Strand Woven Bamboo Flooring

Installing a new floor in your home is a significant investment, and proper bamboo floor care is imperative to ensure it lasts a long time and continues to look great. Below are a few important things to remember about bamboo flooring maintenance and cleaning.

Cleaning your bamboo floor is very important and you this should be done as much as possible. This prevents items from sticking to the floor, and eventually leading to scratches and dents.

How to clean bamboo floors:
For a basic cleaning, use a soft bristled broom, and preferable one that is only used for your bamboo flooring (and not in the kitchen, garage, etc). A vacuum can also be used, but use it with care, or you could end up scratching or denting the hardwood. Your floor should also be mopped from time to time, once every two weeks is usually enough, depending on the amount of traffic it receives. Microfibor floor mops are the best for removing dirt. The best cleaning solutions are ones that are specific to bamboo floors, such as Ambient´s bamboo floor cleaner. They are often environmentally friendly, and are designed specifically for bamboo floors. These cleaners are usually used by spraying them on the floor, then mopping up the moisture. Refrain from using any ammonia based cleaners, or any cleaners that contain strong chemicals. If you spill something on the floor, it is important to clean it up immediately. This will prevent any moisture from permanently damaging the wood, and from possible staining the flooring. Bamboo floors should never be waxed, and will result in damage to the floor if done so.

Some things to remember about bamboo flooring maintenance:
Now that you have a bamboo floor, you should consider monitoring the humidity levels in your house. These levels should never be below 30% or above 60% for extended periods of time. It could cause the bamboo to swell, shrink, or eventually crack. You may have to consider installing a humidifier/dehumidifier, to prevent this from happening.

To help prevent damage to your flooring, place mats and rugs in areas that are used the most. Check the bottom of the mats and rugs you are using to make sure they do not have rubber bottoms, and to make sure there are not pieces that could scratch the floor. Also, it is important that the rugs are colorfast, meaning their color will not leak out. If they are small mats, it is wise to wash them first to help remove any dies that may end up leaking onto the floor. Make sure to keep all mats and rugs clean as much as possible. This helps prevent any dirt buildup from ending up on your nice, beautiful flooring, which can lead to damage.

Last of all, be careful of your pets claws. Make sure they are trimmed regularly, as they can scratch the finish of the bamboo flooring. All furniture should use protective pads to prevent any possible scratching. People should refrain from walking around in spiky high heels, which can also damage the flooring.

Like any piece of furniture, you have to take care of your strand woven bamboo flooring to keep it looking great. By following these simple guidelines, you should have no problem keeping it looking as beautiful as the day that it was installed.

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One of the great things about bamboo flooring is that the installation is very similar to that of a typical hardwood flooring installation. If you know how to do that, you will have no problem with bamboo. One of the many desirable things about Bamboo flooring is that it is an economical option. Self-installation makes this an even more economical option. Read the following for some tips and precautions you should know of before installing your strand woven bamboo flooring.

If you have been renovating your entire house, or an entire room, the flooring should be the last part installed. This is mainly to prevent any possible damage being caused to the floor. By this point, you have probably searched around and found the flooring you want. When you are ordering, you should order about 5% - 7% more than the square footage you will need, depending on your level of expertise. It is important to have all of the flooring right from the start, so you can make sure each tile will fit together. You do not want to be stuck in a situation where you have to buy a few more tiles, and have to try to pick on that will look good without being able to see it beside your partially installed floor. Make sure to find out the manufacturer’s warranty. They usually have guidelines to follow when installing the floor, make sure to follow those so that your warranty remains valid.

One very important step before installing your flooring is to check your subfloor. It should be clean, level, and totally smooth, meaning you should ensure that there aren´t any nails that are sticking out of the floor. It should also be completely dry when you install your bamboo flooring. If it is not, it may never dry completely, which could propagate serious problems in the future.

Once you have made sure the sub floor is ok, it’s time to start planning your floor. Unpack the flooring, and lay it out on the floor. It is important to do this 72 hours before installation, to ensure that the flooring can adjust to the rooms humidity. Also, make sure that you do not place the flooring next to concrete or outside walls, which could end up warping the wood. Check each plank, and organize them into piles that match. This will be very important to the final aesthetics of the floor. Each plank will be slightly different, and it is imperative to make sure that each plank looks good with all the planks they are attached to.

If the floor you are installing is not on the lowest level of your house, then make sure to remove items that are hanging from the ceiling on the floor below. This will prevent the possibility of them falling from the roof while stapling/nailing your floor into place.

Once you have left your flooring out for the recommended amount of time, you are ready to start planning. Set out your flooring into sections, keeping in mind that you will need to leave ¼ inch between the floor and the walls, and any other vertical objects that it may come up against. This is to allow space for it to expand, and will be covered anyway by the moldings. Make sure to use spacers so that you leave the same sized space all around, ensuring a straight line.
You should line up the tiles keeping in mind that you should start on an outside wall, and the one that is longest. The outside wall is usually the straightest, and starting with the longest section will make installation easier. Once you have done this, get your tools and supplies together, and you are ready to get started!

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So you still are wondering whether or not you should be going with strand woven bamboo flooring, and you just need an extra little push before you make the choice right? Well, read this, and you´ll see WHY this is such a great environmental option.

Bamboo is the fastest growing plant on earth, and grows more than 10 times faster than most hardwood trees. Bamboo only takes about 5-6 years to be grown to a point where it can be harvested and after harvested, grows back without having to be replanted. Each plant that has been harvested, known as a “mother plant” will grow several new stems. In just a few months these stems grow full length, and another 5-6 years later, will be mature and ready for harvest. In contrast, Hardwood trees, can take up to 60 years to be fully grown, and each tree must be replanted. This in itself proves that bamboo is far more environmentally sustainable than any other wood.

Bamboo is an excellent plant for the air we breathe. It creates 30 % more oxygen than a typical hardwood forest, and is known to reduce more carbon dioxide gases. Some measurements have calculated that it can remove up to 12 tons of carbon dioxide per hectare!

Bamboo has a very wide spread root system, and a large canopy. This helps protect the land from rain erosion. The canopy of the bamboo acts as a shield or protector of the soil against hard rainfalls, while the roots hold the earth in place and suck up extra water. Bamboo also has a high nitrogen consumption, and is therefore conducive to removing unhealthy amounts of nitrogen in the soil resulting from livestock farming and sewage.

Bamboo grows very quickly, but just as important is the facility with which it grows. It can be planted in soil that has been damaged due to poor agricultural practices, and will help convert the land into high quality, nutrient rich soil.

Every day, more hardwood forests are being cleared, and replanting efforts are not nearly enough to replace what has been lost. Given the serious environmental problems that our planet is experiencing, it is more important each day to find more sustainable resources. Each and every person is responsible for making the right decisions to help reduce the strain we are causing to the environment. There are many things we can do to reduce this strain by making sound environmental choices in our homes, and using bamboo flooring is one small step in the right direction towards environmental sustainability. When you first decided to look for new types of flooring, most people don´t have the environment in mind. Now you know that you can make a difference, just by the type of flooring you use.

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