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By Lee Dobbins

Sanding hardwood floors is not always easy. In fact, some hardwood floor owners prefer to hire a professional to do the sanding for them.

Waxing and buffing the floor does not provide as good shine when the hardwood floor is sand instead. Regardless if your hardwood floors were just recently installed in your house, or has been there for years, they could regain back their original beauty and richness of the wood when you refinish them.

Sanding your hardwood floors can be time consuming and may be a bit expensive should you decide to hire a professional to do the job. If you can spare the time, you may also opt to do it yourself. Anyways, all of the necessary equipments are available at almost all rental home depot centers. Also, the steps you would have to do are straightforward so you shouldn’t find sanding very difficult.

However, before you start to set out on the task yourself, you may want to consult a professional to estimate the total costs of the project. It might be shock to learn that it could cost a thousand dollars just to have one room refinished. If you find the difference not wide enough, then you can just contract a professional to do the sanding.

Because of the high costs of sanding all of the floors of the house, some even decide to just cover old hardwood floors with carpets. But that would be such a waste, to put beautiful hardwood floors out of sight, right? That’s why most people just go through doing the messy sanding jobs themselves to cut on costs.

Sanding can also be scary for some. Who wouldn’t be afraid to ruin their hardwood floors, especially if they were quite expensive? If you’re not careful enough, you can easily damage your floor with the sander.

If you don’t have a sander, you can rent one from your nearest hardware supply store. You’ll be needing a drum sander or a belt sander, depending on your hardwood floor type. If you’re not sure about the type of sandpaper you need to use, you could always ask the hardware store salesman for advice. Of course, you may have to get yourselves some dust masks so you could still move around even if your room will be filled with saw dust.

The sander is not as difficult to operate as you may have believed. It is self propelling making it easy for the user to move it. However, video poker classiccasino online spielecasino softwareonline spiel automatentop online kasinoscasino spiele downloadfunny games roulettewww casino on netkostenloses online kasinoslotmaschine online spielencasino automaten spielecasino online slotsonline casino wiesbadenonline roulette spielslot machines online spielenroulette pc spielwww casino spiele deonline roulette spielenonline roulette niedersachsen,roulette online games,online rouletteonline video slots,online casino slots,online slotsslot maschine online spielenkasino onnetonline casino ohne einzahlung 30 euro bonus,online casino bonus,online casino bonus ohne einzahlungswiss casino bonus codeonline casino deutschlandonline kenocasinospiele,spielkasino online,casino spielewww roulettecasino spiele online spielen,online casino spiele,kostenlose online spiele casino 14beste casino onlineinternet casino pokerblack jack spielplay baccaratjack black strategienslots gratisroulette tippsonline kasino spielencraps spielkostenlose casinospieleroulette online spielenbeste spiel raumonline casino ohne einzahlungonline roulette wiesbadenkasinospiele mit echtem geldonline casino livecasino spiele spielenblack jack online spielenbaccarat downloadcasino games 2007glucks spiel you would have to keep a firm grip on its controls. It wouldn’t take a while when you get the hang of operating it. Some even think that operating a sander is fun.

However, you would still need to be cautious in using the sander. It is like a flat iron that when you keep it in one spot on your clothes, it could burn your clothes. You would have to keep the sander in constant motion to reduce the possibility of damaging the floors.

Also, expect your place to be a bit noisy whenever you turn on the sander. Aside from being noisy, it’ll also be creating a lot of saw dust. So you can also expect your room to be full of messy saw dust afterwards.

Sanding removes the old finish of your hardwood. Once you’re done with that you can start applying a stain on the floor. Some people though don’t apply stain and just prefer to leave the wood in its natural color. Then you would have to give the floor the finish to protect it.

There

are two kinds of floor finish. There is an oil-based and water-based floor finishing. Under these major types, are a few subtypes. For example, there are semi-gloss, satin or gloss oil-based finishes.

Satin is a great choice for your hardwood floor. It provides a good cover for hardwood flaws while letting its natural beauty show without that bright shine. Though oil-based finish are good in giving the floor a natural amber glow, it doesn’t dry as soon as water based finishes. Water based finished also have the advantage of keeping the wood from yellowing.

