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Are you ready for bamboo flooring installation? Now that you have chosen your new bamboo flooring, you are probably very anxious to see it installed. But before you get down on the floor to begin your bamboo flooring installation, there are a few preliminary steps you need to take to ensure a smooth installation and many years of enjoyment from your new bamboo floor.
First, we need to know what type of bamboo flooring you have purchased (if you allowed us to guide you through the purchasing process whatever choice you made we know it is the right one for your project!). Ok....did you buy....
Please click on one choice below
Solid Bamboo flooring
Engineered bamboo flooring
floating bamboo flooring
*Remember solid bamboo flooring will be approximately 5/8" thick and
made of all bamboo (although it is actually not a solid floor),
Engineered bamboo flooring will be a multi layered product using
wood (other than bamboo) for the back and center layer and bamboo
for the top layer or finish layer. floating bamboo flooring is
similar to engineered but will traditionally include a no glue
locking system and usually the planks are wider (7-8") than the
engineered and solid products (3-5").
Pre-Installation
The following information is generic. It deals with areas that you
must be familiar with before starting your solid bamboo
flooring installation. It is very
important to the success of your final finished project. Please keep
in mind that your particular flooring manufacturer will have product
specific requirements. This section is designed to be a general
guideline. You must follow your specific manufacturers
installation instructions for your warranty to be valid!!!
Concrete Slab
If your flooring will be glued directly to a concrete slab, make
sure the slab is flat, clean, and dry. A moisture test is
recommended before you can begin your bamboo flooring installation. Refer to our floors and moisture section for more
information. Also, for this type of installation most manufacturers
suggest using a high quality, urethane wood floor adhesive. We have
done many glue down installations of this nature and suggest you
purchase nothing less than the best adhesive. It will make or break
your job!
Wood Sub-Flooring
Plywood, 5/8 or thicker, or osb (oriented strand board) is the most
common sub-flooring seen. Wood sub-flooring must be flat, clean, and
dry, and moisture testing should be done and levels documented prior
to bamboo flooring installation. If the sub-flooring is installed over a crawlspace,
We highly recommend placing a moisture barrier of 6 to 8 mil
polyurethane sheeting over the soil as a vapor barrier.
Acclimation of your bamboo flooring
Acclimating bamboo flooring to its installation environment is
critical for dimensional stability. We recommend placing solid
bamboo planking in the room where it will be installed for a minimum
of 2-3 days prior to installation. The room temperature should be at
a normal comfort level. However, jobsites and conditions will vary,
SO be sure to test for moisture and document the readings.
Accepted installation methods
Methods for Solid bamboo flooring installation can be nailing,
stapling, or gluing. The nailing and stapling methods require a
flooring nailer and at least a basic knowledge of power tools and
working with wood. If you are not familiar with this type of
equipment, you can learn more in our flooring nailers section to see
if you are comfortable with working with such equipment. Otherwise
it would be a good idea to leave it to the pros. (which we will also
help you find if you decide). The gluing method is a much easier and
safer method for do-it-yourselfers. However, if the no matter if the
glue, nailing or stapling method is used, Please consult our helpful
installation guide for the in depth step by step guidance you will
need.
Laying out the job
No professional installer would start a job without a layout plan,
and neither should you. Fortunately, you dont need anything too
fancy, just draw out your space on a piece of graph paper to
layout a scale diagram of your floor. From this sketch you can
easily determine the amount of material you will need. (again we can
help you with this if you are registered for support) Most
manufacturers recommend leaving a 3/8 to 1/2" expansion space
between the flooring and the walls, so be sure to allow for the
recommended spacing on your sketch.
Getting your hands dirty
Since bamboo (like any other natural product) has natural color
variations, you will first want to sort through the material and
decide how to distribute the contrasts before selecting the planks
for the starter row. We usually recommend installing the planking
parallel to the longest wall and using an outside wall if possible
(as usually they are more likely to be close to perfectly square).
We also recommend whenever possible installing it perpendicular to
the joists. Let's remember however that we WILL consult the
manufacturers specific recommendations in all cases before beginning
your bamboo flooring installation.
Snap a chalk line on the sub-floor to make a reference mark for the
starter row. The mark should be away from the wall will by a
distance equal to the width of the planking, plus the tongue, plus
the expansion space. For example: with a plank width of 3 1/2, a
tongue width of 1/4, and an expansion space of 1/2, the reference
mark would be 4 1/4 away from the wall.
Place spacers between the wall and starter row to maintain the
expansion space. Align the tongue edge of the planks with the
reference mark and secure them to the sub-floor according to your
installation method.
Make yourself a tapping block. A scrap piece of flooring will
usually work. use it to carefully join the groove edge of the second
row with the tongue edge of the starter row. Secure each plank in
place as you go and repeat the process until the job is finished.
Manufacturers recommend offsetting end splices of consecutive rows
by a minimum of six to eight inches to achieve the best
appearance.
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