The Flooring Expert

Q: When installing floating Bamboo flooring over uneven concrete (Old tile mortar and slightly uneven) What would be the best material to use underneath?

A: When installing a floating floor over old tile or just remaining mortar, it is always suggested to make this floor as flat as possible. Now, if you still have the tile laid down and your worried about grout lines, you should have little issue as long as you use a vapor barrier and a good underlayment. I would suggest using 6mm cork or 3mm cork at a minimum.

If you have removed the tile and have only the mortar remaining you must grind this down. Similar to the discussion on removing thinset, Try using an electric chipper or a grinder. This will be dusty, so wear eye protection and a dust mask. Remember with any floor, it is important to have the subfloor clean, dry and flat.

After you have prepared your subfloor, I would still suggest using a 3mm cork underlayment for your floor. Cork is dense, so it will provide a better feel under foot, and its natural sound dampening and insulation qualities will be great. Good luck!

Here's a little extra post with a bit of handy info I received from Steve earlier today about Strand Woven Bamboo which I wanted to share. Steve took the time to answer a great question while still checking out new flooring manufacturers over in Europe.
Q: Steve,

I am really wanting to put down some strand woven bamboo in my home, but I ran across your blog about formaldehyde and I had a couple of questions. Are the two criteria you mention (testing and spot checking) actually being employed by anyone? Is that the reason ifloor is not carrying this type of bamboo? Why is the strand woven bamboo being highlighted as a potential problem. Some sellers say that a dynea formaldehyde-free resin is being used. Does that sound plausible? Thanks for your help.

Don

A: Don,

We hear the claims about dynea or similar quality adhesives being used - which have proven false on inspection 90 % of the time.

Even with dynea the quantity of glue required using a hot press system is so high that it may still fail emission tests in a solid bamboo format to be within acceptable guidelines.

That is why we have not carried it to date.

Starting in mid-July we will offer strand with ultra low emission by making it in an engineered format vs. Solid.

This will give the benefit without the downside carcinogen risks.

Good luck on your project - we wish you much success!

Ss

This question comes from John C. over at iFLOOR.com's Tacoma, WA location. He mentioned many of his customers ask about carbonized bamboo and how its made. He also mentioned it can be hard for customers to find an answer to this without asking a flooring expert at a local store, so let's tackle what gives bamboo that beautiful golden brown hue.

Q: What is Carbonized Bamboo?

A: Carbonized bamboo, which is known as caramelized bamboo in Europe and is also called fumed bamboo, is created through a unique process.

The bamboo is put through a process where it is steamed or smoked which cooks the bamboo. Chemically speaking, this causes the natural sugars inside of the bamboo to caramelize. This causes the bamboo to take on its golden brown hue, much like caramel candy.

The advantage of carbonized bamboo is that the color is found throughout the entire product. The disadvantage of this is that the sugars get crystallized in the bamboo and make it more brittle, causing the bamboo to lose about 20% of its overall hardness. Carbonized bamboo rates slightly softer than white oak on the Janka Hardness scale.

As a new feature here to our Ask the Flooring Expert blog, we are going to begin doing a monthly editorial about issues that have come up frequently or more popular subjects to give a good in-depth look in the many topics of flooring.

For September we are going to examine one of the most popular trends in flooring: eco-friendly products or "green" flooring.

Bamboo and Cork are the most common flooring types known when the subject of eco-friendly flooring is mentioned. The statement "bamboo and cork flooring are eco-friendly" is not always true. Let's call this statement or mind frame an "eco-myth." I generally suggest these options for the eco conscious buyer, but you will want to do your research to ensure that your bamboo or cork is truly eco-friendly.

What Makes Bamboo "Green"?
Bamboo flooring is a great choice for environmentally conscious buyers because of its many features. Bamboo is an abundant natural grass that can grown 125 feet or more by the time it is ready to be harvested and it naturally regenerates itself without needing to be replanted. Also, the bamboo used to make flooring is a different species of bamboo than what pandas eat, so there is no worry of taking away a food supply from endangered species.

What's the Problem?
The eco-myth to bamboo is that bamboo flooring is only as green as the process used to make it. Most of the bamboo flooring in the world is made in China and parts of Southeast Asia where environmental requirements are not as strict. Unfortunately not all suppliers of bamboo observe eco-friendly practices when manufacturing their bamboo. To be truly conscious of what bamboo is green we must consider what happens after the bamboo is harvested. After bamboo is harvested, it is standard practice to put the bamboo into a vat of chlorine to give it the "natural" blond hue we see most commonly in bamboo products. Sadly some manufacturers simply drain the chlorine and other chemicals used to make flooring into local creeks or other natural water sources. Although the flooring itself may be eco-friendly as a renewable resource, the process to create that flooring has now harmed the environment.

Don't despair though, many manufacturers adhere to strict standards and ensure their manufacturers create a truly eco-friendly product. The advice here is to always do a small bit of homework and ask vendors about the source of their bamboo flooring before buying.

What Makes Cork "Green"?
Cork comes from the bark of Mediterranean oak trees. This bark is harvest every 8 - 10 years during the life span of the tree which typically is about 150 - 200 years. For the most part these trees are found in Portugal, Spain and areas of North Africa and provide a sustainable supply of cork products. Cork flooring is typically made from the waste product after cork stoppers are made making what was once deemed unsuitable product into beautiful flooring.