Before you start applying the next coats, by the way, ensure that the previous coat is completely dry. Of course, it is as important to follow the instructions on the finish. Usually, you may not occupy the room within a ceratin amount time. Then when everything’s ok, and you’re satisfied with what you’ve done, you can move all your furniture back again.

Lee Dobbins writes for www.refinishing-hardwood-floors.com where you can learn more about caring for your floors and find out more about hardwood floor sanders.
 

By TC Thorn

You’d be hard-pressed to find a homeowner who doesn’t want hardwood floors. Wall-to-wall carpeting is out, and hardwood floors are in. But are they worth the price? Let’s face it: at $8-$10 per square foot (installed), wood flooring is more expensive than carpeting or the increasingly common laminates that offer a similar look.

If you’re on the fence and can’t decide whether to install hardwood floors (or maybe peel back your old carpeting and refinish the wood underneath), this list may be able to help. We’re going to take a look at some of the benefits of hardwoods:

1. Longevity

Thanks to durable finishes that are easy to repair, solid-wood floors can last for a hundred years or more. There are very few flooring materials that have been around as long as wood. Over the centuries, it has shown itself to be a lovely and durable floor choice. Other newer materials have yet to prove themselves.

2. Coziness and Warmth

Not only is hardwood more pleasant to walk on than laminate (which always feel cold and a little “plastic” underfoot), but it is naturally warm. Wood is an excellent insulator, thanks to its thousands of tiny air chambers per cubic inch, which hold in heat.

3. Hypoallergenic

Got allergies? Unlike carpets (read: breeding grounds for mold, mildew, and dust mites, all of which can be tough on anyone with allergies), wood floors don’t give pollen, animal dander, mold, etc. any place to hide and thrive. Even when you steam clean carpets, it’s impossible to get them entirely clean. In fact, getting them wet just makes things worse. Hardwood flooring is an excellent choice for anyone with any kind of environmental allergies. (And it makes good sense for everyone else too–who wants to lie down on a floor that’s hiding mold?)

4. Easy to Clean

A little sweeping and a little mopping, and your hardwood floors will keep looking nice for a long time to come. Even families with dogs and kids are realizing that it’s easier to mop a hardwood floor than try to spray/scrub/wash grape Kool-Aid out of a carpet. Another perk is that a scratch here or a gouge there really just adds character to wood floors (of course, you can always have them refinished if you prefer perfection).

5. Increase Home Value

Unless you’re going to be living in the same house for the rest of your life, you should think about how the flooring choices you make today will affect the price you can get for your home when you sell it. Carpet will look old and used in just a few years, whereas wood floors last a long time and add value to a home (if you’ve ever watched those house hunter shows on television, you’ve doubtlessly seen just about every potential buyer looking around hopefully for hardwood floors). Even laminate flooring, which looks like wood flooring, is a distant second choice for homebuyers. It just doesn’t have the same warmth and feel.

These are just a few of the benefits of hardwood floors. We didn’t even mention the aesthetic value: at the end of the day, they just look better than the alternatives. If you can afford to pay an extra couple dollars per square foot, go with hardwood. If you have hardwoods hiding under your existing carpets, tear those suckers up and get the wood refinished.

If you settle for laminate or just replacing the carpeting, you may regret it down the road.

For more information, visit the Hardwood Flooring section of the author’s Home Improvement site.
 

By Jimmy Sturo

Hardwood floors have always been very popular. Hardwood flooring is also being done in customized patterns like borders, medallions, motifs, hand-distressing, painting, mixed media and stains. With advanced technology, hardwood floors have become very affordable, as well as extremely easy to maintain. Oak has become very popular in the last few years. Cherry, white oak, birch and maple are other popular woods. Hardwood flooring can be categorized as unfinished, pre-finished, acrylic, impregnated, solid and engineered, based on the kind of manufacturing process used.

