Archive for March, 2008...
Filed under General bamboo flooring
Way back on January 11, 2008 I wrote about one of my pet peeves “companies who claim to have Anti-scratch finishes on their bamboo floors”. Well 3 months later I came across a Bamboo forum that is dedicated to the problem of scratches on Bamboo floors and it got me hot under the collar again!!!
I estimate at 90% of the bamboo floors in North America are finished with some sort of Aluminum Oxide finish and when it is scratched it will leave a white mark. These marks are more evident on a carbonized floor rather than a natural coloured floor because of the darker base colour.
When a pre-finished floor is manufactured it actually has up to 10 coat of finished applied. Many manufactures were (and are) using the aluminum oxide on all these layers, which is acceptable but the when it scratches is will be white right off the bat. What we have done to help resolve this problem is float the aluminum oxide layer within the finishing layers. Instead of applying it on layers (1 to 7) we adjusted our method and only apply it on layers 3 to 5. By doing this and removing the Aluminum oxide on the top layer we have reduced the potential of scratches and not jeopardize the hardness of the product.
By no means am I saying that our floors will not scratch but day to day traffic will not damage the floors as reported in the forum.
Filed under General bamboo flooring, Installation
Because bamboo is a grass sometime when it is cross cut there is a a chance that the board might fraying or splinter.
There are two thing you can do to stop this. First you can apply “Green” painters tape to the area where you are to cut and second use a saw blade with many teeth. It is best to use a “Finishing” blade with 70 or more teeth. Like the one pictured below.
Following these two steps will reduce the chance of splintering.
Filed under General bamboo flooring
With the state of the US housing market many sellers are looking to do a quick fix on their properties to make them more attractive to potential buyers. This includes replacing carpet with low cost laminate and wood floors.
But why not concider Bamboo? Bamboo itself is not overly expensive and currently in the market there are products that are thinner than the standard 5/8″ thick bamboo floors, at a lower SQFT cost. The beauty of these thinner products is that they look exactly like the thicker floors after they are installed.
Food for thought.
Filed under General bamboo flooring, Installation
So what does Jet-lag have to do with Bamboo flooring??
As I return from China and lay awake in bed at 2 am as a result of jet-lag, I couldn’t help but think “How much longer will it take my body to adjust to my time zone?”. In my tired state I couldn’t help but ponder how could I relate this to Bamboo and get in my blog??? Well it might be a stretch but here I go.
Whenever you are to install a natural wood product (oak, maple or bamboo) it is imperative to let the product acclimate to its new environment prior to install. This is because the floor has the ability to take on and expel moisture. If the floor is not given the chance to adjust to its environment you could experience gaps at the seams or buckling.
You should let Bamboo floors acclimate for a minimum of 7 days prior to install, in the conditioned area it’s to be applied. For full installation instructions please visit here.
Filed under General bamboo flooring
What is an Anji? Anji is a city located 3 hours out side of Shanghai in China’s Zhejiang province, in the heart of Bamboo forest.
Over the past 24 hours I have been assessing the damaged caused by the snow storms that blanketed this area last January. In short the area was hit very hard. From the side of the road you see more damaged bamboo stocks than healthy ones. Since the residences are not allowed to enter the forest for another 2 months (with the hope of not damaging any of the new bamboo shoots that start to grow this time of the year) they have not been able to start their clean up.
The same cannot be said for the factories in the area, they are in full recovery mode. Just as there is damaged bamboo everywhere in the forest there is new steel girders and sheathing in every factory yard. The hope is to have the factories functional prior to the opening of the bamboo forests. Seeing that this nation was bale to complete the worlds largest airport, in Beijing, within 4 years, I have no doubt these factories will be up and ready when time comes.
Filed under General bamboo flooring
Well the show is now over but my feet are still killing me…..over 1000 different flooring suppliers attended the event this year and it seems to have been a success. After speaking with some friends that had booths at the show, the consensus was that although the attendance numbers were high the mix was different than past years. They are saying that most of visitors this year were Europeans, unlike previous years when the largest bulk of attendies had been Americans.
I believe that this is because of two factors. First because of the slide n the US market there is not as much of a demand for these product in a down housing market. Secondly because of the strong Euro, the Europeans are able to purchase more volume for the same price.
Well it is time for me to go inland to visit my factories. Depending on the internet service I will do my best to post again.
Filed under General bamboo flooring
Just a heads up to those who follow my Blog religiously I will be out of town for the next 10 days. During this time I will be visiting the Domotex flooring show in Shanghai followed by a trek in to the Bamboo forests to visit numerous bamboo flooring factories.
While I am gone I will do my best to update you on my travels (Internet connections pending).
Filed under General bamboo flooring
After my last post I thought, darn I haven’t given a solution for cupping. So here you go.
Although a floor that has cupped will settle in time, it will never be 100% flat (the edges of each board will be slightly higher than its center). To make the floor smooth again it will either need to be sanded flat and re-finished it or replaced the cupped area.
Here is a good site I found on repairing a damaged floor.
Filed under General bamboo flooring
Cupping occurs when moisture is present on the underside of a hardwood floor. The moisture swells the underside of the floor causing the top side to curl up at its edges.