What's the Problem?
Cork is manufactured in many countries, but most predominately in Europe and China. Sadly not all sources for cork operate in environmentally friendly manners. The processes used and even the raw materials such as glues and core boards as well as the oversight of the entire manufacturing process is different from country to country. Specifically the process in Europe is vastly superior to those in China. The biggest problem comes from formaldehyde emission in the glue used to make these products. Manufacturers in Europe make products which meet E0 or E1 acceptable emissions standards. Unfortunately the products made in China does not meet these standards and is typically E2 or higher. A major portion of this problem comes from cheaper adhesives used which have higher formaldehyde content, but also the entire process and ISO utilization of the plants come into effect when the final product is considered.

Buyer beware as Steve always mentions - recently iFLOOR determined that none of the cork made in China meets E1 or E0 standards. So if your looking for cork make sure you get cork manufactured in Europe because its not only higher quality, but its better for the environment as well.

Alternative Eco-friendly Products
Beyond making educated purchases with bamboo and cork there are other types of flooring you can look into for a green alternative. The two lesser known options which are becoming popular and more visible are Palm and Mesquite Flooring.

CoCo Palm Flooring
A product soon be sold here at iFLOOR is CoCo palm. After a good chat with Ryan W., iFLOOR's VP of Products, I came away with a much better understanding of why he is excited to have this new flooring option available for our customers. This product comes from coconut palms trees grown to harvest oil for palm oil. The coconut palm tree is considered the largest single species of hardwood in the world and is the largest non-rain forest wood resource. After about 40 - 50 years these trees decrease their yield of oil and are cut down to make room for new trees to be planted. Nowadays these trees are no longer disposed of, but are made into a myriad of great products including flooring.

The plantations that these trees come from have been around since colonial times. CoCo palms particular plantations are located in Indonesia and are old Dutch Colonial plants that continue to product palm oil to date. CoCo makes a solid palm floor which contains far less adhesive than the more common engineered varieties offered around the world.

Mesquite Flooring
Mesquite is a highly sustainable source of wood that comes from the Southwest region of the US as well as Central and South America. Mesquite is actually a shrub (from the legume family) not a tree and despite attempts to cut, shred, remove and even burn mesquite grows back stronger and thicker. Based on current usages of mesquite, the supply in Texas alone can last for thousands of years without need to plant additional mesquite.

Normally the first thoughts that accompany mesquite would be barbecue or wood working,but virtually nothing from a mesquite tree is wasted. The beans are high in sugar and proteins and make a good cattle feed. Native Americans discovered many medical uses for the beans as well. Tea made from the beans is said to be a good antiseptic for superficial wounds and to settle the stomach. The limbs are cut into end grain blocks that make beautiful flooring patterns. The larger limbs and trunks are sawn into lumber for cabinets, furniture and flooring. The fall off and waste is made into mesquite chunks for the BBQ industry. Finally, the burl from the stumps makes beautiful material for artisans to do turnings and decorative pieces.

There are many benefits to having mesquite as a floor. Mesquite is naturally resilient and stable. Mesquite has a Janka hardness rating of 2345 which is nearly twice as much as red oak. Mesquite is also nearly impervious to water and was used by shipwrights construct fishing vessels back in the Spanish mission days. However, the real value of mesquite as a flooring material is in it's stability rating. Simply put, mesquite is THE most stable hardwood available being 350% more stable than red oak. Even more important is the fact that what little amount mesquite shrinks and swells, it does so evenly.

Summary
"Green" flooring is a growing trend in todays market, but make sure you know that process used to make your floor is just as eco-friendly as the material itself. European Cork and certain bamboo manufacturers in China make excellent products that are produced in an environmentally friendly matter. Also you can look into lesser known eco-friendly products such as Palm and Mesquite Flooring.

Thanks for reading the first of our editorials and I apologize for the length, but hopefully you've gained some great insight into the eco-friendly side of flooring.

Q: I read the previous posts on installing wood on stairs and I'm ready to go except for one issue I haven't seen addressed. I want to use the solid stair treads and risers. I have six stairs up to a landing, then a semi-circular landing that turns 180 degrees then nine more steps to the second floor. I cannot use solid bamboo treads on the landing, it is about 8 to 10 square feet. Should I use the click together flooring (that I will be using on the floors) with a stair nosing on the landing? Will that look out of place if the other 15 stairs are covered with the solid treads?

Thanks,
Jerry

A: Using flooring for a landing that is the same as your floor will tie everything together. Although you will most likely see a difference between the tread and the landing it should not be overly drastic. My key bit of advice would be to find a flush stair nose if possible as this will look more professional. An overlap stair nose will work, but it will stand out when compared to the flush appearance of the solid treads.

A way to somewhat cover the difference of the landing to the stairs would be to use a small area rug on your landing, as attention will be drawn to the rug more than the flooring of the landing. The other option would be to avoid using solid treads to keep everything uniform. Although I personally prefer solid treads for appearance, this will keep everything uniform in appearance.

Q: I want to replace the wall-to-wall carpeting in my house with either hardwood or bamboo flooring. I hesitate to do so because I have two large dogs (50 and 65 lbs, respectively) and am concerned they will damage the floor with their nails and toys. I am looking at light to medium natural shades. Should I give up my dream of beautiful wood flooring? Thanks for your help!