The main aspects to be considered while installing hardwood floors are the general color tone (dark brown, medium brown, light brown, reddish brown, golden brown, natural or other colors); the wood floor type (solid, engineered or floating); where is the floor going to be installed (above ground level, at ground level or below ground level); what the floor will be placed on (over concrete slab, plywood subfloor, oriented strand board, previous vinyl or wood subfloor) and so on. Other important things to be considered are the budget, the kind of room, the traffic and furniture in the room, the style and design of the walls and furniture, etc.

There are many kinds of hardwood species for flooring: red oak, white oak, oak-stained white, walnut, birch, ash, maple, red maple, cherry, pear, plum, bamboo, beech, mahogany, pine, hickory, jarrah, tamarindo, American cherry, teak and many more. The different styles of hard wood floorings are parquet, plank and strip. There are also pre-finished and unfinished hardwood floors available. Hardwood floors also depend on the grade, cut, dimensions, pattern and color.

Hardwood floors are relatively very easy to maintain. For proper maintenance, do not use waxes and other scrubs; use throw rugs to prevent dust and grime that may cause scratches; do not wet mop; wipe up spills immediately; put soft fabric or plastic glides under the furniture; do not slide heavy furniture over the wood floor; use a humidifier to avoid wood movement and shrinkage; do not walk with spiked shoes or high heels; and prevent direct exposure to sun as this can increase the oxidation process and cause the floor to age faster.

Wood Flooring provides detailed information about wood flooring, laminate wood flooring, hard wood flooring, engineered wood flooring and more. Wood Flooring is the sister site of How To Clean Marble.
 

By Marcus Peterson

It is no wonder that hardwood floors are preferred by many to complete the construction of their house, office, or other structural establishments. If you will notice, hardwood floors appear in almost all of the edifices that you have set foot into. This is mainly because hardwood floors are naturally laden with characteristics that ensure longevity and aesthetics.

When you look at a hardwood floor, you cannot help but visualize the traces of its history and what forest it came from. A hardwood floor, when installed properly, provides warmth and natural elegance to a room. It is rich in those characteristics provide personality to structure that contains it. Aside from the aesthetic benefits, it can also add value to your home, can last a lifetime with proper care and maintenance, and can be cleaned easily. Furthermore, it is safe for the environment as it is made naturally from wood, and no other highly-destructive elements are added.

There are three basic types of hardwood floors: solid wood floors, engineered wood floors, and laminate wood floors.

Solid wood floors. These can be installed on concrete as long as the floor is on or above ground level. They also come in three basic types: strip flooring, which is installed by nailing to the sub-floor with strips that are usually 2-1/4 inches wide with widths ranging from 1 ½ inches to 3 ¼ inches; 2) plank flooring boards, which can be nailed or screwed to the sub-floor with screw holes that can be covered with wooden plugs; and, 3) parquet flooring, which consists of blocks of wood that are laid in decorative patterns.

Engineered hardwood. This is made of a composite of several layers of different kinds of wood while others are made with various grades of the same wood, stacked and glued together under heat and pressure. Unlike solid wood floorings, engineered wood flooring is less likely to be affected by the changes of humidity and can be mounted above or below ground level.

Wood laminate flooring. This third type is actually a plywood base and with a top layer of veneer. This is usually found in three-ply with a 3/8 inch thickness. It can be sanded and finished three times at the most.

Hardwood provides detailed information on Hardwood, Hardwood Floors, Install Hardwood Flooring, Hardwood Furniture and more. Hardwood is affiliated with Solid Hardwood Floors.
 

By Peter Leigh

Engineered wood flooring has been one of the great innovations in flooring to hit the market. Engineered hardwood is not made from solid wood. It consists of several layers and only the top layer is the actual hardwood that you always dreamed of having for the floors of your home. The layers underneath are specifically designed to give you maximum wear and tear and they give you practical flooring for just about every room of the house. Engineered wood flooring has advantages over solid hardwood that make it very attractive.

For one thing, engineered wood flooring is not as costly as solid hardwood flooring. The other layers of the engineered hardwood flooring are plywood or high density fibreboard. They are molded together under high pressure in a factory setting. Engineered hardwood floors will not expand and contract as solid hardwood does with changes in humidity and temperature. You can install it over just about any type of existing floor and by following special instructions you can install an engineered floor over radiant heat sources.

