You've got to admit, having bamboo floors in your home changes your whole interior completely. Many people love this new look that bamboo gives.
There are many types of bamboo that are harvested, but there are not many that can be safely used for flooring purposes. The most commonly used bamboo type for decorating your home floor with is called moso. This grows up to about 40-50 feet high. Once it is harvested it is left out to dry in the sun. Once dry it is then cut into various strips that are given the proper shape. These strips are then laminated and stained and the flooring is ready to be installed. You can find bamboo floors in its natural color and in carbonized amber color. You can also have other colors, depending on what staining method is used to obtain them.
Although bamboo is considered wood, it is actually a special type of flooring which nowadays is heavily competing with the regular hardwood. It is very durable and hard and it is very easy to maintain by vacuuming, by mopping or by spray cleaning.
Another advantage of using this type of wood is the fact that it doesn't harm much the environment. Bamboo grows fast and once cut, it grows back quickly. Maple or red oak, on the other hand need practically decades to fully mature.
There is nothing special about installing bamboo floors compared to hardwood floors, the process is almost identical. First of all make sure to get the best material around. Then get your subfloor completely dry, clean and without bumps. If you have dirt in between, it will not allow bonding between the subfloor and the bamboo planks. If if is wet, your whole floor will rot eventually. By having an uneven sub-floor, you will hear those squeaky sounds and noises when you walk on the floor and that is very unpleasant to anyone's ears.
To glue the bamboo planks to the sub-floor, use a moisture floor adhesive. As soon as you've placed the adhesive, add the planks on it right away. Then leave them to dry before you can use your floor. Another method of installing it is by using a nail gun over plywood or some kind of board.
Having a bamboo floor at home is truly amazing and it's the chic thing right now. It lightens up your room and if you have dark corners, those will be strongly diminished when you have this floor type in the room.
Showing posts with label bamboo floor. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bamboo floor. Show all posts
Monday, 14 December 2009
Thursday, 4 June 2009
Flooring: Different Methods of Installing a Bamboo Floor
DIFFERENT METHODS OF INSTALLING A BAMBOO FLOOR
What is the best way to install a bamboo floor? You could install the floor as direct stick, floating, plank on ply, using an AcouBond system, or using joists/battens to name a few. Each method of installing a premium bamboo floor has both its positives and negatives but when weighed up you are able to determine the more suitable method of installation.
DIRECT STICK
Our preferred and the most commonly accepted method of installing a bamboo floor in WA is direct stick. This is where our boards are glued directly to the sub floor resulting in a very quiet floor to walk on. Glue is trowelled onto the floor and the boards are laid directly on top. It is a strong and permanent method of installation. We use a rubbery drying adhesive called Sikabond T55. Using alternative glue for this method of installation which is not elastic bonding will usually result in stress put on the boards causing cupping and the widening of gaps in between boards. A direct stick bamboo floor is strong and stable, stopping the boards from moving too easily and can be walked on the same day it is installed. However this floor will be difficult, but not impossible to remove if needed, and does require a reasonably level sub floor.
FLOATING FLOOR
Installing a bamboo floor as a floating floor involves using a thin high density oam underlay. The boards are not glued or fixed to the sub floor rather they are glued along the tongue and groove on all sides. The floor literally floats. This type of installation is commonly used for cheaper laminates in Perth having an inferior quality image. Floating a bamboo floor is the most common method for DIY customers as it is a cheaper and easier method of installing a bamboo floor than direct stick. It is regarded as softer to walk on, but is regarded as structurally inferior and noisy to walk on. A floating bamboo floor is easily damaged by excess water spills and can’t be lived on for a day or two until the pva glue dries.
PLANK ON PLY
Plank on ply is commonly used for fixing timber floors and is regarded by the industry as superior. In terms of timber flooring, this is usually correct. Plank on ply uses 12mm sheets of plywood that are glued and nailed onto the sub floor and the bamboo floor boards are glued and secret nailed onto the ply. The ply helps even out floor undulations and gives an easy surface for the installer to pin the timber down. It also helps protect the floor against moisture from the concrete slab. In terms of premium bamboo flooring we gain little to no benefit from installing over plywood. The reason for this is premium bamboo flooring is not required to be pinned because it is dimensionally straight and square, it is also more moisture resistant. The glue and installation technology that we have available today enables us to even out small floor undulations. Ply can be useful in building up floor heights.
ACOUBOND
Acoubond type of installation was developed in Europe by Sika International to overcome the problem of impact noise transfer from upper floors to lower living areas, such as high rise apartments. Australian building legislation now stipulates that solid floors in multi level dwellings must be installed with sound absorption systems. The bamboo boards are laid over a 5mm foam mat, which has slots cut out for the application of triangular beads of Sika T53. According to Gabriel’s Environmental Design Pty Ltd this has a reduction in impact noise by 16dB compared to a reduction of 7dB for direct stick. A bamboo floor installed with the Acoubond system is a little noisier to walk on and is not as strong as direct stick, but it does improve walking comfort and compensates for surface irregularities.
