Strand Woven Bamboo Flooring

One of the great things about bamboo flooring is that the installation is very similar to that of a typical hardwood floor installation. If you know how to do that, you will have no problem with bamboo. There are many reasons why you may want to install bamboo flooring in your home, one of those being that it is a great value. Regular bamboo flooring is quite economical, and strand woven bamboo flooring, although more expensive, is a gives you a big bang for your buck. By installing your bamboo floor on your own, this becomes an even greater 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, it is usually recommended that you order about 5% - 7% more than the square footage you will need, depending on your level of expertise. If you have never installed a hardwood floor, you may want to get an additional 7%. 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 one that will look good without being able to see it beside your partially installed floor. Also, 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. Not sure how to install a subfloor? Here is some information with pictures and descriptions http://www.diyonline.com/servlet/GIB_BaseT/diylib_article.html?session.docid=1463. 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 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, because the temperature and moisture difference could end up warping the wood. Once you have left your flooring out for the recommended amount of time, you
are ready to start planning.

Check each plank, and organize them into piles that match, which is an important step for 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. , Keep 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 start with the longest outside wall, because it 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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