Bamboo Flooring Tips and Tricks
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- čas přidán 9. 06. 2016
- Get your Shirt on!! bit.ly/DITylerMERCH
In this video I share with you some of the tips and tricks that I learned during the process of installing our 1/2" Stranded Bamboo flooring. Bamboo flooring is extremely hard compared to your typical hardwood floor so it behaves a little differently while you are cutting and installing the product.
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Great job guys ! I respect that you have brothers that have that family closeness , what a blessing .
About 6 years ago I had horizontal carbonized bamboo flooring put down in my entry hall and office just off the hall. We have an excitable Lab Husky mix that runs everywhere he goes, slipping and sliding all the time. you can hear his nails scratching all the while and there isn't a mark on that floor. This stuff is amazing, I love it and highly recommend it. I did however drag a piano across it one time and it did scratch it a little in one spot where it ran off the plywood I had put down. It's not idiot proof but it is pretty dog proof.
that two-wedge trick is slick... good job.
I’ve installed a lot of hard wood flooring and now installing 3/8” bamboo for my friends. It’s even trickier than installing 1/2” due to the flooring gun height. I did pick up a few good tricks from your video and want to thank you for taking the time to share this. You just made tomorrows job a bit easier. Good video and nice job.
It takes a lot of guts to do that kind of project.....very good video.
Nice work. Glad you had both big and small helpers. You have some great brothers there!
I love the one guy who is just standing there for most of the video watching you guys work. HAHA
thank you very much, your way of cutting corner is inspirational.
Very nicely done Tyler. I especially liked your little helper near the end lol.
Keep up the great work
Roy
He is a good little helper! Thanks for watching Roy.
My wife and I installed the "dreaded lumber liquidators" bamboo 3 years ago and it's still perfect! Looks great!
Good to know! Hope it works out well for us, bit of a gamble but fingers crossed. Thanks for watching.
Good to know as I will be installing the dreaded Morning Star stranded bamboo. Wish me luck.
Leldon Maxcy 1@
Floor looks great. I liked the paper trick around the staircase. Nice job.
Thanks man!
I have the Morningstar bamboo str carb click installed in my whole apt. Should I be concerned about the pending lawsuit against this product and Lumber Liquidators?
i'm laying some engineered hardwood but I found a couple tips interesting and usefull - the cut paper contour trick and the double wedge for tight spots. Thanks!
Great job, Tyler and Brothers.
Thanks Steve...they were very helpful!
The floor looks great, a lot of hard work went into putting that down, well done to you all. Cheers, Barry (from England)
LOTS of back breaking work...glad it's over. Thanks for watching Barry!
Awesome video. Got some great tips!
The leveling method was just a gem. I could have used that idea when I did mine it would have saved me a ton of time and frustration. But now I know a better way to do it. Great ideas Tyler.
Ah...sorry I'm late to the party! Thanks for watching Chuck.
Very nice. I haven't seen the shingle trick before. Good tips.
Glad to have helped some!
Looks great Tyler!
Thanks Dylan!
The paper trick was great as was your little helpers!
I learned a couple of new tricks here. Thanks Tyler!
Awesome, glad to have helped out a little!
Great job Tyler! Doing mine now ...
Awesome, good luck and hope this helped! Biggest thing I found was the tip about gentle nail firings, makes a big difference especially for thinner boards.
Good video. I'm putting down and identical floor and using the same nailer.
Thank you for this video. If possible, i would like to hear more regarding the choice of the longest reference line. For example, how far the reference line should be away from the wall. Also I would like to see how the transition is made. Thx
Nice work!
Nice job, Tyler!
Thanks Josh1
Looks great..
Good job! What nailer gauge did you use? Since it's 1/2 thickness did you use 16 or 18 gauge nails? Thanks
Awesome. Thank you.
Mistakes? What mistakes!? Great job, Tyler. Didn't know it came in 1/2" thick...
Well there are a few bubbles in the finish....
