Installing Your Bamboo Floor

If you are considering a bamboo floor instead of the more traditional hardwood floor, you have made a great decision. Bamboo flooring is beautiful, durable, hard and stable. In addition, because bamboo grows quickly and there is no shortage of bamboo in the world, bamboo flooring is gentle on the environment.

You may be wondering how bamboo floor installation differs from hardwood floor installation, and whether you can do it yourself.

If you can install hardwood flooring, you can install bamboo flooring. There is very little difference in the installation process between hardwood floors and bamboo floors.

The most important step comes when you buy your bamboo flooring. Make sure you choose a bamboo floor from a reputable manufacturer with a good warranty. This will ensure that your bamboo floor gives you many years of service.

When you get ready to install your bamboo floor, it is important to make sure that the subfloor is not only dry and level, but also very clean. If the subfloor is dirty, the adhesive used for the bamboo flooring will not bond correctly. If the subfloor is moist, the bamboo floor may eventually rot. And if the subfloor is not level, the bamboo flooring will squeak when you walk on it.

Once the subfloor is ready, the bamboo flooring can be glued down using a flooring adhesive with a moisture barrier. The process is very simple. Apply the adhesive to the subfloor with a trowel and immediately place the bamboo flooring planks.

If your subfloor is made of plywood or particleboard, your bamboo flooring may be installed with a nail gun. Secure the starter rows, as with hardwood flooring, and then nail subsequent planks at a 45 degree angle to face, directly over the tongue.

Installing your bamboo floor is easy and simple for an experienced do-it-yourselfer, and caring for it once it is installed is even easier, with frequent sweeping and an occasional mopping. Your bamboo floor will give many years of service and provide the focal point of your home.