JOISTS/BATTENS
Installing on joists or battens is a traditional type of installation using timber or ply battens fixed to bearers or concrete. The bamboo floor boards are fixed using glue and nails to the Battens. This type of installation was commonly used for timber floors but is not so popular with bamboo floors, yet it is a safe, stable and an easy way to bring bamboo boards up to existing floor types by using appropriately sized battens. Joists (battens) are usually 12mm thick and 40mm wide and made from plywood or a stable hardwood like Jarrah. This floor is commonly thought to be more absorbent of foot fall and therefore more comfortable to walk on. It does however produce the sound of a traditional timber floor which is quite noisy.
While each method of installation has obvious benefits, overall we do prefer installing our premium bamboo floors as direct stick, specifically with Sika bond T55. It is by far the more suited method of installation for our product and ensures for a secure and quiet floor to walk on. It is a very convenient method of installation as you won’t need to move out of home and can walk on your beautiful bamboo floor straight away.
What is the best way to install a bamboo floor? You could install the floor as direct stick, floating, plank on ply, using an AcouBond system, or using joists/battens to name a few. Each method of installing a premium bamboo floor has both its positives and negatives but when weighed up you are able to determine the more suitable method of installation.
DIRECT STICK
Our preferred and the most commonly accepted method of installing a bamboo floor in WA is direct stick. This is where our boards are glued directly to the sub floor resulting in a very quiet floor to walk on. Glue is trowelled onto the floor and the boards are laid directly on top. It is a strong and permanent method of installation. We use a rubbery drying adhesive called Sikabond T55. Using alternative glue for this method of installation which is not elastic bonding will usually result in stress put on the boards causing cupping and the widening of gaps in between boards. A direct stick bamboo floor is strong and stable, stopping the boards from moving too easily and can be walked on the same day it is installed. However this floor will be difficult, but not impossible to remove if needed, and does require a reasonably level sub floor.
FLOATING FLOOR
Installing a bamboo floor as a floating floor involves using a thin high density oam underlay. The boards are not glued or fixed to the sub floor rather they are glued along the tongue and groove on all sides. The floor literally floats. This type of installation is commonly used for cheaper laminates in Perth having an inferior quality image. Floating a bamboo floor is the most common method for DIY customers as it is a cheaper and easier method of installing a bamboo floor than direct stick. It is regarded as softer to walk on, but is regarded as structurally inferior and noisy to walk on. A floating bamboo floor is easily damaged by excess water spills and can’t be lived on for a day or two until the pva glue dries.
PLANK ON PLY
Plank on ply is commonly used for fixing timber floors and is regarded by the industry as superior. In terms of timber flooring, this is usually correct. Plank on ply uses 12mm sheets of plywood that are glued and nailed onto the sub floor and the bamboo floor boards are glued and secret nailed onto the ply. The ply helps even out floor undulations and gives an easy surface for the installer to pin the timber down. It also helps protect the floor against moisture from the concrete slab. In terms of premium bamboo flooring we gain little to no benefit from installing over plywood. The reason for this is premium bamboo flooring is not required to be pinned because it is dimensionally straight and square, it is also more moisture resistant. The glue and installation technology that we have available today enables us to even out small floor undulations. Ply can be useful in building up floor heights.
ACOUBOND
Acoubond type of installation was developed in Europe by Sika International to overcome the problem of impact noise transfer from upper floors to lower living areas, such as high rise apartments. Australian building legislation now stipulates that solid floors in multi level dwellings must be installed with sound absorption systems. The bamboo boards are laid over a 5mm foam mat, which has slots cut out for the application of triangular beads of Sika T53. According to Gabriel’s Environmental Design Pty Ltd this has a reduction in impact noise by 16dB compared to a reduction of 7dB for direct stick. A bamboo floor installed with the Acoubond system is a little noisier to walk on and is not as strong as direct stick, but it does improve walking comfort and compensates for surface irregularities.
JOISTS/BATTENS
Installing on joists or battens is a traditional type of installation using timber or ply battens fixed to bearers or concrete. The bamboo floor boards are fixed using glue and nails to the Battens. This type of installation was commonly used for timber floors but is not so popular with bamboo floors, yet it is a safe, stable and an easy way to bring bamboo boards up to existing floor types by using appropriately sized battens. Joists (battens) are usually 12mm thick and 40mm wide and made from plywood or a stable hardwood like Jarrah. This floor is commonly thought to be more absorbent of foot fall and therefore more comfortable to walk on. It does however produce the sound of a traditional timber floor which is quite noisy.