Tina

A: When it comes to our furry companions and floors, certain things must be taken into account before making a flooring decision. My first suggestion will be a regiment of care for your dogs. The best way to ensure your pets and don't damage your floor is to ensure their nails are trimmed and in the case of longer haired dogs, to ensure their fur is not covering the pads of their feet. A great tip passed on to me from my good friend Nate B. over at the Charlotte, NC location is that if you prevent fur from covering the pads of your dog's feet, they will not dig into the floor with their nails as much. The reason behind this is that dog's naturally use their nails when they lose grip from their pads.

The next major tip would be to keep a good maintenance schedule. The less dirt and grit on your floor, the less likely these things will get dragged across your floor by your feet or your pets.

Now in regards to the actual flooring to use, this becomes a matter of opinion normally, but let's stick to the facts to give us the best information here. Bamboo, in the natural variety, is harder than white oak (at a Janka hardness of about 1410) meaning it resists denting better than the "norm" of wood flooring. Abrasion resistance will come from the finish on the floor. Look for a floor with several coats of a good finish with aluminum oxide. Panda and Westhollow both make great bamboo flooring featuring the patented Klumpp finish, which is a UV cured polyurethane with aluminum oxide. This is a tough finish that can take a good deal of abuse and looks great.

For hardwood, you will have similar aspects to look for as you do with bamboo. Harder wood species will be more dent resistant and abrasion resistance will come mostly from your finish. Again be looking for a good finish that includes aluminum oxide. Bruce, BR-11, Westhollow and many others all make great products for hardwood with good finishes.

Another thing to consider here is engineered vs solid. Depending on your subfloor you may be limited here, but consider the pros and cons to each type before making a decision. The big benefit to an engineered would be the benefit of having a cross-ply laminated product. This means it will give a bit more dent resistance along with resistance to expansion and contraction due to temperature changes. The down side to an engineered is that you get a lower number of times the product can be refinished.

Solids are the traditional hardwood (normally 3/4"). The big benefit is the number of refinishes possible along with the great value these floors add to a home. The downside here is that it is less stable than an engineered (meaning more expansion and contraction).

Should you give up the dream of a beautiful wood floor? Of course not! If you are ultimately worried about damage to a new wood floor, look into laminate. Good laminate is super tough and can stand up to some serious abuse, but with proper care so can many wood floors.

Q: I am installing solid bamboo flooring in a doublewide and the manufacturer suggests 5/8 in expansion gap. This is probably worst case, we live in Georgia so we don;t have big swings in temperature. Would a smaller gap 3/8 in, that would be covered by molding be acceptable?

Thank You
Jim

A: The first thing I will mention is that deviating from the manufacturer's suggestions can void a warranty, so keep this in mind before making a decision. In your case what I would do is contact the manufacturer of the floor to see if they have any suggestions of a minimum expansion gap. Many floors tend to be ok with a 1/2" expansion gap. My worry that a 3/8" expansion gap would be too little for the humidity in Georgia. Bamboo, like any wood product, will expand and contract from temperature and humidity.

End result here, without a go ahead from the manufacturer, I would not go with an expansion gap less that 1/2".

Q: I would like to put down a bamboo flooring. I was told that strand woven is the hardest bamboo there is. Is that correct? Can you float a bamboo floor?

Ruth

A: What you were told is correct, Strand Woven Bamboo is the strongest bamboo out there. What makes it so strong? The process used to make strand woven bamboo involves breaking the bamboo down into thinner strands rather than the slats used for normal bamboo flooring. These strands are then arranged and laminated together creating the woven look of the flooring. This process uses more adhesive than normal bamboo flooring and the woven like effect of how the strands are arranged combined with the urethanes in the adhesive cause these types of bamboo floors to be far more durable. The problem with most strand woven bamboo flooring is that there is so much glue used that the emission ratings on these products is terrible and can not meet the E1 standard for emissions of formaldehyde.

The good news about this is that engineered strand woven bamboo floors have recently been brought to the US which combine the appearance and durability of strand woven bamboo with the benefits of a cross-ply engineered product. The other major benefit this flooring has over solid strand woven bamboo is that there is far less glue which allows it to meet the emission standards. iFLOOR.com's CEO, Steve, mentioned engineered strand woven bamboo in his blog.

As far as floating a bamboo floor is concerned, you can typically float engineered bamboo floors and some of the wider solid floors, but in the end consult your floor's manufacturer about floating their floors to be sure. Ming Dynasty makes an engineered strand woven bamboo floor which can be installed floating. This will combine the best of both worlds as far as what you are asking about. Other floating bamboo floors to look into would be Springwood and some of the rest of Ming Dynasty's line of floors.

Q: I recently had installed vertical bamboo flooring with a mat finish. On day one I made a couple of minor scratches. Can I cover the mat finish with a "poly" finish with the hope of reducing scratches?

A: To be simple your answer is "yes," but let's get into detail here. Poly refers to the finish being a polyurethane, which is the actual chemical used to make it. Matte is simply a level of gloss, so you will most likely want to find a matte gloss level polyurethane to apply on your floor so you will have a similar appearance. Before you decide to coat the floor, keep in mind that if you wish to add any additional finish you must first buff the floor (lightly rough the floor up) so that the new finish will adhere properly. Generally I only suggest having professionals do this as it can be a tricky process.