Engineered wood flooring in one of the most versatile choices that you can make when it comes to flooring in your home. It has many practical applications. You can install it over an existing concrete floor or one made with inferior grade wood. You can glue or nail it down and there are also forms of engineered hardwood floors that are glueless, forming a floating floor. It is an excellent choice in areas where there are drastic changes in temperature and humidity. However, engineered wood does not perform well in rooms of the home where there is an excess of humidity and moisture, such as in bathrooms or mudrooms.

One of the major reasons that many homeowners choose engineered wood flooring is its fantastic price. You have the same look and texture of hardwood, but it seems as if you are getting the hardwood at a wholesale price. Engineered hardwood floors are easy to install and the instructions are clearly printed inside each carton of flooring. You do have to make sure that the subfloor is clean of dust and dirt before you start so that any small pieces of rock won’t work their way up through the flooring.

In the line of engineered wood flooring, you can get various types of wood, stains and finishes. You can also choose prefinished and unfinished hardwood, but if you are looking for an easy project, then it is best to go with prefinished. This way when you have the engineered hardwood flooring installed, you don’t have to bother applying any stain or finish. You can just sit back and enjoy your engineered wood flooring.

To find out more about Wood Flooring visit Peter’s Website Wood Flooring Explained and find out about Laminate Flooring and more, including Exotic Hardwood Floors, Wood Laminate Flooring, Refinishing Hardwood Floors and Bruce Hardwood Flooring.
 

By Lee Dobbins

Even the most expensive floors can have problems. Woods are prone to scratches than any other flooring. Problems can range to minor problems to the surface or to a major one which damage on the structure. You can seek for a professional who will repair the damage or try to do it yourself.

I would try to tackle normal floor problems and possible ways to repair those.

1. One problem is the hardwood surface scratches which are very hard to avoid since this is natural wear and tear on every wood. If scratches on the floor are unapparent, color sticks or urethane touch-up kits available at most floor retailer stores can be used. If scratches are deep, you will need to change the damaged boards. I

2. Another problem would be buckled hardwood which is when boards rise up from the sub floor due to humidity levels. This should be repaired at once to avoid larger damage and the hazard of tripping. Expert help is sometimes required since the problem is beneath the floor. Fixing a screw into the flooring and the sub floor pulls down the buckled portion of the floor; cement block can also be used to deal with the problem

3. Hardwood plank gaps or separations of gaps are caused naturally by climate or by dryness. Woods will shrink or expand when wet or dry. The problem is seasonal so if the weather is humid, the floor is fine. Just be patient in waiting for the floor to return on its normal shape again, as long as the gaps are not that large, it is definitely okay.

4. Loose planks of wood can be fixed through nail and hammer set. Greatly loose boards can have deeper problems; this can be solved through replacement of the damaged strips on the floor.

5. Broken or split woods on the floor can also be repaired through hammer and special angled nails; larger splits may also need replacements.

6. Stained hardwood floors can be the most devastating problem on the floor since stains can mess up the beauty of the whole floor having dark colors. Refinishing the whole floor can be the only way to deal with stains but you can try this few steps:

a. Sand out the stained wood

b. Apply an acid mixture; this is a mixture of acid crystals (sold at retail flooring stores) and water on a clean white cloth. Let the mixture set on the floor for an hour.

c. Check if the stain is gone; if not repeat the process over again.

d. Once the stain is washed out rinse the area with vinegar and let the area dry completely.

e. Apply an oil-based stain that can match the bleached portion. Additional coats would be necessary to level the color of the floor. Once you have arrived at the color that you want, let the floor dry overnight.

Be sure to wear protection for your eyes when doing the whole process of floor stain removal.

7. Washboarding or cupping hardwood is a hardwood floor problem characterized by wood strips that are high on the edges but lower on the center. Cupping can be caused by moisture imbalance wherein more water is stagnated on the bottom of the wood than on top. The remedy for this problem is to stabilize the humidity levels of the wood surface first. Sand it out and refinish the hardwood.

