Red Arowana Bamboo flooring by Wellmade Inc at Costco

[WooBah]

Does anyone have any information on Red Arowana Bamboo Flooring by Wellmade Inc. in Wilsonville Oregon? Costco is selling this Bamboo flooring in its retail stores, it is a horizontal carbonized brown.

I'm also looking at their flooring, but I didn't know it was at Costco. I had a sample sent from their office in Oregon of the 6" wide x 6' long. Will let you know how it looks when I get it Friday.

[markmin1]

My father was at Costco tonight and called to tell me it was in their warehouse. I am going to look at it tomorrow.

Costco is also selling bamboo on their website from IslandStyle at $3.66/Sf delivered. I am not familiar with that company though.

Turns out they only had the 3" x 36" in stock. Not what I'm looking for.

I couldn't find any installation recommendations with it. Can I install it floating?

[Airbatix]

I am in the process of installing red arowana bought at Costco for $1.85. Costco stores (not on-line) only sell the horizontal in the color "light". This is the carbonized version. Wellmade in Orgegon will sell you the rest, like moulding and vents. Their service so far is excellent.
I removed the carpet, staples and padding completely. I then applied a thin coat of Killz paint and let it dry for a few days. I painted the floor (plywood) with Killz to remove any odors left by our puppy dog. I then covered the floor in 30 lb asphalt felt ( I think thats the name). It's going well so far but with a few bo-boos that required extra cutting and work. I am using three nails per plank and pre-drill the holes. Very time consuming as you can imagine. When nailing I protect the edge usintg the plastic tapping block. I tried to use a rented floor nailer but the tounge cracks easily. A pneumatic stapeler would probably work but none is for rent where I live.
The colors in each box is pretty much the same but with small variances. A box here and there may contain bamboo that is lighter than the others. Remember to use sharp saw blades and cut slowly in order to avoid cracking and splintering of the edges.
I unpack the floors and leave them in stacks in the room where they are to be installed for at least 48 hours.
The instructions for installation comes with each box but I suggest you educate yourself in other ways as well.

[klaw]

I picked up 120 sq feet of the Golden arowana bamboo flooring at Costco to install in the studio I'm building. I can't seem to find instructions anywhere, they DO NOT come in the packages. A call to Costco didn't get me anywhere either.
The crew I have is nervous to use any sort of nails in them as they would with normal wood flooring, as they said it will split. Has anyone had any luck since the original posts? I just can't imagine having them predrill all the holes...

[twelvepole]

Wellmade Office & Warehouse
P.O.BOX 2704 Wilsonville OR 97070 USA
Tel:503 582 0848 Fax:503 582 8402
E mail:usawellmade@aol.com
http://www.bamboofloorings.com

[joka]

How did this floor install.. Considering it for my basement... Thanks!

[Renolenny]

Greetings: I used bamboo in a condo and had the same problem with the tounge splitting. I tried both the "cleat" nailer and the "crown staple" gun. Both were air powered. Neither fastner would work without splitting. I started hand nailing, got fed up and bought myself a air powered pin nailer. I finished the whole project using 2 inch fastners, and boy I didn"t skimp. Job turned out well we stayed yhere for year and half, floor went through heating season without problems.

[Andrew_grow]

put 1000sf+ in my house, very beautiful,very nice product!
I saw the installation website address on the box which is http://www.bambooflooringinstaller.com/

[stitch]

Could you tell me how you installed it? Did you have to pre-drill before nailing? Did you have problems with it splitting? If yes, how did you get around this?

Thank you for any help

[ttocsnodrog]

I'm a fan of the Arowana stuff. I only installed about 150 sq ft, but it's doing great after a year of use. The aluminum oxide finish helps durability on the already hard wood.

We used a rented cleat nailer and had a few problems with tongue splitting, but nothing that had to be pulled back up. Just take care that your next "groove" fits all the way onto the split tongue before nailing that next board -- we got a couple gaps that're slightly larger than they should've been. We pre-drilled only the boards where we couldn't fit the nailer: against walls, in corners, etc. Both cleat-nailed AND hammer-nailed nails were countersunk. That's the other trouble spot we ran into -- the tongues and grooves have such close tolerances that the next board wouldn't seat properly if a nail head was even slightly exposed.

<shrug> All in all a good first-hardwood-install experience! I recommend the product.

