Archive for February, 2008...
Filed under General bamboo flooring, Installation
The tool pictured above is called a Jamb Saw and as the title of my blog entry indicates it’s the “bee’s knees”!!
In my time I have installed numerous hardwood, engineered and laminate floors and it wasn’t until my last install that I found this tool. Now I wonder what I was thinking trying to cut out door jambs with an Undercut Saw.
In the time it took to cut a single door with the Undercut Saw I was able to cut 10 doorways with the Jamb Saw and the cuts were smooth and clean.
Anyone out there want to buy a used Undercut saw???
Comments (3) Posted by Matt on Thursday, February 28th, 2008
Filed under General bamboo flooring, Installation
Because Strand Woven flooring is so hard and dense it is not uncommon for a standard 2 1/4″ , 15 gauge nail or staple to buckle during installation. A trick of the trade to prevent this is to use a shorter fastener, I would recommend using the same 15 gauge in a 1 1/2″ to 1 3/4″ length.
Since the strand floors are 9/16″ you will have enough grip with the shorter fastener and the buckling will be eliminated.
Comments (0) Posted by Matt on Wednesday, February 27th, 2008
Filed under General bamboo flooring, Maintenance
When dealing with “Natural” wood floors it is of the utmost importance that you never clean the floor with a sopping wet mop. Picture this, your old high school janitor had a bucket of dirty water and once white mop that has turned gray with time…. you know the one, this is a no no.
The best thing to use is a “Swiffer” type mop. A dry mop that removes dust and dirt from the floor with minimal moisture. Water is the enemy of all wood floors.
For further maintenance instructions please visit here.
Filed under General bamboo flooring, Installation
Unlike traditional hardwood floors every piece of bamboo within an order should be usable. When Bamboo is milled there is not the tension within the product that there is with a traditional hardwood floor. This means the boards will be true along its length and not bowed like many hardwood pieces.
Depending on the shape of the area to be covered it is common practice to order 6 to 8% extra for off cuts.
Filed under General bamboo flooring
Well the weather over the last month in China has been absoultly ”Frightful”. Heading into Chinese New Year, Anhui and Zhejiang, the two largest bamboo producing provinces in China, received record snowfalls. Unfortunaly this has damaged up to two thirds of the bamboo forests, an area greater in size than England.
What does this mean?? Unfortunately the cost of the raw material to produce the Bamboo floors will be increasing and subsequently so will the cost of the floors themselves.
Filed under General bamboo flooring, Installation
One of the great characteristics of an old house is the creaking noise of the old hardwood floors when they are walked on, but not everyone enjoys this. This creaking occurs when wood rubs against wood, whether it’s the hardwood rubbing against the sub-floor or the sub-floor rubbing against the floor joist the noise is the same.
If you wish to alleviate this noise it is important to ensure your wood sub-floor is screwed down adiquatley to the floor joists and does not creek prior to installing the hardwood (it is impossible to fix after the hardwood is down). Then before you apply your Hardwood to the sub-floor you should roll out a 15 to 30 pound builders felt. This barrier will prevent any rubbing between the hardwood and the wood sub-floor.
Filed under General bamboo flooring
The question arises from time to time about the Giant Panda’s habitat and how it is affected by the harvesting of Bamboo for flooring. In short it is not affected at all, for 2 reasons.
1. The Giant Panda lives in the Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu provinces in central China. While the bamboo used for flooring is traditional grown in the Anhui and Zhejiang provinces, hundreds of miles away from the Panda’s home
2. The species used in Bamboo flooring is Phyllostachys Pubescens (Moso Bamboo) which is not eaten by the Giant Panda. They feed on Fargesia Robusta (Umbrella bamboo) and Sinarundinaria (Arrow Bamboo).
Because of these reasons it can be said that in no way is the plight of the Giant Panda affected by the productions of Bamboo floors.
Filed under General bamboo flooring
Unlike traditional hardwood floors that have an international standard with regards to grading, bamboo floors have none. This leave the onus upon the consumer to ensure they get what they paid for.
But all is not lost, there are questions that should be answered prior to your purchase.
1. What are the “Milling specifications” of each board? (how thick and wide is each board consistently) If these numbers are to great your floor will be uneven and gaps will appear in the seams.
2. What is the allowable colour variation within the floor? Will the product colours be consistent broad to board, box to box, pallet to pallet. This is important if you don’t want your floor to look like a patchwork quilt.
Depending on the answers to these two you will be able to determine if you are working with a reputable company or not.
Filed under General bamboo flooring
Just like when you pop open that bottle of vino, the age of the Bamboo stock at harvesting is also critical. At 5 1/2 to 6 years old bamboo is at its hardest and an ideal age to be manufactured into flooring. Bamboo stocks that are older or younger are softer and not recommended.
Filed under General bamboo flooring
Question: ”What do you get when you cross Carbonized Strand Woven flooring with Natural Strand Woven flooring“?
Answer: “Strand Woven Tiger Bamboo“.
I know, I know….like many joke of this style there is no humour there, but it is true. Strand Woven Tiger is produced by mixing the Natural and Carbonized bamboo strips during manufacturing to obtain this unique look.
Any thoughts??
I think “It’s great”!!!