8. Warped floors are floors that lose its shape. This can pose a serious problem; thus professional help is needed at once.

Cleanliness at home is still the best way to maintain the sturdiness of the hardwood floor. Vacuuming and mopping of the floor at least once a week is a good start. It has also been advice not to wax floors with polyurethane coatings because it will be very hard to recoat or refinish it again without sanding it wholly first.

Do not feel obliged to call the help of experts to make minor repairs on your flooring problems. There are those which are easy to deal with and you can try to solve it on your own. This can save you from a lot of hassle and money which can be used for bigger problems in the long run.

Hardwood floor repair takes a lot of time and patience. With appropriate techniques, tools and products, fixing of the floor will be as easy as 1-2-3.

Lee Dobbins writes for www.refinishing-hardwood-floors.com where you can learn more about choosing, maintaining and refinishing hardwood floors.

By Lee Dobbins

Many of the old houses employ hardwood flooring. The use of hardwood for floors was popularized in the circa 1960s. Today, there is a resurgence of hardwood floors because people find these floors to be very relaxing to the eye. Hardwood floors are very attractive because of their natural look.

For people who purchased an old house with withered hardwood flooring, they would probably want to look into refinishing the flooring. Carpets cannot hide the hideous truth forever, and at some point, these homeowners need to refinish the flooring. A bad hardwood floor can literally ruin the whole theme of the house therefore lowering its value.

Refinishing a hardwood flooring is a great idea. Yes, it is a great idea indeed and that is why professional refinishers of hardwood floors charge exorbitant fees to their clients. These clients can’t do anything but to succumb to the demands of the contractors because they don’t have the know-how of proper hardwood refinishing.

Given the proper know-how and techniques for hardwood refinishing, homeowners can be liberated from the financial burden of paying professional contractors to refinish their hardwood flooring. If one is able-bodied and can follow simple instructions, then there would be no reason at all why he can’t refinish the flooring himself.

Let’s take a look at the pertinent steps that one needs to do to be able to successfully refinish his hardwood flooring.

1) Do the preparatory stuff

Before engaging into sanding the floor or being too excited and buying all the necessary equipment and tools for the refinishing process, one needs to lay down the foundations and do the preparatory steps in the process.

First, one needs to decide what look he would want to give his hardwood floor. There should be a design and color scheme plan that should be laid out before one starts to sand. Knowing what one really wants is as important as doing the process properly. This is to ensure that he knows what he would want to do so that he knows how he can achieve his desired look.

After the plans have been laid out, make sure that all the furniture and other things in the room are taken out and stored properly.

2) Take out the nails

Sanding is perhaps one of the most important steps in the whole process of refinishing a hardwood floor, but don’t get too excited yet. Before sanding, make sure that all the nails in the hardwood. The nails need to be taken out because they will eventually damage the sand paper or the sanding discs and perhaps one’s hands if they are not taken out. The holes that are left by the nails should be filled with wood fillers that are of the same color as that of the wood.

3) Sand, sand, sand!

If the area of the flooring is not too big, then one can actually sand the floor manually (by hand). But if one deems that there is a need to use an electric sander, then he has two options: one is to buy a new one, the other is to rent. One can buy a pretty decent hardwood floor sander for under 100 US dollars. This can be seen as a good investment, but it really depends on how frequently it will be used. One can also choose to rent a sander from the local home depot or borrow from his neighbor.

One should sand the floor at least 3 times. The first should be made with a heavier grit and the grit level goes down each time. This will ensure that the wax and the coating will be removed thoroughly.

4) Stain the floor

Try to get the correct color that you would want to apply to your hardwood floor and test it in a small wood plank that is similar to the wood that is used in the flooring. Make sure that the stain is applied equally to the floor.

5) Refinish

Refinish with a polyurethane finish. Make sure that the container is stirred and not shaken to prevent bubbles from forming. Apply the solution equally throughout the flooring and wait for it to dry. It usually takes about 3 hours for the solution to dry.

Refinishing your own hardwood flooring is not an impossible task. One only needs the right materials and the right implementation of his plans to be able to successfully refinish such floors.