[tintagalon63]

Just finished a bedroom using the Arowana bamboo from Costco. I used a Bostich M111FS with crown staples rented from Home Depot. I had to take the pressure down to 60-65 psi (HD had recommended about 80psi). You also have to be careful about making sure that the lip of the stapler is hooked into the tongue tight. The unit is designed for 3/4" so you have to watch it closely. Beyond that, the install went great. I used 4 staples per board (38") and it seemed fine. The stuff is very hard. I burned up a brand new blade on my compoud miter, and broke a drill bit in the process. I did have to predrill and countersink a couple of rows at the begining and ending walls where the stapler wouldn't fit. Wellmade does include some installation instructions with the material, but the sheet is pretty vague, and they just stick it somewhere in the stack of boards, so you may not find it until you get halfway through, but all 9 boxes I bought had the sheet. They recommend against trying to float the floor; use staple/nail, or glue.

[croused]

Girlfriend and I just finished first 150 sqft room (and we're still together!). Pneumatic staple gun made for this work with 5/8" foot is a must for an efficient job (no predrilling). We bought the stapler rather than rent as the $300 cost would have been used up in rental fees quickly and this gave us top quality. Problem mentioned by others with tongue cracking is not so serious. The worst problem is not having good pressure >80 psi and then having to remove or pound in partial staples. Once you get it down, the system works well and two people can get pretty efficient (one to set boards, one to operate staple gun). Color varies quite a bit from one box to the next which we mixed in randomly and like the effect. If you want a uniform look you will really need to check the boxes carefully. Installed floor looks great and is much more stout than the interlock or thinner veniers.

David

[jamesAz]

I started my upstairs loft and hallway over the weekend using a Bostich stapler with 1.5" staples. I had a lot of issues trying to get the staples in the right depth without splitting the tongues or sticking out too much. I ended up with a lot of the tongues cracking but not enough that it gave me a problem with fitting the next board.

Will the cracked tongues give me a problem with the floor in the future? I likely won't go back and rip them out, I just need some piece of mind as I already have 12 hours invested in the project.

For the rest of the job, I am going to buy a nailer as I think it will be easier to pull them out if they don't go in far enough or pound them in to the correct depth. I finally developed a technique with the staples that didn't make it all the way in of snipping the middle and then using vise grips and a lot of muscle to pull out each pin.

[mpeterson72]

One reason you are having problems is that bamboo should be put down with nails (cleats) and not staples. Also, you have you tried adjusting the air pressure?

I have laid a lot of this product and have never had any split with a cleat nailer as long as the pressure is adjusted properly.

I went to the factory this was made while in China. What an experience. The factory was expanding at the time, but it was huge to begin with.

Michael Peterson

[ErinO]

I just had 800 sq ft of this bamboo laid in my home. The installation went very well, in part thanks to the advice we gathered from this forum. It is beautiful wood. My complaint and warning is that it is not hard. I have lived with red oak, and I have lived with fir, and this bamboo is closer to the hardness (sofness) of fir. In fact, I cancelled plans to put it in the rest of the house for now. And I will soon have to research the method for refinishing, I suspect. Very disappointed, because it looks perfect. We have kids and dogs and I should have known better. This bamboo would be perfect for mellow households. It is absolutely not "harder than red oak".

[wellmade]

Originally Posted by ErinO

I just had 800 sq ft of this bamboo laid in my home. The installation went very well, in part thanks to the advice we gathered from this forum. It is beautiful wood. My complaint and warning is that it is not hard. I have lived with red oak, and I have lived with fir, and this bamboo is closer to the hardness (sofness) of fir. In fact, I cancelled plans to put it in the rest of the house for now. And I will soon have to research the method for refinishing, I suspect. Very disappointed, because it looks perfect. We have kids and dogs and I should have known better. This bamboo would be perfect for mellow households. It is absolutely not "harder than red oak".

It would be great if some of you folks could get your "facts" straight before making erroneous comments. Golden Arowana Bamboo is indeed harder than red oak, and has been confirmed in tests by independent testing laboratories. In fact, Costco conducted thier own tests before our product was accepted. While I do not have the space here to educate you on the properties of wood, finishes, and etc, it is a scientific fact that Golden Arowana Bamboo is harder than red oak. All wood floors will scratch & dent, and if you had visited our web site: .........., you would see that we go to great lengths to be truthful about these issues, and help you make an informed decision.

Bruce R. Baxter - Wellmade

[wellmade]

The problems with the tongue splitting are usually associated with lack of experience using the nailers. This is especially true when trying to use 15.5 guage staples. These staples are huge, and while they are generally not a problem for a professional, they can present problems for non-professionals. How you hold the nailer, and how hard you hit it can influence how the nailer performs. If you are limited to only the 15.5 guage, use the nails/cleats instead of the staples.

