Bamboo floors

Hi,

I've heard that bamboo floors are good "green" flooring option.

Does anybody have them and if so, would you recommend it?

Any ideas where I could get them and how much it will cost per sq metre? Ideally I'd like to get them supplied and fitted so I don't have to find a fitter.

Thanks in advance for any info,

g

I have bamboo flooring which I got from [broken link removed] crowd, Urbane Living in the UK. They were incredibly helpful in the course of several emails. We ordered over the phone on a Monday or Tuesday and a full pallet was delivered to the door on the Thursday. I think they charged about £80 for delivery. We picked the Natural Vertical Matte which was £15.40 plus vat per square metre.

We had the floor fitted by some local guys that had been recommended to us. They were fantastic, really into their work, and did a lovely job. To get it done properly you'll probably pay as much for the bamboo as for the fitting. If you have a problem finding a fitter let me know and I'll pm you the number of the guys we used.

As to whether I would recommend bamboo, yes I definitely would, but I prefer the natural (which I have) to the carbonised which is darker. Apparently the natural is stronger than the carbonised. While bamboo is supposedly as strong as oak, it will get damaged in the same way as any wooden floor does. Stiletto heels are a definite no-no, if you want to see an example, go to the fashion floor in Brown Thomas where there is a carbonised bamboo floor that is completely pockmarked by heels.

P.S. It should be fitted over ply, don't let anyone tell you it should be fitted over battens!

Thanks TreeTiger, that's a really helpful post.

I love the look of the one you got, that's the kind I'm after. Alas, I don't think the budget is going to stretch to it this time around as the fitting will really push the cost up but I think I'll save up to get it put down in a few years.

Thanks again,

g

See here and the threads linked within.
Leo

Thanks Leo - I actually did search before I posted, don't know how I missed that!

No prob, glad to help.
Leo

We also used Urbane for our bamboo flooring - quality was better than anything we found looking in Irish shops - and I can vouch that they are helpful and fast.

Our builder advised us to go for a floor with an aluminium oxide finish - which this has - and while it's tough, it does scratch quite easily and is a bit shiny.

Our builder did the fitting and we had a slight problem with cupping (which has now gone) - I think this may have been due to his placement of the boards too close together. So I would recommend choosing a fitter who has used this type of flooring before.

Overall though, it looks great and is very hard wearing.

It looks like Urbane is the way to go. I really like the bamboo but I guess fitting is about €15/sq metre so my new plan is to put down something cheap to tide me over till I can get this. And when I do, there'll be no stilettos allowed!

Hi Treetiger

Is it easy to maintain the Natural Bamboo?? I have carbonised downstairs & am planning to go for natural upstairs & for the stairs. I got a good deal at €17.00/sq.mtr & €15.00 to lay. My concern was maintaining the floor. I've no problems with carbonised.

Sammya,

I think it's fairly easy. I'd sweep or vacuum it 2 or 3 times a week, more if particularly needed - when sweeping I use one of those microfibre sweepers with a big head.
Then apart from spot cleaning I find once a week I damp down the microfibre sweeper and spray the floor with Mr Sheen Floor Cleaner for laminate or wood floor, and wipe over with the sweeper.
I have it all over downstairs and I find in wet weather I need to use a big indoor mat in the hall or I could be wiping the floor all day. Also I've put a piece of vinyl flooring between the cooker & sink - if I really want to impress someone I can hide the vinyl


Am very interested that you're planning on putting it on the stairs, as I am getting rid of the carpet on mine and would like to replace it with bamboo if I could figure out how this could be done. That seems like a great price you've got.

Treetiger

Thanks for the info. My concern was stains on the white background. Anyway the decision has been made to go for natural. Regarding stairs it seems fairly easy. You need to buy bamboo stair nose, cut the stair nose from your stairs and replace with bamboo stair nose followed by the normal bamboo flooring and screw or glue the whole lot. It looks great. I have a picture but I am not sure how to insert here. PM me I'll send the picture.