Lee Dobbins writes for http://www.refinishing-hardwood-floors.com where you can learn more about installing, caring for and refinishing hardwood floors.

By Marcus Peterson

Solid hardwood floors should neither be installed over a concrete slab nor below ground level because of high moisture sensitivity. Unsightly gaps appear when moisture dries and the floors contract in the winter heating months. The floors expand and gaps disappear during summers. The wood planks may buckle or cup because of excessive moisture. In view of these facts, enough space should be left for expansion and wood should be acclimated. Nail-down installations are most appropriate for these floors. The possibility of re-coating and refinishing increases the life and appearance of solid hardwood floors. Generally solid hardwood floors are made up of ash, maple, red oak and white oak.

Solid wood floorings are divided into three sub categories: strip flooring, plank flooring and parquet flooring. Thickness of strip flooring varies between 5/16 inch and ¾ inch. Available widths are 1 ½ inch, 2 inch and 2 ¼ inch. Though plank flooring is sold in two thicknesses, width can range between 3 inches and 8 inches. Parquet flooring has geometrical patterns that are created with wood slats.

Hand-scraped hardwood floors are hand crafted. Character markings on handscraped hardwood floors (hand sculptured floors) are a unique feature. These floors offer the best finishes for either the modern world look or the old reclaimed wood floor look. Both engineered and solid hand sculpted floors are sold. Beautiful handscraped hardwood floors are very expensive. Engineered handscraped hardwood floors are best suited for a structure erected on a concrete slab and in high humidity conditions. A few companies also market distressed hardwood flooring that has machine made markings unlike hand made markings in handscraped hardwood floor. Handscraped floor is costlier than distressed version, but both floorings offer a rich look.

Hardwood floors should be cleaned with products recommended by the manufacturer. Regular use of a vacuum cleaner will clean dirt, mud, grit and small stones that may spoil the finish. Welcome mats at the entrance for wiping feet before walking on the floor are of great help in protecting the finish. When choosing furniture for you home, do not buy products with sharp metal or wooden legs to prevent denting and scratching. Use of furniture coasters or felt protectors for all legs will prevent scratching. Non-staining and wide rubber cups are a must for heavy items like piano. The use of a paste wax on the hardwood floor with a polyurethane finish damages the finish. Spills on hardwood floors need immediate attention. Clean them with a paper towel or damp white cloth and dry the area.

Hard Wood Floors provides detailed information on installing, cleaning and refinishing various types of hardwood floors, including engineered, solid, long-strip, exotic, pre-finished, and cheap hardwood floors. Hard Wood Floors is the sister site of Bamboo Flooring Web.

By James C

There is nothing worse than staining your carpet. One of the worst stains is ink. Ink is extremely difficult to remove but is not impossible. Learn how to remove ballpoint pen ink from your carpet in this article.

The first step in removing the ink is to try to blot up as much of the ink as possible. Using a dry dye free paper towel blot the spot. Work from the outside in so that you do not spread the ink any further. Keep dabbing gently until no more of the ink will transfer to the paper towel. Now it is time to apply some isopropyl alcohol. Apply the alcohol to a clean paper towel and gently dab the spot. Once again remember to work from the outside in so that you do not spread the ink. Be careful not to apply too much alcohol and be careful not to let the alcohol penetrate the backing of the carpet as it could harm the backing. Keep gently dabbing the spot until no more ink transfers to the paper towel. If the spot is gone you should stack a few paper towels on the spot and place a clean weight on it so that any remaining residue will wick out of the carpet.

If this fails to remove the spot you should probably call in a professional carpet cleaner. They will have the knowledge and tools to remove difficult stains. If you try to hard you can easily make a small ink stain a large one so be very careful. Good luck.

Find information on Colorado Springs carpet cleaners at the authors website. Information on carpet cleaning and upholstery cleaning in Colorado Springs.
 

By Mark Hutchison

DIFFERENT METHODS OF INSTALLING A BAMBOO FLOOR

What is the best way to install a bamboo floor? You could install the floor as direct stick, floating, plank on ply, using an AcouBond system, or using joists/battens to name a few. Each method of installing a premium bamboo floor has both its positives and negatives but when weighed up you are able to determine the more suitable method of installation.

