| Not just food for pandas or the stuff of cheap picnic | | | | subfloors will not bond well with the adhesive, and |
| mats, bamboo is now being processed with modern | | | | subfloors that are not dry will eventually cause rot. If |
| techniques into beautiful "hardwood" flooring that | | | | not level, the bamboo flooring will squeak when |
| beats standard wood floors in durability, hardness, | | | | walked on. If you are competent in home repair and |
| and dimensional stability. | | | | good with your hands, you may be able to complete |
| An added bonus to these beautiful floors is the | | | | the bamboo flooring installation on your own. In some |
| knowledge that bamboo, unlike wood, grows quickly | | | | cases, with certain types of bamboo flooring, a |
| and abundantly, reaching maturity in five years or | | | | professional will be needed. |
| less. Red oak and maple, by comparison, can take | | | | Bamboo flooring may be glued down using a moisture |
| decades to mature and then have to be replanted. | | | | barrier flooring adhesive. After applying the adhesive |
| Clear-cutting of forests also has a negative | | | | to the subfloor with a trowel, the bamboo flooring |
| environmental impact and threatens the planet's | | | | planks should be immediately placed. You may also |
| biodiversity. | | | | install bamboo flooring using a nail gun over plywood |
| After harvesting, cutting, processing, and finishing, | | | | or particleboard. Once starter rows are secure, |
| bamboo flooring installation is not much different | | | | subsequent planks should be nailed directly above the |
| from standard hardwood floor installation. The | | | | tongue at a 45-degree angle to face. |
| important steps in installation occur before putting in | | | | After installing the bamboo flooring, you will care for |
| the bamboo floor. First, make sure you buy from a | | | | it in a similar way to hardwood floors; frequent |
| reputable manufacturer who is willing to back up their | | | | dusting/sweeping, occasionally mopping, and use of |
| product with a warranty. | | | | wood cleaners. With regular care, bamboo flooring will |
| The next step in bamboo flooring installation is | | | | add a stylish, beautiful component to your home for |
| making sure the subfloor is dry, clean, and level. Dirty | | | | many years to come. |