The new flooring: now with pictures

Redwolf · Post by **Redwolf** » Thu May 11, 2006 6:24 pm

...and I'm just thrilled! The bamboo is absolutely gorgeous, and looks so nice in our all-wood house. I'm so glad we didn't cave to Pergo.

Tomorrow comes the big scary part, however...we have to move the refrigerator!

Redwolf

Walden · Post by **Walden** » Thu May 11, 2006 6:31 pm

Bamboo flooring. That sounds interesting.

When I lived in Mindanao, woven basketry huts on stilts were common rural housing. The floors were made of bamboo slats, and the air could kind of circulate from the shaded area under the house.

djm · Post by **djm** » Thu May 11, 2006 6:31 pm

After all this kerfuffle about flooring I believe we have the right to expect some pictures when all is done and finished.

djm

emmline · Post by **emmline** » Thu May 11, 2006 7:30 pm

absolutely! I've always been intrigued by bamboo, and I insist on pics.

izzarina · Post by **izzarina** » Thu May 11, 2006 7:36 pm

Yes, pictures are definitely in order, Red! I've never seen bamboo flooring

Redwolf · Post by **Redwolf** » Thu May 11, 2006 11:40 pm

Pics will be forthcoming...probably tomorrow.

Redwolf

Redwolf · Post by **Redwolf** » Fri May 12, 2006 10:33 am

OK, here are some pics, showing the work in progress. I expect the bulk of the work to be finished today, with possibly some finishing up on Monday.

First, for those who have never seen it, here's what bamboo flooring looks like up close. This is the "carbonized" bamboo (which I constantly insist on referring to as "carmelized," much to the amusement of the people who are laying the floor!), which has been heat-treated to give it a caramel color. The "natural" bamboo is more of a yellowish/whitish shade. This is also what's known as "vertical lie"...the other style, "horizontal lie," shows the distinctive "knot" marks of bamboo and looks rather exotic, but we thought this would fit best in our living room:

Here's what our living room looks like at present, giving you an idea of how the floor works with the pine walls. I think it looks nice...close in color, but it doesn't look like we were trying to "match" the pine. It will sure be nice to get the furniture back in, though...we're getting a bit tired of "camping out"!:

Here it is in the hallway. Works nicely with the tile, I think. They're installing the transitions between the tile and the wood today:

Now, for anyone out there who's never had a new floor installed, a few pics of the kind of disruption a remodel can cause in your life:

I call this one "piano island." Moving the piano without damaging the wood was going to take some care, so they left it for last. You can see what's left of our blue-green carpet sitting under the piano:

This is what my kitchen looks like at the moment. What's interesting about this photo is it shows the many different kinds of wood used in this house: pine walls, oak cabinetry and trim, spruce laminate beams and now, bamboo flooring. What it doesn't show is the redwood siding and shakes on the exterior. This house is a termite's dream!

The one piece of damage that was done during the installation...when they were removing some old, mismatched tile in the corner there, one of the black tiles broke. They're working on finding a match.:

Finally, here's where all my living room furniture is at the moment. Good thing we have a really big front deck! This is really confusing the cat...he normally never tries to get outside, but it bothers him that "his" furniture is all out there in the "bad place." He'll be happy when we start moving it back in tonight!:

What fun!

I'll post another pic or two when we get the furniture back in.

Redwolf

Brewster · Post by **Brewster** » Fri May 12, 2006 10:40 am

Nice looking floors. Is the bamboo laminated on top of a substrate, or are the planks solid bamboo? Is it nailed down like a hardwood floor or "floating" like Pergo? This Norm-wannabee wants to know!

Redwolf · Post by **Redwolf** » Fri May 12, 2006 11:03 am

Brewster wrote:Nice looking floors. Is the bamboo laminated on top of a substrate, or are the planks solid bamboo? Is it nailed down like a hardwood floor or "floating" like Pergo? This Norm-wannabee wants to know!

The planks are solid bamboo. Well...they are laminated, but they are made entirely of bamboo...it's not a veneer of the decorative wood on top of a different kind of wood, like you see with manufactured hardwoods. (which is nice, because it means that these floors can be sanded and refinished, just like any natural hardwood floor).

It can be floated, but we wanted it nailed down, and that's what the flooring company we are working with recommended.

It's said to be relatively easy to install yourself, if you're a DIYer (we're not), as the planks are pre-finished and lock together in a tongue-and-groove fashion.

Redwolf

djm · Post by **djm** » Fri May 12, 2006 11:26 am

Personally, I like the brightness of the untreated bamboo flooring, but its still a very nice finish. Good for you, Red. I hope you enjoy it for many years to come.

djm

flanum · Post by **flanum** » Fri May 12, 2006 11:37 am

Redwolf wrote:

Is that a DeWalt 14.4V Hammer action drill on the right?
Apparently you can get a battery charger for them fitted with a radio!!
cool!

Redwolf · Post by **Redwolf** » Fri May 12, 2006 11:43 am

flanum wrote:
Redwolf wrote:

Is that a DeWalt 14.4V Hammer action drill on the right?
Apparently you can get a battery charger for them fitted with a radio!!
cool!

I have no idea...those tools all belong to the people who are installing the flooring.

Redwolf

Cynth · Post by **Cynth** » Fri May 12, 2006 11:44 am

I just don't think it could look nicer. It does look nice with everything in your house. Congratulations! You sure are a good sport about the uproar. I would be a real whiner.

Redwolf · Post by **Redwolf** » Fri May 12, 2006 11:46 am

djm wrote:Personally, I like the brightness of the untreated bamboo flooring, but its still a very nice finish. Good for you, Red. I hope you enjoy it for many years to come.

djm

I like the natural shade as well, but figured that the richer tone of the carme...er...carbonized bamboo would work better with our overall look (also, I was heartily sick of trying to keep a white floor looking clean in the kitchen...our old vinyl was white). The natural is pretty, though, as is the horizontal lie, and in a different house, we might have chosen differently.

Redwolf

Redwolf · Post by **Redwolf** » Fri May 12, 2006 11:58 am

Cynth wrote:I just don't think it could look nicer. It does look nice with everything in your house. Congratulations! You sure are a good sport about the uproar. I would be a real whiner.

It's not too bad. It took less time and effort to move things out than I thought it would (especially as we had relatively short notice...they had a cancelation and moved us up a week), and we've been able to shift the futon and the TV back inside at night, so we've had a place to relax. The people who are doing the installation are a nice couple about our age, and they're very professional and communicative about what's going on (and why and when), which makes things easier. The noise and the dust get to be a bit much, and I'm fighting with a nasty head cold, which makes things a bit worse, but all in all it's not as bad as I thought it would be.

One thing I'm really loving is how much more "live" the sound is in the house now! I know that will diminish a bit when we move the furniture back in, but still it should be much better than it was with the carpet. I've had fun playing the whistles and singing in the living room this week, but what I really can't wait to hear is the harp (which is currently safely tucked away up in our bedroom, where it can't get accidentally knocked over).

Redwolf