I would suggest first cleaning your floor using a proper cleaner, such as BonaKemi's line of products. Also keep in mind that scratches will blend in over time unless the scratch is deep enough to where it has penetrated the wood itself. End result here, if you can't get the scratch to blend in some using a cleaner, you can remove its appearance by rescreening your floor, but you will want to look into having a professional help you out doing this project.

Q: Hi Flooring expert,

Nancy Quon

A: My first suggestion to you would be to stop using the white vinegar and water solution to clean your floor. Although this works, it will dull the floor over time as you have been seeing. Use a wood cleaner that does not include a wax or shine to it (no Minwax or Orange Glo type products). Your best bet is the hardwood cleaners made by BonaKemi. There are other cleaners made for wood floors or bamboo specifically; however, BonaKemi's products are the best in the industry and any one who knows even a minimal amount about flooring will tell you the same thing.

Using a proper cleaner will help some, but it is unlikely you will see a full restoration of the shine you have when it was installed. If you choose to refinish your floor, this can be a somewhat complicated process. The first thing you need to determine is if you will refinish the floor or rescreen it. The screening process is easier, as you will only rough up one layer of finish and then add a few new layers of finish. Refinishing will involve removing all of the old finish, sanding down the floor some, then applying a new finish over the top.

The most important thing will be to get a high quality finish regardless of whether your refinish or screen your floor. Ensure that all of the finish is new and is not mixed with an pre-opened or older finish. If you choose to refinish, you will need to sand the floor all the way down to the bamboo and sand off a small amount of the bamboo. You need to leave the bamboo somewhat rough (usually 200 grit sand paper or so will do) as this will ensure that the first layer of finish will ad here properly. Before applying finish, ensure the floor is cleaned of all dust. Apply your finish in a thin, even coat. Allow this coat to dry, then lightly buff the finish (very fine sanding with a higher grit sand paper, 300 or so should be fine) then apply a new thing and even coat. Repeat this process until you have applied a number of finish layers that meets your approval. This should be 2 - 3 coats at a minimum. Give the finish plenty of time to cure before moving furniture back onto the floor and allowing any heavy foot traffic to go on the floor.

If you choose to screen your floor, then this process is simpler. All you will need to do is buff the top coat of finish to rough it up, then apply new finish. Again, apply as much new finish as you want, 2 - 3 coats is usually best, and ensure you buff between each new coat. Again, allow the new finish to fully cure before placing anything over it and avoid foot traffic.

Q: I’m planning to install “Cognac Horizontal Satin - Ming Dynasty Bamboo” over a concrete sub-floor using the glue down installation. I was hoping you could clarify a few questions:

Thanks,
Jeff

A: You will need to use a 1/8" square-notched trowel when using your adhesive. Your adhesive will actually act as a moisture barrier, so you have no need to install a plastic barrier (usually a 6mil polyethylene). For the install itself, make sure you trowel out the adhesive as evenly as possible and do a small area at a time. Also, try not to let the adhesive get into the grooves for the tongue, as this can make it very hard to get a nice snug fit between your planks. Also, make sure you use a rubber mallet to help tap the planks in nice and snug.

As far as moisture content of the flooring itself, this should typically be between 6-8%. When acclimating your product, the goal is to get your flooring within 1-2% of the moisture content of your subfloor before installation. Typically, a subfloor will be in a similar 6-8% range. This can be higher, but should not be higher than 10%. A simple test with a moisture meter should give you all the info you need here. Make sure to record the moisture readings at each corner and the center of the room where you intend to install your floor.

If you have beyond 10% moisture in your subfloor , I would suggest running a dehumidifier to pull some of the moisture out and allowing your planks additional time to acclimate to your home.

Q: I have a couple of more quick questions.

Appreciate the help,
Jeff

A: Your first question has the easy answer - no. Ideally you want to try to prevent adhesive from getting into the tongue and grooves during a glue-down installation so you can make sure the planks have a snug fit, but if small amounts get in here and there, don't worry.

To answer your second question, it tends to be best to not wet-lay any wood floor and I would generally suggest to avoid doing so with the Ming Dynasty. Now realistically, not doing a wet-lay install will not slow up your process very much, especially with a urethane based adhesive (which most flooring adhesives are). With wet-lay, you will trowel in some adhesive then lay down a plank right away in the same spot, the concern here is that as the adhesive begins to dry some of the evaporated moisture will get into the wood. With the more traditional method of installing with glue for wood floors, you will trowel out enough adhesive to cover an area you can floor within 30 minutes to an hour. Typically you will not need to trowel out this much adhesive to be effective. The adhesive laid at first while you are still troweling more adhesive out will begin to cure, once it reaches a tacky consistency (where you can touch it with your hand and as you pull your hand away strings of glue similar to pulling taffy will come up). This tacky consistency is right where you want to be when laying down the floor as it is still plenty stick to adhere to your flooring. Apply some pressure and make sure the planks are snug then follow up with a rubber mallet and some light tapping to ensure the planks are snugly fit and the plank has had pressure toward the subfloor to ensure it is placed into the adhesive well.

Typically most urethane based adhesives will achieve this tacky consistency or close to it rather quickly, and you should only need to trowel out around 30 or so square feet adhesive to where the first portion of the adhesive will be close to ready for you to install planks over.

Q: I have wood parquet tiles that are attached to a cement slab with black mastic. The tiles are in bad shape and some "pop" as they detach and reattach when walked on. This mastic would be very difficult to remove and real mess! I wonder if I remove the tiles and cover the mastic with visqueen, could I lay a floating bamboo floor over it. Would there be any "walking noises" If I do this?