While each method of installation has obvious benefits, overall we do prefer installing our premium bamboo floors as direct stick, specifically with Sika bond T55. It is by far the more suited method of installation for our product and ensures for a secure and quiet floor to walk on. It is a very convenient method of installation as you won’t need to move out of home and can walk on your beautiful bamboo floor straight away.
Monday, 11 May 2009
Warning - Bamboo Floor Problems
Indeed there are bamboo floor problems though not as severe as you would imagine. I always believe that knowing the problem and doing something about it is the right thing to do. So if you have bamboo flooring, like me, you should pay attention to some details that may give you headaches later on. Prevention is better than cure after all so before bamboo floor problems could occur, be ready for it, or prevent it as best you can.
Very High Expectations
There are many problems with bamboo flooring. First, people are guided to expect so much from the material by overselling salespeople. The sales pitch gets more incredible each day. I am not saying that bamboo flooring is bad. I agree that it is durable, that it is beautiful, and that you can rely on its toughness. However, I advice you not to believe everything commercials say because if you would expect too much, you might not be able to properly take care of your bamboo flooring.
Manufacturing Problems
Other bamboo floor problems stem from low quality manufacturers. I say, never fall for these types of manufacturers. They use inferior materials or the way they do things are plain sloppy. I know earning profits is good but please, quality product should be the top of the matter. With low quality materials or sloppy manufacturing work, bamboo flooring problems like contractions, expansions, imperfections visually, and inconsistencies are sure to occur. A bamboo floor should be engineered properly or it would be no bamboo floor at all. Also, be aware that some manufacturers out there do not have a proper quality control system. It may be that some of their products are quiet good but others are way too unacceptable.
Maintenance Problems
A bamboo floor can produce problems for you later on if you do not maintain it properly. As I said, if you were oversold with the product, you would tend to be negligent about it. There are a lot of maintenance guides out there. I strongly recommend that you be aware of these. Also, over maintenance can also become a problem. If you are being paranoid about it and keep cleaning your bamboo floor, then the harmful chemicals from the cleaning agent you are using will cause damages. So just be careful always.
Moisturise and Stains
Bamboo is usually found in areas that have a tropical climate. Because of this, bamboo has built in resistance to water. Still, do not be overconfident about this. You should keep track of the moisture level in the room where your bamboo flooring is. I do not mean for you to buy gadgets to measure room temperature and moisture content, nothing overly dramatic really. Just be mindful about it. Also, stains are common bamboo floor problems. Too much moisture can make bamboo expand or contract. I advise you to coat your bamboo flooring with extra polyurethane or probably wax. This will prevent stains and keep the bamboo flooring shiny.
Very High Expectations
There are many problems with bamboo flooring. First, people are guided to expect so much from the material by overselling salespeople. The sales pitch gets more incredible each day. I am not saying that bamboo flooring is bad. I agree that it is durable, that it is beautiful, and that you can rely on its toughness. However, I advice you not to believe everything commercials say because if you would expect too much, you might not be able to properly take care of your bamboo flooring.
Manufacturing Problems
Other bamboo floor problems stem from low quality manufacturers. I say, never fall for these types of manufacturers. They use inferior materials or the way they do things are plain sloppy. I know earning profits is good but please, quality product should be the top of the matter. With low quality materials or sloppy manufacturing work, bamboo flooring problems like contractions, expansions, imperfections visually, and inconsistencies are sure to occur. A bamboo floor should be engineered properly or it would be no bamboo floor at all. Also, be aware that some manufacturers out there do not have a proper quality control system. It may be that some of their products are quiet good but others are way too unacceptable.
Maintenance Problems
A bamboo floor can produce problems for you later on if you do not maintain it properly. As I said, if you were oversold with the product, you would tend to be negligent about it. There are a lot of maintenance guides out there. I strongly recommend that you be aware of these. Also, over maintenance can also become a problem. If you are being paranoid about it and keep cleaning your bamboo floor, then the harmful chemicals from the cleaning agent you are using will cause damages. So just be careful always.
Moisturise and Stains
Bamboo is usually found in areas that have a tropical climate. Because of this, bamboo has built in resistance to water. Still, do not be overconfident about this. You should keep track of the moisture level in the room where your bamboo flooring is. I do not mean for you to buy gadgets to measure room temperature and moisture content, nothing overly dramatic really. Just be mindful about it. Also, stains are common bamboo floor problems. Too much moisture can make bamboo expand or contract. I advise you to coat your bamboo flooring with extra polyurethane or probably wax. This will prevent stains and keep the bamboo flooring shiny.
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