Hey Tyler, that makes great sense and makes me feel that the whole endeavour can be attacked with little fear of total embarassment. Thanks !
That floor nailgun thing looks sweet for a tool geek like me, I wonder if they have them here.
Anyway, cheers and
Keep on trucking ! (from France)
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Great video, man!
+Nicoly Crispi Thanks!👊🏻
Really nice looking job.
Thanks man!
wow nice floor and excellent work!
Thanks Martijn....glad it's done!
Tyler, thanks for doing this video! Very helpful. I am a a few months away from replacing my kitchen flooring. Our home if over 40 years old and there are definitely spots in the floor that dip and rise. I have been thinking about using some sort of self leveling substrat before putting down the laminate but your trick with the shingles will be perfect for the lower spots. Thanks for the tip.
Great job!! I’m about to try this and have a few questions - the roofing shingle that you laid, you kept overlapping that to basically an inch?
I’m asking because I didn’t see one inch depth in the video. I think you just may have not posted a pic of it but I want to make sure. Thanks
Great money/time saving tips bud
awsome bro. love the screw wedge trick cant wait to hit my boss with that one. great job.
Nice! Thanks for watching!
Love the tar paper trick! I've been reading a lot about how bamboo expands and contracts a ton and was told not to nail in place. Any thoughts there?
Unfortunately we have moved and never got to experience chance of seasons with this floor.
Looks great bud, nice to have help---
Very nice to have the help! Thanks for watching!
Great video and the floor looks great as well. I always learn something from your videos. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for the awesome feedback Jeff, much appreciated!
What is the preferred way to secure the 3 mil vapor barrier?. Also, is a 40 tooth carbine blade ok to use to cut Cali Bamboo - it's what came with my new compound miter saw? Is a 80 tooth carbine necessary?
You did such a great job, *Tyler G! I so wish I had someone like you in my family to help me do a project like this! The money I'd save would be enormous! I see by the date that I'm late but I just wanted to leave you a message of appreciation for what you've shown here!👍
Thank you for removing all the trim first.I love seeing it done correctly. :)
Great video! I installed morning start LL bamboo flooring in my living room dinning room and corridor in 2009 and still love it! I've been considering installing the same in the kitchen but wasn't sure it would hold well, after watching your video I feel like am up to it, nice trick with leveling . . . and using the opposing wedges . . . was brilliant! thank you.
Good to know, have heard some horror stories about the LL product. Thanks for watching and good luck!
Hey guys, I just grabbed some LL bamboo, but I only have a 16 or 15.5 gauge nailer.. should I buy the 18?
I wish you luck with it Tyler. No reflection on the work you've put out there, even though I confused you with Dustin Prenner.
Ah, I know him! Like I said, fingers crossed.
Nice Video..
You say you are not a professional... I understand that....
I found that "A PROFESSIONAL" is someone who can do the job with LOGICAL approach and solves problems..
Some who call themselves PROS are idiots who don't know how to read & write let alone do simple math & geometry...
So you do a VERY REASONABLE JOB, and I learned from your experience.....
Where I come from, there is an old (over 2,000 years..) saying:: YOU CAN LEARN SOMETHING FROM ANYBODY
How has it held up? Would you suggest bamboo floors?
Great video!!
I'm curious too, I read mixed reviews on it.
Ive gotten called out to repair bamboo floors more than anything else. Thicker laminates were second. I personally like bamboo floors so to be safe just glue the entire floor.
Thanks for the video. Couple suggestions:
Scribe vs paper template the curve around the bottom stair - faster and more accurate.
Correct to remove all base trim but no need to remove the wall trim - just under cut it - much faster & same result.
Have you had to do any repair or refinish?
Thanks again!
A scribe is the better option but a paper template is also good. I understand why you cut the strips but it's work that isn't necessary. Try using a piece of thin stiff cardboard. Not the corrugated box stuff but something a little thicker than a cereal box. Use a compass with a pencil and scribe the template onto the cardboard.