A: The short answer here is that it will make quite a bit of noise, but let's go into some details about how to remove this problem with a bit less work.

The black looking mastics used tend to be laid with a very aggressive trowel, this means that the surface of the mastic will vary quite a bit and the floating floor (even with underlayment) will move quite a bit and cause a lot of noise.

Ideally you will want to remove the mastic, however here is a less tedious fix that can work from my good friend Gene D. our Commercial Contract Specialist. Take a filler product (such as fix-it-all) , but rather than mixing it with water, use an acrylic to mix. The reason here is the acrylic feathers much better and will make troweling the product out easier. From here take a finish trowel and begin spreading the compound at the edges, slowly troweling it out to cover the entirety of the mastic. Allow this to cure, then should you have any high spots, take something similar to a hook scraper to remove the high spots and level out the floor.

From here, check to make sure everything is level and then install your underlayment and flooring and you will have a nice smooth floor that walks well.

Q: I purchased bamboo flooring from ifloor and had an installer lay the floors down. Unfortunately, he left pretty large gaps between some of the sections and it is very noticeable. Is there anything that can be used to fill the gaps? They are not wide enough for pieces of board, but too large for something like glue.

thanks!
Jill

I followed up with Jill a bit to get some extra help, here is what I asked:

For some basics, if you can at least tell me how wide the gap is (if its 2 or more credit cards in width this could cause a bit of worry). Also are these gaps around the entirety of the planks or only in specific spots (ends only or only certain areas of the home)?

Reply: There are two cracks which are definitely wider than two credit cards. They are both in the middle of the floor of the rooms -- where the installer stopped and then picked up working later. With the black spot, he had scratched the floor, and then tried to sand it (eek) a bit and then, I think, put a sealer over that perhaps? He was trying to hide the scratch and now it looks much worse.

Any thoughts so far?

Thanks again
Jill

A: I am pretty dang sure I know what’s going on with the scratch. Most likely, your installer used a high grit sand paper (260-280 grit) to sand the scratch. To the touch it will feel smooth, but you are still abrading the floor, which means there are small areas where dirt or particulates can accumulate. More than likely, he used a cleaner and not an actual seal or layer of finish in that area, so the particulates have gathered and caused the discolored spot.

Now, there are two fixes to this problem. Depending on the size of this spot you can either mask off the surrounding area using painters tape, then sand lightly to remove the debris and add a bit of refresher (smaller spots for this scenario as it will have a different sheen than the rest of the floor) or replace the board entirely with another piece of bamboo flooring (if you have any spare flooring this would be great, as it should be acclimated to your home).

As far as the gaps go, more than likely your floor was not given enough acclimation time (let me know if you know otherwise though). Typically this problem occurs when a floor is installed before fully acclimating to a home and excess moisture in the floor is released as it dries to a similar moisture level of your home’s subfloor. This causes the boards to shrink ever so slightly and makes the gapping prevalent. How do I fix this? Good question! What you will want to do is test the moisture content of the bamboo itself, if its less than 6-8% than usually you can run a humidifier in your home to restore enough moisture to the air, which will in turn be absorbed by the bamboo, and remove some of the gapping as the floor expands slightly.

Wood flooring is much like you and I in a sense, it lives best in a climate of 65 degrees or so Fahrenheit with relative humidity (moisture in the air) of 30-40%. If your home has less moisture than this, then the flooring will naturally dry out some and shrink. If it has more moisture, it will expand and possibly swell.

Q: We recently installed springwood click-lock longstrip bamboo throughout our entire first floor. It looks like someone had on a high heal shoe, with perhaps a nail sticking out of it, and now there are small dents throughout the floor. Is there any way to fix this myself? We literally just finished laying the floor and had some people over, and the next day, while we were cleaning up, we noticed these small dents - everywhere! I read something about "screening and re-coating"; is there a recommended fix for this type of problem, other than refinishing the entire floor?

Thanks!

A: High heel shoes can be devastating to floors. Heels that have worn down or lost the protective cap, exposing the steel support rod, will dent and pit wood, fracture ceramic tiles or stone and perforate vinyl. A person in stiletto heels, weighing 125 lbs. exerts approx. 2,000 lbs. of pressure per square inch. As you can imagine, that can put dents into even the toughest of surfaces.

Over time, wear and tear a floor has experienced will blend in, much like on a car. The first dent or two on a new car will drive you crazy, but after a bit of time you ignore the little rock chips on the hood and the other small dents or scrapes it has taken. Unfortunately the only way to remove denting from a wood floor would be to refinish it. Depending on how extreme the dents are will depend on whether you will want to look into this or not. If the dents are small, as the bamboo ages they should blend in a bit; however, if they are a bit deep then they will remain apparent.

One tip here would be to ensure everyone removes their shoes in your home in the future to prevent any further denting to the bamboo.

Q: We are planning on installing a bamboo floating floor throughout our first floor (on-grade slab). How long should we wait to allow the installation/glue, etc. to cure before moving the furniture back in? Can we move the lighter furniture sooner than the sofa bed, etc.?

Regards and blessings for all your assistance to us DIY's.
Amy

A: With a glue-together floating floor I would suggest waiting at least 24 hours before moving any furniture back onto the floor. This should give the adhesive in the tongue and groove area plenty of time to cure. After 24 hours you should be safe to move any furniture onto the floor, but if you want to be cautious start with only the light furniture and give the glue another 24-48 hours before moving heavier furniture into the room.