Be sure that the nailer is designed or can be adjusted for a 5/8" flooring. Have someone show you how to adjust the pressure, and try not to use excessive force when striking the nailer. If available in your area, you can also go with 18 guage nails/cleats/staples. Be sure to practice a little before beginning the installation. You do not have to predrill, except on rows where the nailer will not fit. Our installation guide can be found at: , if you are having problems or have questions, please contact us. We are here to help!

[ctime]

Thank you for clarifying this information, Bruce. The fact someone from wellmade is actually monitoring these forums is another plus for the company and it's products in my opinion.

[anthonyvon]

Comments I make pertain to most brands of bamboo, so is not a criticism pointed at Wellmade. That said, due I'm sure to consumer complaints, the list of disclaimers in the "care & maintenance" sections seem to have grown larger and more comprehensive in the past few years. In particular the noted "scratches on the surface are common and have a white appearance due to the aluminum oxide" is something I noticed first hand 4 years ago when doing the fingernail scratch test on various brand samples from the many local stores. On darker carbonized wood this stood out, and may be why people complain about floors being quickly "ruined". This seemed to be more noticable on gloss finishes, less noticable on satin. Keep this in mind as you comparison shop, and when you get those samples do your own testing.

[wellmade]

Thank you for your comments Anthony. There is a lot of false information floating around on many bamboo blog sites. In most cases, these are consumers who think they know what they are talking about, but don't. The problem with the "fingernail test", is that it does not address the underlying issue of the finish. The purpose of the finish is to protect the raw wood beneath. The harder a finish is, the more easily it fractures or breaks when something heavier is dropped on the surface. This allows contaminates (cleaners, water, etc.) to come in contact with the raw wood, which usually turns that contaminated area black. This type of damage cannot generally be repaired and neccessitates a professional replacement of the affected plank(s). Our finish is designed to "bend" rather than "break". The difference is: a small dent vs. a $300-$400 repair. Many people, if not most, believe that scratches and dents add "character" to a wood floor. We make distressed flooring, where you pay significantly more for a used or rustic looking floor. We can also offer a much more durable finish, but unfortunately you would have to pay in the $6-$8 s/f range to purchase it, as it is designed more for commercial applications. There is a lot more to this story, but space & time limitations limit how much I can get into it. Simply put, I believe that our solid bamboo flooring is equal to, or better than 90% of the same format bamboo flooring out there. With the rare exception of an acrylic impregnated finish (commercial), I challange anyone to find a bamboo flooring that won't dent with your fingernail; or for that matter, any hardwood floor. With all of the above said, please remember that we are continually looking to improve our products; in fact, our finish is harder today (but still flexible) , than it was just a few years ago.

[jamesAz]

I did finish my upstairs (roughly 900 sq ft) with a nailer instead of a stapler. I actually used 1.5 inch 18 gauge nails and it went much faster and easier than my initial start with the stapler. I'm sure it's due to lack of experience but I found that technique wasn't as crucial with the pneumatic nailer than it was with the stapler (and it was a bigger gauge staple than the nails that I used). I purchased a Ridgid nailer at Home Depot and also used it for my baseboards.

I was so happy with the upstairs that I just finished up another 250 sq. ft. downstairs in my pool (table) room as a glue down on slab. It wasn't too difficult, the hardest part being keeping the glue off of the boards.

All in all, my experience with the company has been very good. I needed to have some transitions shipped out on a Friday around the holidays (the day that I called) and the person who took my order expedited it (after a little pleading) at no extra charge. It allowed me to get the product in and have it acclimate while I was on vacation, saving my 2-3 days of waiting time.

Their engineers were also helpful (although one was a bit grumpy) when I had install questions. I would use them again if I do this in another house.

[wellmade]

Thank you for your interest in Wellmade products. The product you referred to at Costco is Golden Arowana. Please visit our web site

[Carpets Done Wright]

Originally Posted by wellmade

It would be great if some of you folks could get your "facts" straight before making erroneous comments. Golden Arowana Bamboo is indeed harder than red oak, and has been confirmed in tests by independent testing laboratories. In fact, Costco conducted thier own tests before our product was accepted. While I do not have the space here to educate you on the properties of wood, finishes, and etc, it is a scientific fact that Golden Arowana Bamboo is harder than red oak. All wood floors will scratch & dent, and if you had visited our web site, you would see that we go to great lengths to be truthful about these issues, and help you make an informed decision.

