Classic Style Bamboo Floors Ambient classic bamboo floors are made from whole strips of select A-grade Moso bamboo, from plants at the perfect level of maturity for high-quality flooring. When people think of traditional, eco-friendly bamboo flooring, they often think of this "classic" style — a relatively light-hued flooring that showcases the telltale nodes of the bamboo plant. It comes in both horizontal and vertical styles. Ambient classic bamboo flooring may look like other traditional bamboo laminate options, but its quality, age and cut set it apart. Unlike other brands, Ambient classic bamboo floors are made from whole strips of select A-grade bamboo of the Moso species, from plants that are between five and seven years old. This age is important because, although bamboo grows very rapidly, it is known that it takes at least five years for the plant to mature and harden to the point that it is suitable for use as a high-quality strand bamboo flooring material.

At Ambient, we also use strips that are cut from the middle of the culm — the most resilient part of the stalk. Our classic bamboo flooring absorbs lower levels of moisture than other types of flooring, so it holds up very well in areas of varying humidity. It can be installed over plywood or concrete subfloors using glue-down and nail-down methods, but is not warranted in a basement. Also known as click-lock flooring, we also offer floating bamboo flooring . Classic Natural Vertical Bamboo +Free Sample Buy Now Classic Natural Horizontal Bamboo Classic Carbonized Vertical BambooBamboo flooring is manufactured to be structurally and aesthetically similar to standard hardwood, but is known to be quite eco-friendly. Bamboo plants can be harvested without replanting in less than five years, making bamboo floorboards easier to produce. Because of the efficient manufacturing process, many bamboo floors are more affordable than their standard hardwood floor counterparts.

Aside from being visually appealing, bamboo flooring is also known for its strength, durability and resistance to moisture. It is relatively hard, and this makes it a great choice for floors at home. In fact, bamboo flooring is actually stronger than most other wood flooring and is considered to wear better. Bamboo flooring can be installed over wood or concrete sub-floorings without professional help. Bamboo flooring installation lets you save time and money. Anyone can easily install bamboo flooring by following a few simple guidelines: 1. Choosing the Right Bamboo Flooring Type Bamboo flooring can be classified by color, grain and surface texture. Depending on the stain and finish applied, it can have a natural, carbonized or tiger striped pattern. Homeowner should look at the grain when choosing the right bamboo flooring for a specific space. Vertical, horizontal or strand-woven grains are common. The grain type chosen will determine how the space will look. Vertical and horizontal grains can either make the room look smaller or bigger depending on how the flooring is placed.

Bamboo flooring can also be chosen by its surface texture, which includes smooth, hand-scraped and hand-sculpted surface types. Growing Weed Indoors Vegetative StageBamboo flooring should be kept indoors for at least one to two days after it is purchased. Green And Brown Voile CurtainsThis lets the material settle and adjust to the humidity and temperature in the room.Green Lantern Bedding Twin 2. Measuring the Area & Acclimating the Bamboo Floors should be clean and free from dust and dirt. Nails, tack strips, staples or screws from previous flooring should be removed or tightened. Make sure that the surface is flat and level. You should also ensure that the floor is dry prior to installation. Check the quality of the sub-flooring for any areas that need to be repaired, the sub-floors will need be structurally stable.

With the materials and surface ready, you can start installing the bamboo flooring. Everyone should use protective eyewear and gloves during the installation process to ensure safety. Kneepads can also be worn to protect knees while installing bamboo flooring. First, the underlay pads need to be installed evenly so that they do not over-lap, doing so will help prevent uneven floors. Properly placing the underlay pads will also help in reducing noise and softening the floor. The total outcome of the installation will rely primarily on how these underlay pads are placed. It is best to initially mark the pads with a pencil to ensure that each one is laid properly. 2. Installing the Bamboo Flooring After putting in the underlay pads, you should place bamboo flooring against the most prominent walls and carefully lay out each piece. The floorboards should be laid properly so that they are level and straight. A spirit or bubble level can be used to make sure that the surface is flat.

Rubber mallets and tapping blocks are great tools to ensure that the flooring is secured in place. There are 3 main methods of installing a bamboo floor, depending on the sub flooring: Although bamboo flooring can be easily installed, proper care and maintenance should be observed after installation. Bamboo floorboards are also prone to dents and scratches like hardwood boards.You should keep the flooring from getting scratched by shoes, pets or sharp objects. Screens and shades on the windows are also recommended as direct sunlight can lead to discoloration in the bamboo. Bamboo floors are also easy to clean. You can simply sweep the floor with a broom and use ordinary cleaning products. Cleaning bamboo floors is easy, and it requires little effort to keep the flooring’s natural shine and look.Bamboo can cause problems for flooring installers when trying to calibrate moisture meters because bamboo does not have a uniform density.Pin meters have been known to work well on traditional bamboo if you insert the pins parallel with the grain of the material and at the same depth.