Keep in mind you will not want to move very large and heavy furniture such as book cases or large entertainment centers onto a floating floor as they can cause the floor to tilt and buckle the joints.

Q: I installed bamboo engineered click flooring on my garage floor that was converted to a media room. Floor wasn't completely flat in a couple of spots...there is a cushion of air that you feel about 2'x3' in diameter and about 2' from the edge of the floor. would a humidifier help the floor conform to the concrete, maybe some weight on that area? I also think i might have installed a couple of warped boards...only about 2 of them...my end gaps keep appearing after the floor is walked on. thanks for any help.

A: Before we get into the problem occurring let me first stress that you do NOT use a humidifier in this room. Adding moisture to the floor will cause it to expand and most likely begin to buckle or warp if it absorbs too much water, getting above about 8-9% moisture content. Also, I would not suggest putting weight on the floor sitting over this valley in your subfloor.

The right way to fix this problem would be to remove planks of flooring (which is much easier since it is a click) until you uncover the 2'x3' valley in your subfloor. Then, level this area out using a self-leveling compound. Once this compound has cured, reinstall the bamboo planks.

The gap you are encountering is happening because the floor is flexing down into the cushion of air you describe. This area is larger and deep enough to cause enough movement when weight is applied to the floor that it is flexing and creating this gap. The only way to actually fix this problem would be to fix the subfloor by leveling it out, or to get a shimming material into the valley to help support the floor.

Here are a couple of photos that were sent a long to illustrate the gap that is happening:
In this photo you can see the gap in the center and the substrate below the finished bamboo surface.

Here in this photo you can see where the floor is flexing over the valley in the subfloor being described. The two lighter colored planks below and to the right of the gap can be seen slightly lower than the rest of the floor.

Q: We are in the slow process of redoing rooms in our home. Our first two we went with cork flooring, the second two with bamboo, as we were told it a harder flooring than cork and would wear better. When moving an item we noticed an ugly scratch, so before we went any further, we applied felt feet to any furniture that touched the floor. What we didn't do was any type of precaution with rolling chairs. (One of the rooms is serving as a study, and has 2 chairs that are somewhat mobile.)

Thanks for your time and assistance,
Sean & Anita

A: Bamboo's durability is dependent on whether it is natural bamboo or carbonized bamboo. Due to the process of making carbonized bamboo, in which the bamboo is essentially cooked in steam baths to crystallize the sugars found inside bamboo (also referred to as caramelizing the bamboo), the bamboo becomes a bit more brittle and losses some of its durability.

As far as removing the pitting, this will not be possible in the bamboo; however, with scratches you can do a bit to lessen their appearance. Depending on how deep the scratch is will matter if something can be done. Scratches in the finish only, typically appearing white in color, will fade a bit in time and become less noticeable. Depending on the aluminum oxide content of the finished used on your bamboo, there is potential to use products such as Bona's Refresher to renew the finish in problematic areas, but unless this is in dire need I would not suggest doing it. Higher contents of aluminum oxide in finishes make it hard to properly adhere most finishes to the floor, and the result is a dull or milky residue appearance as the new finish does not properly adhere.

Now if the scratch is actually gouged into the bamboo itself, you might want to look into a color matched acrylic filler. This will not look amazing as it will be visible upon inspection of the floor, but it will protect the floor from having any moisture get into the material and ruining the floor.

My guess here is that you are only dealing with finish level scratches, as these are much more common compared to actual gouging of the floor. I would suggest first ensuring that any of the scraped up finish is removed, typically normal vacuuming and cleaning will remove this, then give it a bit of time, as it will darken back up some and blend into the floor a bit. If these scratches still stand out quite a bit after a while, you can contact the manufacturer of your floor to see if they recommend any specific products, or try using Bona's refresher. Again I stress that you give the floor a bit of time and if you decided to apply anything, contact your manufacturer for suggestions first.

Q: I have a parquet floor over hard concrete. I would like to install cork underlayment and an engineered floating bamboo floor in its place. Some of the tiles are loose and in poor condition. The tiles themselves come up fairly easily, but the glue underneath them is another story. But the glue that was used is extremely thin as shown in the attached picture (the scrap wood spans both clean concrete and glue, the quarter is there for scale). My question is – do I really need to scrape all this glue up if it is thin like this? Cant I just lay the cork right over it?

Thanks!
Mike

Here is a photo Mike sent a long to give an idea of what he is working with and what he plans to install over.

A: With floating floors, especially those using premium underlayments, they can account for variances of subfloor height up to 1/16". This being said, as long as you remove a majority of the high spots so that the entire floor is relatively even, you can install over the top of the adhesive. Keep in mind you will still need to use a moisture barrier for your installation to ensure that there is no worry of having moisture vapor get into the flooring itself.

If you have a few areas where a portion of the parquet is not getting pulled up easily you can go in with a portable belt sander or similar grinder to grind down the area to a height similar to the rest of the floor. It is in your best interest to scrape up as much of the adhesive as possible, but not necessary to remove all of it, just ensure that higher spots or build ups are removed enough to be within about 1/16" of the height of the rest of the floor.

Q: I have two four year olds and a large dog. I installed bamboo in the bedrooms, but its scratched already. Is laminate scratch proof or what type do you recommend?