Bruce R. Baxter - Wellmade

What he is saying is, that he is sorry the finish on his product, didn't meet your expectations, and was not as durable as finishes you have had on softer woods in the past.

[wellmade]

Originally Posted by Carpets Done Wright

What he is saying is, that he is sorry the finish on his product, didn't meet your expectations, and was not as durable as finishes you have had on softer woods in the past.

The finish on Golden Arowana is as durable as any finish commonly used on hardwoods. The durability of a finish is determined by what it takes to wear through the finish to the raw material, not by whether it can be scratched or dented. The method to determine durability is the Taber Abrasion Test, which simply put, is sandpaper on a disk that revolves until the finish is removed. It takes around 28,000 revolutions to remove our finish in this test. Compare that to any other hardwood finish! As I have previously mentioned: our finish is designed to "bend" rather than break. This means you may have a small dent in your floor instead of an expensive plank replacement. Please call us with your questions about our products, we will tell you the truth, even if it means you will not purchase our products!

[accentphotonc]

This one is for Wellmade... I am getting ready to go about 200 miles to pick up 1300 sq ft of your Golden Arowana Bamboo Flooring Natural Color item #257322 from Costco and I am trying to make sure that I do not make a choice mistake on color based on what I have read. I thought that the actual hardness of the Natural wood was greater than that of the browner Carbonized wood due to the fact of the Carbonized wood being heated or boiled down to get the sugars in the wood to darken hence making the actual wood before the finish softer. Is there any truth to that? I am staying away from the darker woods because I believe that to be true. Am I incorrect in my assumption? I understand about your protective coating being flexible but I am more concerned about the wood under the protective coating. I have a medium sized dog, three boys 8, 16 and 18 so I am also worried about the finish marring or scratching due to the fact that they are playful sons. They do not always think about the consequence until after it is done and I have to fix it. I will have raised five kids soon and I am ready for my nice floor prematurely because I want it now. No more carpet! Please advise.

[accentphotonc]

I forgot to mention that I am getting at least a pallet (32 boxes) of the Natural Bamboo flooring from Costco and I am not sure how much it weighs. I would be happy with a per box weight or even a pallet weight. I have already bent some leaf springs once and I do not want to do it again and at the same time I need this to be a one load run only.

[akpicking]

I dont have any other hardwood experience to compare this with but I put this bamboo down in about 300 sq ft of living room. I used the bostitch nailer and it went in beautifully. The Home Depot tool rental guy had me bring a piece in and set the pressure up just right so I had no problems splitting. I have 2 dogs one about 60 lbs and one 90 lbs. It does scratch very easily but like I said I dont know if that is unique to bamboo. I think if I could do it over again I would have just put floating laminate in that way if I want to replace it in 5 years it wont be nailed down and be a nightmare to replace.

[accentphotonc]

AKPICKING was your floor by Wellmade from Costco? I ended up driving 200 miles to get mine and when I arrived the guys there had no clue how heavy a box was. My vehicle holds 1000 pounds and I was going to get 34 boxes that were estimated about 30 pounds by someone but then I asked him to get a bathroom scale from his housewares section (duh) and found out it weighed 50 pounds per box which at 34 boxes is 1700 pounds. Word of warning for those out there who think you can just go and get a rental trailer like U-Haul to help. The trailer I rented looked heavy duty but was only good for about 900 pounds. After balancing the 200 pound tongue weight, adding the boxes and balancing the back of the van we actually made it home with out any bent leaf springs (been there done that). Its not going in until spring as I have to fix a moisture problem under the house and get that moisture down in the joists. I look forward to the new look but floating or nailing has not been decided on as well as the possible future regret of the future scratches.

[jlymb]

Thinking of buying bamboo flooring by Wellmade for small upstairs rooms project. Does anyone have experience using adhesive instead of nail gun to install (over 3/4" plywood subfloor)? Wondering about ease of application and effectiveness.

[wellmade]

Originally Posted by jlymb

Thinking of buying bamboo flooring by Wellmade for small upstairs rooms project. Does anyone have experience using adhesive instead of nail gun to install (over 3/4" plywood subfloor)? Wondering about ease of application and effectiveness.

