A. There are plenty of fads in the design world but bamboo flooring seems different. It is increasingly being used in both remodeling and new construction because it makes practical sense.Bamboo is popular with some designers because of its sleek appearance. It is “more subtle, less ‘knotty’ ” than other wood, said Roger Ferris, an architect in Westport, Conn. “It’s not something you’re typically used to seeing. That makes it really suitable for contemporary and modern design schemes.”Steve Appolloni, a designer in Albuquerque, N.M., likes it for its “durability, cost, eco-friendly qualities and, depending on the source, its thickness and quality.”Bamboo is much denser than oak, Mr. Appolloni said, so it makes for a stronger floor that doesn’t warp as much. It is also less expensive than many other woods. (The average bamboo floor costs about $5 to $7 a square foot, not including installation, whereas walnut or pine can cost nearly $10 a square foot.) Because bamboo plants take only about five years to mature, unlike many trees, which can take 50 years or more, bamboo is environmentally sustainable.

Like most woods, though, it can vary in quality, depending on the manufacturer and the finishing technique. Solid bamboo floors, which are the most durable, tend to be more expensive, and can cost as much as $9 a square foot. Engineered bamboo floors, which have multiple layers, can run as low as $3 a square foot, but the quality might not be as high. If you decide on an engineered floor, Mr. Appolloni recommends choosing one with a quarter-inch-thick top layer to ensure maximum durability. “And read the warranty carefully,” he said, noting that some manufacturers will replace floors that show premature wear.The company carries a wide range of solid flooring for about $6 to $8 a square foot, plus shipping, and most of it comes with a 25-year warranty. In general, installation for all such floors increases the cost by $3 to $5.50 a square foot. ), which offers customers a “sample pack” of 10 bamboo planks, in various colors and finishes, for $20. The company’s solid, 5/8-inch-thick bamboo, which can be ordered in a natural or carbonized (dark brown) finish, or in “zebra” (a combination that resembles a traditional hardwood floor), costs about $5 to $6.50 a square foot, plus shipping.

Home Depot is also a good place to buy bamboo, because its salespeople can offer advice on flooring, and it has competitive prices: Home Legend, one of its least expensive brands, starts at around $3.50 a square foot, plus shipping, with some of the flooring engineered.When it comes to cleaning your bamboo floors, you can use “everyday products you’d use on other hardwood floors,” like Murphy’s Oil Soap, said Trevor Gilmore, the owner of Bamboo Mountain. “You don’t need anything special or unnecessarily harsh. Besides being a renewable resource, another huge benefit of bamboo is that it’s extremely easy to maintain.”Unpublished questions cannot be answered individually. Same as Shipping Address If we have questions about your order, where can we reach you? Our Privacy Policy covers details on how we protect your information. Subtle hand scraping and texture—prepackaged for a stylish random width pattern, or in ultra-wide widths. 1/2" SolidPlus® engineered construction.

Add timeless style to your space with beautiful Appalachian oak flooring made in the USA. This solid collection of oak flooring offers the added design element of a 4-sided eased edge. Choose from a variety of stylish colors and widths. Appalachian oak flooring with a higher gloss finish will make your space shine! Oak flooring with a lightly textured surface–for a more durable appearance!Toilet Paper Holder Ceramic Recessed Offered in both 3/4" solid and 1/2" SolidPlus™ engineered construction.Belize Two Person Hot Tub Natural knots, markings and variations in grain and color give your space real character.Weight Loss Amber Beads Appalachian species of maple and hickory offer a beautiful alternative to traditional oak flooring.

Ultra-wide plank flooring in oak, maple and hickory makes a big design statement! 1/2" SolidPlus™ engineered construction. Solid Appalachian oak flooring in plank widths and popular colors—to add timeless style to your space. Offered in both 3/4" solid and 1/2" SolidPlus™ engineered construction.Living here in the Sunshine State it seems that folks have an unusual penchant for $0.69 sq. ft. 20″ tiles. The most popular colors are blah, boring, and blech. People love to toss these tiles down over red oak, irreplaceable heart pine, and any number of historic floors. And these tile are spreading like a wildfire across the floors of historic homes. Something must be done! Which brings us to our number 2 worst mistake of historic homeowners… Historic houses are having their floors covered up, ripped out, or trashed in any number of ways to make room for newer, inferior products. Only in America would we be ignorant enough to cover what would be a $15 or $20 per sq. ft. floor with a $.50 per sq. ft. floor.

Are we really that shallow? Historic homes have some of the finest flooring available. Have you ever seen a 70 year old vinyl floor? I didn’t think so. How about laminate flooring that has made it even 30 years? Todays floors, even the top quality ones, come with 25 and even 40 year warranties which isn’t too bad, but why would you replace a floor that will last centuries with one that lasts only a third that long? And in today’s real estate market most of us are being ever mindful of home values. The typical buyer of an old or historic home is expecting hardwood floors. “Maintenance-free” tile is not a selling point for these kind of houses. And while a click-lock engineered wood or laminate floor may be considered an upgrade on a new home it is a definite cold shower to your historic home’s market price. Wood floors are prime candidates for refinishing and restoration. If you have pet stains, loose/missing boards, rot, termite damage, or other issues these are simple repairs for a flooring professional.

And if you get someone who says your floors aren’t repairable they are most likely either too lazy to do the work or trying to sell you new floors. I have yet to come across a solid wood floor that couldn’t be repaired. The same is almost never true for tile, laminate, vinyl or even engineered wood floors. Probably one of my favorite jobs restoring a floor was this 1920s heart pine I came across. The home had been used as a business for a time and apparently there had been some damage to the original floors that was patched…well, let’s just say poorly, and then carpeted over. When the new homeowner found the damage she intended to tile over the entire house with the afore mentioned tile. I was referred to her when her tiling was about halfway done and convinced her (read: begged) her to save the remaining floors because they were not beyond repair. A week later after replacement boards were installed and the floors were refinished she had what looked like new floors! You can visit our website for more pictures of wood floors we’ve brought back from near extinction.

Solid wood flooring, like this, found in most historic homes is extremely resilient. It can handle multiple refinishings (done properly) over its life and is easy to repair in a way that is almost certainly unnoticeable. And what’s best, it can last hundreds of years with minimal care! So before you jump to “upgrade” the flooring in your historic home take a minute and think it over. Do you want a different color? You can even paint your wood floor to look like almost anything. The only boundaries are your own imagination. And if you are wondering if your floor can be repaired, the answer is almost always “Yes!” Search around for a hardwood refinishing specialist or restoration company and you will find someone up to the task of rejuvenating your floors. And trust me, it will be worth it! Tired of the same old wood floors? You can make quite a statement with some stain or paint. I’ve included some fun ideas of what others have done with their hardwood floors. You can also learn more about the history of hardwood floors in our post A History of Wood Floors