Any help is great, thanks.
Ryan

A: When it comes to abrasion resistance laminate is your best bet for a wood floor. Assuming that you want a wood floor, the finishes placed on the higher grade laminate floors are built to take quite a bit of abuse without showing it. Typically this means look into AC4 or AC5 rated laminates, which are the two commercial level ratings. Good examples of laminate rated this well would be Pergo Select, True Flooring Commercial Collection, Quick Step Perspective and Westhollow South Pacific.

Beyond laminate more resilient floor options would be stone or tile, vinyl and linoleum. Typically with these floors you lose the warm and look of wood flooring in exchange for a very resilient floor. Overall, if most of your scratching is from kids and a dog running around, laminate should be a good choice, but make sure you look into a higher rated laminate and a decent underlayment.

Q: I am interested in installing cork or bamboo flooring on a heated concrete floor. Is this possible?

Rick

A: It is possible to install either of these floors over radiant heat, but certain details need to be kept in mind.

We'll start with bamboo. Certain bamboo floors can be installed over radiant head, but keep in mind several of them have very stringent requirements. Your best bet for bamboo would be a floating bamboo floor as these are engineered and are better suited for radiant heat. Springwood makes a great click-together floating engineered line which can work very well over a heated concrete subfloor. Some of the solid bamboo floors or other glue-down bamboo floors can work over radiant heat, but typically the require installation by certified professionals using only specific adhesives.

For cork floors these can work over radiant heat, but keep in mind that cork has a natural insulation factor to it. This works out to a rate of roughly 3-5% reduction in heat output per 3mm of cork. For glue down cork floors, this is pretty simple as the floors are pure cork, but with a floating cork floor you will also have to account for the core board being used and any underlayment you install. This sounds like a bit, but in the end it turns out to be very little change in heat and I know of a few cork floor which have done very well over radiant heat subfloors.

You will have a bit more ease on the DIY side here using a cork floor, as the requirements to keep a warranty in tact over radiant heat for bamboo are fairly strict, but you do lose a bit of heat out put. Overall the choice becomes a matter of which floor you would rather have in your home, as both can work in this situation.

Q: I am planning on installing your bamboo in my hallway it is 60 feet long. I am planning on floating the floor. what is the maximum length that the re-engineered floor can go with out a joint? I would like to install the wood parallel to the long wall but I am afraid that 60' is to long.

A: Depending on the specific floor you are looking at, but my guess here is either Springwood's engineered line or Ming Dynasty's handscraped or strand woven engineered lines, will depend on how far the floor should go. The technical answer is that a floor can extend for the full distance of your hallway so long as you allow for the proper expansion gap along the edges of the floor. There is a fairly simply formula to determine how large an expansion gap you will need. For every 27 inches wide of your floor, you will need 1/16" for expansion. This means that a floor which is 12 feet wide would need an expansion gap of about 11/32" around the edges of the floor.

Basically put if you allow for a 1/2" expansion gap along the edge of your flooring in the hallway you should be fine. The problem will occur in any doorways. Make sure you use a proper transition piece in doorways and allow for a proper expansion gap otherwise you could encounter expansion problems around your doors which will slowly spread along the remainder of the hallway.

I would also heavily suggest giving the floor plenty of acclimation time. Also make sure that the environment in the home remains roughly the same all year round. This will remove worries of shifts in the floor due to climate change.

Q: We have just finished remodeling our basement. We are looking at flooring options. I would love to do bamboo in my new office but I realize being below grade most would not recommend doing a wood. We have taken the steps with the remodel with Icynene insulation in the walls along with adding an air exchanger and having an de-humidifier to make sure we control this but I don't want waste material if being below grade would damage the bamboo.
I realize we would put down sub-floor first but I just want to know your thoughts on if bamboo was a big "no no" in a basement application? This floor would also have a in floor heat installed.

Also the uncoupling membrane (Schluter-DITRA Product) I have seen mention in other responses in the "ask a floor expert" section looks very interesting and looks to be a great waterproof and vapor management. Can that only be used for a Tile application?

Thanks for your time,
Chris

A: Bamboo can be installed in a basement unlike traditional solid hardwood floors. What you will have to keep in mind is that in order to be installed in a basement the floor must be either glued down or installed as a floating floor (for the few bamboo floors which can be floated).

As long as your subfloor is well prepared and sealed so excessive moisture will not be coming up through the slab, then you should be fine to install over it. For a glue down application, the adhesive will act as your moisture barrier, but with a floating floor you will need to get a moisture barrier along with your underlayment.

Schluter-DITRA is a great product, but it is specifically designed to be installed with tile set into the thinset mortar. In this case you will only really need to use a 6mil thick polyethylene moisture barrier (think of it like saran wrap for your floor). You will lay down the moisture barrier over your subfloor, then ensure to tape up all of the seams. Then install your underlayment and your floating bamboo floor.

Typically the no-no when it comes to basement installations is only the case of 3/4" solid traditional hardwood and a few other small exceptions, but bamboo is able to be installed in a basement. The key to success here is to be careful with your installation and give the bamboo plenty of time to acclimate before installing.

Q: I have a 9x9 composite vinyl tile floor over what appears to be a plywood underlayment. The floor is solid and relatively flat. Can I leave tiles in place and install a nail down bamboo directly over it?