Thank you for purchasing our bamboo flooring! For tons of useful info on our product, and quality bamboo flooring in general, please visit: XXXXXXXX No advertising linksXXXXXX or give us a call. Nail or staple is the preferred choice when installing over wood substrates, and less problematic. However, gluing is an acceptable method if done properly. Several things to pay particular attention to: Use only urethane, non-water based wood flooring adhesives; be sure to walk the installed rows to ensure they are sticking to the subfloor; and clean up any adhesive that gets on the surface of the planks BEFORE IT DRIES with mineral spirits, then buff off any remaining residue with a clean, soft, dry cloth.

[fearmeat]

Bruce,

I am going to be installing the bamboo floor from Costco on a concrete subfloor. I have read the installation instructions. What is the best method to get the best results over a 365 sq ft area?specifically what undelayment do I use between the concrete and bamboo? If I should use glue, which kind and where do I get it? If I lay the underlayment and then glue on the bamboo, isn't it being secured to the underlayment and that's it? Please help me get started! Thanks, Matt.

[wellmade]

Originally Posted by fearmeat

Bruce,

I am going to be installing the bamboo floor from Costco on a concrete subfloor. I have read the installation instructions. What is the best method to get the best results over a 365 sq ft area?specifically what undelayment do I use between the concrete and bamboo? If I should use glue, which kind and where do I get it? If I lay the underlayment and then glue on the bamboo, isn't it being secured to the underlayment and that's it? Please help me get started! Thanks, Matt.

Matt:
You are referring to the "floating" installation method, which is not recommended for solid wood (bamboo) in this size format. While it is possible to do so, it should only be done by an experienced professonal who will be responsible for his work. The most reliable method is to glue directly to the concrete with a urethane, non-water based wood flooring adhesive. Be sure to remove any glue from the finish with mineral spirits, then buff off any residue with a soft dry cloth. Please visit our website for more info, or give us a call.

[ph_kosel]

It seems clear to me that if a person has any doubts about the hardness and finish of some flooring product of whatever brand they should get a sample or buy a small quantity and try mistreating a piece to see what happens. I picked up a box of the Wellmade bamboo at Costco just to see what it's like. Tried paring off some of it with a knife, had a hard time seeing where the cut was because the color seems to go all the way through. I'm going to test it for resistance to dropped cigarette burns, scratch it it up with some coarse sandpaper, etc before I buy a huge bunch, but so far I am very impressed with the stuff.

BTW, I found some videos of how those flooring nailers are used on YouTube - just search on "bamboo flooring". They are nothing like I expected and the pros make it look pretty easy.

[wellmade]

Thank you for your kind comments regarding Golden Arowana bamboo from Costco. Unfortunately, I am unaware of any hardwood flooring that can stand up to the testing you are about to perform. But good luck!

[new_berlin]

Hi, After reading all these posts, I've decided to take a plunge myself. I just got myself a saw as a first tool and am planning to buy a stapler as well. Would the following two tools be sufficient to lay the floors? If not, what am I missing?

1. 10" Dual Bevel Compound Sliding Miter Saw
2. Bostitch MIIIFS 1-1/2-Inch to 2-Inch Pneumatic Floor Stapler or MFN200 manual stapler (Is the manual not a good idea?)

Thanks. Just want to make sure I don't have to put the project on hold once I get started :-)

[wellmade]

Be sure that the nailer (stapler) is designed for a 15mm (5/8") floor. If I remember correctly this is a 15.5 guage stapler; this is a monster staple, while ok for a professional, it is not good for a DIY, as you will likely have problems blowing out tongues. It would be better to find an 18 guage nailer/stapler for this purpose.

[Yepitsme]

2 summers ago, I installed 1100 sq ft of the Wellmade bamboo hardwood from Costco, at a rental property I own. People have mentioned the tongue splitting, but if you adjust the pressure, and your technique, you'll find that is a rare circumstance. Consider that the professionals who use this nailing equipment have their technique down, and us DIYer's have an adjustment period to get in the grove of nailing it down properly.

At any rate the product looks great, so much in fact I plan to use it in my primary residence. What I think Costco had 2 years ago was the Red rather than the Golden Aerowana (spelling?), and I do prefer a darker floor appearance. But you can't complain about the extremely inexpensive price that you can pick this stuff up at Costco for. I have about 400 sq feet in my garage right now that I've picked up for our main house. I never want to live with carpets again, other than as area rugs which can be changed out, much more frequently than the 2000 sq feet of wall-to-wall we live with now.

What I'm after now is the bull-nose for the stairs, and heater vent covers, and transition pieces. I'll go check out the wellmade website for that.

Good luck to everybody on their projects. Just wanted to add in my 2cents on feeling very satisfied with the product.