Pinless meters work better with strand-woven bamboo.Your flooring and moisture meter manufacturer should be able to provide you with information that will help you accurately calibrate and test the moisture content of the specific materials you are working with. Even though standardized grading systems for bamboo flooring are not currently available, Wagner Meters and other moisture meter manufacturers are working with bamboo manufacturers to establish accurate settings. The settings below were located here.Settings* for Johnson Premium Bamboo Flooring ProductsSettings* for Teragren® Bamboo Flooring Products*These settings were derived from sample populations of the different flooring products provided by the above manufacturers. These samples were lab-tested for actual moisture content at Wagner Meters using the ASTM D4442-92 oven-dry method. The oven-dry results were then used to establish the optimum settings for Wagner Meters digital handheld moisture meters.It is possible the resin from various species of bamboo (specifically with strand bamboo flooring) will interfere with electrical conductivity.

To obtain updated information, it’s best to contact your bamboo manufacturer, who may be able to provide you with updated meter instructions that will help you calibrate your meter and collect accurate readings with the materials you are working with.No. Bamboo flooring has a higher moisture resistance than most solid hardwood flooring materials. Strand-woven is considered to be the strongest of the three types of bamboo and is more resistant to moisture changes because it is manufactured under intense pressure.There are various factors that affect this material’s capacity to retain moisture. Some of these factors include the region where the bamboo was grown, the age when it was harvested, the directional grain, and the manufacturing process.Strand-woven bamboo flooring is harder than bamboo floorboards with a vertical or horizontal grain, and a horizontal grain is softer than a vertical grain.Strand woven bamboo is considered to be the strongest type of bamboo flooring because it consists of shredded bamboo that is compressed and bonded with adhesives.

This manufacturing process helps make strand woven bamboo more resistant to moisture changes.It is imperative that you calibrate your moisture meter with the correct adjustment settings from your moisture meter manufacturer. When doing so, always verify the specific product you are working with. Product correction numbers vary with traditional and strand bamboo.Acclimating Strand-Woven Bamboo Strand-woven bamboo tends to take longer to acclimate because it is a dense material with fibers sheathed in glue. The acclimation process for this product could take weeks, depending on your base reading.Because bamboo flooring is hygroscopic, controlling moisture content is one of the most important components for success. Monitoring the home environment and implementing preventive measures will decrease the amount of movement and will increase stability.It’s important to control humidity levels in the building and keep them from fluctuating to extremes. Humidity levels should be maintained within a 40%-60% relative humidity range.

Temperatures should range between 60-80 degrees Fahrenheit.The strongest type currently available is strand-woven bamboo.Temperature and humidity changes in the environment are known to cause vertical obstruction in bamboo flooring. Vertical obstructions occur when transition pieces are not installed in areas that extend into other areas and doorways. Physical obstructions such as kitchen islands will also be problematic if proper expansion space is not allocated. If transition pieces are not installed, the flooring will not be able to move properly…movement will be restricted and tension will be placed on joints causing flooring to pull apart.An expansion gap left around the perimeter of the floor and all vertical obstructions, including kitchen islands, will allow and facilitate the expansion and contraction of bamboo flooring.T-moldings are also required to help separate areas because the floor functions like one large piece. This will allow rooms to expand and contract without affecting other areas.

It is also recommended that transition moldings be placed in all doorways and wall openings – with or without a door.Many installers mistakenly believe bamboo flooring doesn’t need to be acclimated because the pieces are glued together individually. The fact is, even though some floorings consist of many small pieces glued together, they are oriented in the same direction and consequently, expand and contract.Solid bamboo acclimates faster than strand-woven. Solid bamboo usually takes between 3-7 days to acclimate. Strand-woven bamboo acclimates slowly and can take up to 30 days to acclimate to your job site.In order to increase your bamboo flooring success rate, the following steps will ensure optimum stability of your flooring:Bamboo flooring can be installed when the moisture content between the floor and subfloor is within 3%.No. High-quality bamboo should have low to zero VOCs and formaldehyde. When selecting quality bamboo flooring materials, ensure flooring materials pass the CARB standards for indoor air quality.

VOCs depend on how the flooring is manufactured.To ensure floor installation success, it’s highly recommended that the subfloor meets NWFA guidelines. These guidelines recommend that:Wood Subfloor Recommendations: A subfloor of 1 1/8″ plywood over joists at 16″ on center is highly recommended. Bamboo flooring should be within 3% of subfloor moisture content. Concrete Subfloors: Concrete must be dry and fully-cured (at least 60 days). To help minimize moisture content transfer from the concrete slab into bamboo flooring, a moisture barrier should be applied.The flooring moisture content should vary less than 3% from the subfloor moisture content prior to installation.Every situation is different, but in order to remain in compliance with the manufacturer’s warranty, it is the installer’s responsibility to accurately check the material upon delivery and to measure and document the site conditions and materials before, during and after installation.It’s important to follow the manufacturer’s guidelines at all times and to immediately report any inconsistencies with the product.