A: Based on your description I would highly suggest removing this tile before installing your floor. Many of the composite tiles of the size you have were asphalt tile which was rather thick (1/8" normally). This being said, the thicker tile can be a problem when ensuring the floor is properly anchored and as such you could run into problems with the floor coming up if you nail over the top of the tile.

Q: Hi Flooring Expert! I've found your answers very helpful on other topics so I'm hoping you'll be able to help with this question. I'm preparing to install ~1700 sq ft of the Springwood "Click" flooring throughout my house. The floating installation will be over 3 different types of sub-floors. The whole house is concrete slab and that is exposed in one room. I don't have any problems smoothing out that surface. The rest of the house is either vinyl flooring, or peel & stick tiles. I walked around the house last night with a 6ft level looking for dips/mounds and I found a few areas where there was between 1/16th to 1/8th inch variation in the flooring.

Thanks for your help.
Jim L (Austin, TX)

A: You can install over all three of these surfaces, but I have a few suggestions and precautions here. First of all, keep in mind that floating floors are typically only able to account for variations in subfloor height of up to 1/32". Also, variations in height such as the dip you mention are heavily dependent on the distance traveled for this dip. If this is over a very large area, slow gradual variations tend to not be an issue, but if this is an area around four feet or so in size, then you will need to level the subfloor appropriately.

Your best bet overall would be to remove all of the previous flooring so that the new flooring is going directly over the subfloor. I would especially suggest this in the case of the peel & stick type tiles you have installed. For the areas requiring level work, I would suggest ensuring that no area which the leveler is to be poured to have tiles as this could cause issues with it curing properly.

Your installation is possible, and a floating floor is the best bet here, but with the leveling work you will need to do based on the dips you have mentioned I would suggest removing all of the existing flooring to make your floor prep complete. Also, this prevents potential problems with portions of the existing flooring coming up and telegraphing through the floor itself.

Q: I’m an architect based in New York. Few months ago I proposed your 3’ horizontal carbonized bamboo (Westhollow bamboo, style series II premium) to some clients of mine for residential use.

Thank you,
Luca

A: Before we dig too deeply into how durable a floor is, let's first define what portion of the product's durability affects the various types of damage a floor can encounter.

Dent resistance is a matter of the floor's hardness, which is found by looking at the Janka hardness rating for the species of flooring. The Janka hardness test measures the amount of force required to push a steel ball with a diameter of 11.28 millimeters (0.444 inches) into the wood to a depth of half the ball's diameter. The result is expressed in pounds-force (lbf). Carbonized bamboo has a Janka rating of 1120, this means that it is more brittle than white oak (which sits at 1360). A person in stiletto heels, weighing 125 lbs. exerts approx. 2,000 lbs. of pressure per square inch. This means that any normal person wearing high heals exerts enough pressure to dent a carbonized bamboo floor just by walking over it.

Scratch resistance is primarily a matter of the finish on the floor. Certain finishes are better at resisting scratches than others - typically these are finishes containing larger quantities of aluminum oxide. The Klumpp finish, which is featured on Westhollow's bamboo floors, is a UV cured polyurethane with aluminum oxide. It is built to help resist scratching, but no floor is impervious to damage. If grit or dirt is allowed to stay on the floor, even regular foot traffic can cause scratching as this dirt or grit is dragged over the floor.

It is possible to take a few measure to prevent these kinds of damage and to ensure a long life time for your floor, even softer floors like carbonized bamboo. Having a regular schedule of maintenance - vacuuming and mopping will help prevent particulates from remaining on your floor. Using place mats at exterior doors will help prevent grit and dirt from coming into the home. Keeping heeled shoes in good repair and ensuring the rubber pads are in place will help cushion the impact of walking over a floor. Also, having slippers or wearing socks in your home rather than normal shoes will help prevent grit and excess pressure exertion on your floor, which will help prevent denting and scratching. Use felt pads or furniture cups to protect the floor from moving furniture causing any damage.

Now, if this routine is in effect and dents and scratches are still occurring then there is a chance that something may be wrong with the product itself and the manufacturer should be contacted. This is typically very rare, but in some cases a portion of the curing process for the floor might not have happened properly and a product which appeared in proper condition could have a defect. I stress that this is rare and typically basic care practices can prevent a majority of damage a floor would receive.

Q: Is is possible to refinish a solid bamboo floor? If so, would you use the same techniques as refinishing any hardwood floor?

Thanks,
Mike

A: Solid Bamboo floors can be refinished and you do the same process as refinishing a hardwood floor, but before you go ahead with refinishing let's go over a few important bits of information for bamboo floors.

As with most floors which can be refinished, typically all that is necessary is to screen the floor and apply new coats of finish to remove scratches or dull appearance. This can be the case just as commonly with bamboo floors, but a note of caution is important here. Many bamboo floors have aluminum oxide finishes and when aluminum oxide finishes cure it becomes very difficult to get new finishes to adhere over the top of them. The good news is, Bona has brought out a product they call Prep that reactivates the finish, giving you a window to apply new finish which will adhere more effectively, even aluminum oxide finishes.

If your problem is solely at the finish level, so scratches, lack of gloss level, scuffing or marks, then you will want to screen the floor with a 220 grit paper, then add new layers of finish. If your problem actually does to the bamboo itself, such as dents or gouges, then a full refinish is in order. You will want to go through the standard process of refinishing wood floors, keeping in mind to sand in the direction of the grain.