Great video Tyler. Thanks a bunch. Do you know a good place that sells Natural Bamboo at a reasonable price (and ships within the US)?
I purchased mine at a Habitat Restore! I got it on sale for $1.75 sq.ft.!
perfect tips.
You staple the first row, but instruction on Lumber Liq. for solid strand bamboo suggest you drill and nail at the center of the plank on first row. How do you hide the staple marks, or were you able to hide under baseshoes molding? Also I notice you did not leave 1/2" space for expansion.
I'm preping to tackle this project and this video has given me some idea.
I did leave an expansion gap, maybe not an even 1/2 everywhere. I nailed though the top for the first row, not through the middle but near the edge so you can try and cover it with the molding.
Thanks for the reply Tyler. I have couple of questions concerning the first row. What is the nail size you used with face nailer on first row and also was the groove size of the wood plank facing the wall? If you had groove side facing the wall and you nailed it down, can you not use l cleat to nail down the tongue side? But on the video, you're nailed both sides down with face nailer. Didn't that cause split or bubble?
Did you put shingles down on the entire floor? Or is that underlayment as well?
Great video btw
great job, how is it holding up? any issue with cupping? thx!
No cupping and we have been shocked with the durability....our son doesn't treat it well and there have been no dents or scratches yet!
Like the baking soda tip. Never thought of that.
Thanks man....see you next week!
See you soon.
Tyler, I will be laying 1/2" tongue and groove strand solid bamboo. Mfg. recommends gluing down. Can I nail down using the same tool and nail type you were using? What would be the brand you use as well.
Are staples recommended over a cleat?
Struggling with making the move going forward with this decision that has to be made.
Peace
I don't remember the brand I used but you can get cleats from Lumberliquidators. The one I used were 18G and I definitely wouldn't go any thicker then that as I did have some splitting issues. I think a staple would cause more splitting issues than a cleat with no other benefits.
Something to keep in mind, if the MFg suggests glue and you don't use it you might be voiding any warranty they might offer. That being said, installing yourself probably removes any warranty as well.
You are doing a awesome job on your house.
Is woodworking your full time job or just something you do on the side?
Thanks Timothy. This is just a hobby on the side, an EE by day.
You are going to have a new house when you are done. Super nice!
Almost there! BTW, had a great idea this morning.....wink, wink....going slab hunting in a few minutes!
+Tyler G Nice!
What a great looking floor! You and your brothers are welcome to do that at my place anytime. LOL
Something to remember here is that Bamboo is actually a cane type of grass -- not wood. As a result, it moves differently than wood, and that movement is highly dependent upon what method was used to process it. There are several and all are valid when done properly. Also each provides a slightly different appearance. China, Japan, and many other Far East Asian countries have been using bamboo in construction of several thousand years. It is light weight and has a tensile strength that by weight is nearly as strong as the steel cables used in bridges.
Most problems with bamboo flooring have been shone to be a result of overseas shipping rather than shoddy manufacturing (although that still happens on occasion). Unfortunately, it takes longer for the flooring to cross the pacific than it does to reach peoples homes once in North America. If the flooring becomes "super humidified" in its Pacific voyage, it can take up to a year for the product to acclimatize to most places in North America.
With current demands (last 20yrs) being so high, some importers have been rushing supplies to retailers (often at highly discounted prices). The result is flooring and other product that shrink, warp, or crack. So don't be afraid to ask your retailer how long their product has been at their location, and the type of storage sued for their bulk supply (many still stack all wood products outside -- some with no overhead covering).
Tyler did the best thing possible to prevent problems -- open the packaging and keep air flowing over it for as long as possible before installing.
Interesting info Michael. It makes perfect sense but I never thought about the shipping process as the potential root of the moisture problem. I sure hope that we had the air flowing over the boards long enough, would be sad to see the effort wasted but I think we will be okay. Most of the bad reviews I read seemed to be a shotty install job. Thanks for watching Mike!
Most of the shipping issues seem to have settled down, but it is a good idea to use a reputable supplier, and of course doing a quality install as you did.
