specific set of installation instructions (some website/book/video) for gluedown hardwood/bamboo floors that you recommend?

Thanks!

I'm sure they mean "at least" 65 degrees. I would guess below that you will have problems with it being thick and hard to work...and excessively above that you won't have as much working time.

Remember, this is used in new construction or rehabs as well...and they may not have any heat or A/C.

No Pro...but I've had to interpret a lot of directions in my years..lol

normally all floor covering material gets installed in tempters between 65 - 70 degrees, when dealing with hardwood or cork and bamboo floors they are live products so they always shrink or expand, so house must be kept in low moisture and cool so product is in it's shrunk condition ones moisture and heat hits to it will expand and if you didn't install it at it's shrunk form next time when less moisture is in the air it will shrink and you will start having gaps in between planks. so what this means is start when flooring is in less moisture so when there is more moisture in the air it will push in to each other and get tight together. that is why flooring must be cut away from walls so it has room to move around now. now to your other concern about difference between recommendations of manufacturer of flooring or the glue rule of Thom is leave the flooring in the house at least for few days, properly stacked warped or unwrapped see box for instructions if wood mill sell it's own glue use that if not they usually require minimum type of glue to use so you go by glue manufacturer recommendation on installation part. Now if you using moisture-cured urethane adhesive make sure to not to get it on the flooring and let it dry normal it's all wet install so spread glue Little at a time and keep rags with mineral spirits around to wipe the glue of the wood if glue dry on wood it will leave marks that will not come off so now you have to get the floor refinished and make sure to keep rolling the floor with 100lbs roller while installing the flooring. Well I hope this helps good luck by FLOORS WE DO (http://www.floorswedo.com)

Thank you both for your thoughts! I'm splitting the difference in your advice and just waiting for the heat wave to pass.

I'm not going to get temperatures in the 65-range for a while, but at least it won't be 90!

Wellmade recommends that our flooring be installed between 50-70 degrees, which is considered to be "normal" living conditions. With wood flooring, you generally want to avoid the extremes; too dry or too humid. This means that when it does expand/contract, that the movements will be smaller. Also, adhesives react more severely to these extremes and can be more difficult to work with. As mentioned, be sure to wipe off all adhesive with a cloth dampened with mineral spirits before it dries and then buff off any residue with a soft dry cloth. I suggest you not roll the floor with a roller, as it could easily damage the floor if not perfectly clean. Just "walk" the rows several times as you install. Follow the Installation Guide on the box, or go to the Golden Arowana info site at Welcome to the Frontpage (http://www.bambooflooringinstaller.com). Keep in mind that this web site does not offer to sell our flooring; it just provides the info you will need to know regarding this product.

For others who may be interested, Costco and Wellmade have teamed up to offer the most durable bamboo finish available. It replaces the old 9 layer finish with our new 13 layer finish. Our Golden Arowana is equal or better than other bamboo's available at 2 and 3 times the price. Wellmade & Costco, bringing quality and value to your home!