DIRECT STICK

Our preferred and the most commonly accepted method of installing a bamboo floor in WA is direct stick. This is where our boards are glued directly to the sub floor resulting in a very quiet floor to walk on. Glue is trowelled onto the floor and the boards are laid directly on top. It is a strong and permanent method of installation. We use a rubbery drying adhesive called Sikabond T55. Using alternative glue for this method of installation which is not elastic bonding will usually result in stress put on the boards causing cupping and the widening of gaps in between boards. A direct stick bamboo floor is strong and stable, stopping the boards from moving too easily and can be walked on the same day it is installed. However this floor will be difficult, but not impossible to remove if needed, and does require a reasonably level sub floor.

FLOATING FLOOR

Installing a bamboo floor as a floating floor involves using a thin high density oam underlay. The boards are not glued or fixed to the sub floor rather they are glued along the tongue and groove on all sides. The floor literally floats. This type of installation is commonly used for cheaper laminates in Perth having an inferior quality image. Floating a bamboo floor is the most common method for DIY customers as it is a cheaper and easier method of installing a bamboo floor than direct stick. It is regarded as softer to walk on, but is regarded as structurally inferior and noisy to walk on. A floating bamboo floor is easily damaged by excess water spills and can’t be lived on for a day or two until the pva glue dries.

PLANK ON PLY

Plank on ply is commonly used for fixing timber floors and is regarded by the industry as superior. In terms of timber flooring, this is usually correct. Plank on ply uses 12mm sheets of plywood that are glued and nailed onto the sub floor and the bamboo floor boards are glued and secret nailed onto the ply. The ply helps even out floor undulations and gives an easy surface for the installer to pin the timber down. It also helps protect the floor against moisture from the concrete slab. In terms of premium bamboo flooring we gain little to no benefit from installing over plywood. The reason for this is premium bamboo flooring is not required to be pinned because it is dimensionally straight and square, it is also more moisture resistant. The glue and installation technology that we have available today enables us to even out small floor undulations. Ply can be useful in building up floor heights.

ACOUBOND

Acoubond type of installation was developed in Europe by Sika International to overcome the problem of impact noise transfer from upper floors to lower living areas, such as high rise apartments. Australian building legislation now stipulates that solid floors in multi level dwellings must be installed with sound absorption systems. The bamboo boards are laid over a 5mm foam mat, which has slots cut out for the application of triangular beads of Sika T53. According to Gabriel’s Environmental Design Pty Ltd this has a reduction in impact noise by 16dB compared to a reduction of 7dB for direct stick. A bamboo floor installed with the Acoubond system is a little noisier to walk on and is not as strong as direct stick, but it does improve walking comfort and compensates for surface irregularities.

JOISTS/BATTENS

Installing on joists or battens is a traditional type of installation using timber or ply battens fixed to bearers or concrete. The bamboo floor boards are fixed using glue and nails to the Battens. This type of installation was commonly used for timber floors but is not so popular with bamboo floors, yet it is a safe, stable and an easy way to bring bamboo boards up to existing floor types by using appropriately sized battens. Joists (battens) are usually 12mm thick and 40mm wide and made from plywood or a stable hardwood like Jarrah. This floor is commonly thought to be more absorbent of foot fall and therefore more comfortable to walk on. It does however produce the sound of a traditional timber floor which is quite noisy.

While each method of installation has obvious benefits, overall we do prefer installing our premium bamboo floors as direct stick, specifically with Sika bond T55. It is by far the more suited method of installation for our product and ensures for a secure and quiet floor to walk on. It is a very convenient method of installation as you won’t need to move out of home and can walk on your beautiful bamboo floor straight away.

Mark Hutchison is the Managing Director of Bamboozle, a premium bamboo flooring company in Western Australia. Mark is a winner of Business News’ “40 under 40 Awards” for his outstanding achievements. Visit his website www.bamboozle.com.au for more information on Mark and bamboo floor coverings.