Another helpful tool is to use a moisture meter to check the supply when you buy it. A good retailer will typically have one available for your use. It should be roughly within 10 percentage points of the average humidity in your area. The closer to your actual indoor humidity the better. Considering the cost of the flooring, a basic meter is a relatively inexpensive bit of "insurance" and a great way to know that you have let your material acclimate long enough before installing. These meters are especially helpful in areas such the central Mid-West where humidity can flux considerably both with time of year and day to day.
Was doing some research on moisture meters but unless I spent $500 or so it seemed to me like the accuracy of the resolution was pretty terrible....seems to me like a +-5% is not worth the money. Maybe I am wrong....probably should get something though, have some live edge slab projects coming up!
The meters are mostly useful in cases like floors where shrinkage, warping, etc. can happen over large areas and is not opposed by other construction factors (lamination, etc.). Your live edge project, if large enough, would be a good application. The "Timber Check" from Lee Valley is a good meter its accuracy is +/- 2.5% at the upper end and it sells for under $90. You might also find it cheaper at other locations.
The meter is no needed on most projects, but when the lumber alone is >$750, I find the investment negligible when compared to having to undo and redo everything -- either immediately or in the near future.
thank you man this helped me alot
Super glad it helped out! Thanks for watching.
Looks Great! How could something like this be put on a slab floor? Would a half or three quarter inch sub-floor need to be installed in order to nail to it?
You would most likely need to glue it down
you would need to install a floating floor. a sub floor would not work unless you used shorter nails. The nails stick through subflooring by about 2 inches
Very Nice!
Thanks man!
Nice, learned a lot, now here I go!
Good luck!!
What did you use for underlayment? I'm getting ready to install bamboo flooring, and I'm looking for good information. I want it done right the first time. And I'm not a flooring guy. Thanks in advance.
For this install I used roofing felt.
I didnt see a gap along the wall or along the stairs, do you not need one for expansion wih bamboo? Thanks
There is a gap, just kinda small to see on camera.
Tyler G thanks for the reply, im going to give it a go in a few weeks. Just waiting on materials now. Cheers
Looks really good, Tyler! Any reason you went with 1/2" rather than 3/4"?
In all my looking around for the floor we wanted I did not see any bamboo floor thicker than 7/16". I could be wrong, we chose this one because we liked the color and the price point was right. There were two thicknesses for this color and we chose the thicker one. Thanks for watching Bruce!
I've never dealt with bamboo flooring. It was my understanding that 3/4" floor is typically what is used when there is a sub floor to nail to, but if there is no 3/4, that would be tough. ha ha. You did a great job! In our house, we used 1/2" pine flooring glued down and tacked with these special concrete nails (on a slab), and upstairs I laid some southern yellow pine flooring that was 3/4", since I could tack it down. I used a nailer just like you did.
Good job.
Thanks man!
I just ordered US Floor floating engineered bamboo. Got them today and letting them acclimate to the room. Now getting all the accessory materials needed to do the install.. including a new blade for my miter saw.. 80 teeth carbide.
Question - When cutting did you do face up or face down to avoid splintering?
I cut them face up, very little if any tear out. Good luck!
YakMan NC this may be a strange question but did you ever think about nailing or stapling your US Floor bamboo locking floor.
I know it's meant to be floated. Long story.
I am looking at installing Lumber Liquidators bamboo flooring. I have heard reports of the bamboo being to hard for regular flooring staples and face nailing on the edges. Is there any truth to this?
After installing the bamboo flooring, does it need any special waxing to protect cracks from water?
Good question
It's nice
What brand is the bamboo? Looks great!
It is by morning star. We are very pleased with it so far, thanks for watching!
great tip to match a curve
Thanks!
Which brand of bamboo floor has the highest quality?
Great
Hmm ... bamboo? Yeah, why not? I'll look into it for later. Great little video.
Thanks! We walk on grass every morning, it's pretty great!
