Installing a bamboo floor in a small to medium sized room can take just a weekend, if you have everything organized and laid out properly. If installing on a flat concrete floor then make sure that all remains of glue or carpet padding etc. are removed, and then vacuum up any debris. The baseboards should be removed, plus any door surrounds and doors. Have a jigsaw handy (table model preferred) and set-up ready to cut the planks. Any boxes of bamboo you have had delivered or bought from a store, should have been opened and the planks stacked on top of the boxes in order to acclimatize to the room temperature, for a few days. Several colors and types of bamboo can be seen at Floormall.com. Handy to have also are kneepads, a small rubber mallet, a piece of board, and a smaller piece of wood.
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Adhesive in a large can is heavy but you will need the whole can for even a small room. The amount of coverage is stated on every can so measure your room and buy one or two cans. This adhesive is expensive but works well. You’ll need a quarter inch indented square edge trowel to put down the adhesive and the correct cans to buy will state “Urethane adhesive for wood flooring” and be suitable for solid wood flooring and bamboo. Check out all of the supplies you may need at floormall.com. Lay out, measure and cut about 8 rows of flooring and fit it together like a jigsaw puzzle. After you are satisfied, restack the planks and put aside. Using the piece of board, scoop out an amount of adhesive and twist it around. It has the consistency of peanut butter. Glop it onto the floor and then trowel along about two widths of planks. Put the lid back on your can and lay down the planks. They will fit into each other and some pressure is needed to ensure there are no gaps. This is sweaty work so if you don’t feel up to it you can get a professional flooring installer and the planks themselves from a site such as Floormall.com.
Caramelized planks look great in a room and they have a warm honey tone. The lighter natural planks are great for an urban loft or contemporary, light filled room. Planks are prefinished so no sealants are necessary. You may want to buy a small can or cleaner in case you get any glue on the surface of the planks. When done, they can be cleaned with a damp (not wet) mop. Do not put glue down for more than two rows of planks, if doing a smaller room. If the room is quite large, one row at a time should work. The glue starts to dry pretty quickly so do not get involved in any lengthy phone calls etc. while you are doing this part. The glue as laid down with the correct trowel has a slightly springy feel to it when it dries and this makes the planks adhere to the cement perfectly.
You may need a step-up door threshold because bamboo planks are thicker than linoleum, say, but that small part is available in most hardware stores. Put your baseboards back down, plus any door surrounds you had removed, and you will be all set. The floor should dry for 8 hours before walking on it and 24 hours before putting furniture back in. It’s also wise to lay down about 8 rows of planks at a time and let them dry. This provides a firm base so that you can tap in subsequent layers. Instructions for all types of flooring, and supplies, are available at Floormall.com.
Buy Bamboo Flooring
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