When installing "click" engineered bamboo flooring, since it can be floating or glued, is it a good idea to change the direction half way in the room (faux room separation) to add some detail? I would nail the opposing boards and then continue with the previous flow. Unsure if it would start to buckle under different temp/humidity specs.
Do a video on the placing all the baseboards next!
Really? Doesn't sound all that exciting! Thanks for watching.
I dig the shingle trick
man you need an undercut saw for the casings, a hand one works or one of the multimasters, reinstalling that much cashing seems like a lot of work.... still have to take baseboard off.
We replaced all that trim with new trim....otherwise we would have cut them, as we did with other trim we did not remove.
I purchased an undercut saw recently. Works amazing
Looks Good jus next time get a multi tool to trim all trim for doors but very good job budd
which bamboo did you use? what was the name of your flooring product ?
hi you don't use any adhesives or glue for bamboo flooring?
You can but you can't put the moisture barrier under it if you do. We wanted the moisture block.
i thought you could have a moisture barrier down but you have to glue that down to so it does not move.
Maybe install the oposite direction by the entree door ?
Great stuff Tyler. Want to come over and help me with my floors? HaHa.
+GuysWoodshop Sure thing! I only work on decks in sub 80 degree weather though.....FYI! You must be toast right now. If you need a flooring nailer lemme know.....traveling nailer is ready to roll.
What is that machine you hitting with a hammer? Boarding nailer?! Why and how is it doing what it does?
Pneumatic assisted flooring nailer. Thanks for watching!
why did you change directions of the floor in the other room?
did u buy the bamboo from China
Can u nail down a 5/8 solid bamboo
Yes.
Looks great Tyler. Did you have to bribe your brothers to get them to help? Ha, It's always good to have family.
Some junk food.....which they don't get at home....and a movie night is the key with them! Thanks for watching!
Is the “airing out” for 12 weeks really necessary? I thought I could just buy it from the store and install it the next day. No?
funny i do the paper thing to figure out my cuts simple trick works like a charm i use a box cutter knife to cut the shape out
you like me >>>>> i love orange color tools >>> and you too >>> ridgid is the best orange color tools >> :)
the "tool" to do curved parts are nicE
Pretty sure that you can use glue instead of nailing that way u don't worry about breaking boards etc..but overall looks good man I am doing my bamboo flooring in kitchen tomorrow and using glue and 10mm spacer around the edges
Cutting the door trim at the bottom is a whole lot easier than ripping it off.
It was refinished while off.
nail down to particle board?
subfloor looks like particle board to me.
You to put space 15mm for it
Why not just cut bottom of door casings?
I know! I was curious why he didn't cut the bottom 1 or 2mm of trim off instead of removing everything.
maybe he was planning on upgrading the trim?
Awesome job on the floors!!! I have Bamboo flooring and I can assure you, the carpenter could take some pointers from you. He did NOT nail my floor down and now many of the pieces slide and have gapped. SO EMBARRASING!!
Valerie Ballard gtguuygg
If it was installed as a floating floor there's no need to use the nail gun
Thanks for posting the video to help our DIY process.
There are things hope to get advice from you:
1) why need to tap with hammer like tool after putting one board in? The product we are going to use is a uniclick strand woven bamboo, is that we still need to use hammer to tap the bamboo board the same as you did?
2) we are using the 10mm thickness, wonder if it is ok to use the same saw ppl will use to cut the laminate flooring board? or we better use the 'circle' shape saw?
3)Do you think Bamboo flooring is better than laminate flooring in terms of being more healthier. we planned to input laminate, but now we are thinking to change to Bamboo flooring and it is www.bambooflooringcompany.com/solid-natural-strand-woven-125mm-click-bona-coated-bamboo-flooring-2-29m2-per-pack-fsc1.html
4) we have two options of under layer for the concrete: 3mm or 5mm, is always the thicker the better? we need to trim the door a bit...
Look forward to your reply when you are not so busy:)
Best wishes to you and your family!
Thanks!
Jia Lin b