Answers to 7 Common Bamboo Flooring Questions

One thing that makes bamboo flooring stand out for homeowners is its environmentally-friendly properties. Even still though, questions have arisen as to just how “green” it is and whether bamboo flooring is the best choice for your home or not.

As with any investment, there are many factors that affect the decision to make the switch. We checked out some common questions about the product to help you make an executive decision that’s right for you, your family, and your home.

1. How Do I Decide if Bamboo Flooring Is the Right Choice for Me?

Bamboo is an attractive, resilient, and cost-effective flooring style that’s booming in popularity for renovations and new homes. Compared to other hardwoods bamboo is much denser, making it an ideal option for homeowners - but the real decision depends on choosing a product you’ll love to live on in years to come.

Initially, people are drawn to the natural warmth of the bamboo material, which tends to inject a comfortable feeling into a home, and the color consistency it boasts compared to timber floors. Combined with its style variety and flooring options, easy-care maintenance, climate sustainability, and cost-effectiveness, bamboo flooring tends to be an easy choice for homeowners.

2. Where Can I Install Bamboo Flooring and How is it Installed?

Bamboo flooring is extremely versatile and can be installed in any room of your home either as a floating floor, fixed floor, or glued directly onto the subfloor. Like any hardwood flooring, bamboo can be damaged if excessive water is left to puddle for an extended period of time, so wet rooms such as bathrooms and laundries are best tiled instead.

Whilst bamboo flooring can be installed over existing tiles, timber, or concrete, it’s ideal to check for potential issues and if they’re covered in the installation warranty. In most cases, bamboo flooring combined with your current flooring style will work fine if the right glue is used to bond the two together. Tiles will require cleaning and sanding to help with this process.

Just consider how the combined height of your existing flooring in addition to the bamboo boards will impact areas such as full-length windows, door frames, and kitchen benches.

3. Are There any Bad Fumes During the Installation Process?

The type of bamboo flooring you purchase will determine the installation process and whether or not you will have to leave the home. Bamboo flooring can be purchased either as pre-finished panels or raw panels which will be sanded and polished on site.

Pre-finished bamboo requires no sanding or polishing in your home so there is no need to leave or be concerned about bad fumes. Whilst there can be a faint smell of the bonding glue for the first day, it’s not harmful and will stop once the floors dry. Sanding and polishing the floors on-site is the dustier alternative but still, depending on the installation company, it’s relatively clean and quick and the faint smell of glue will disappear after the first day or two.

4. Have the Bamboo Boards and Glue Used Been Tested for Health Risks?

Throughout Europe and Australia, strict guidelines are in place to ensure the glues used are manufactured to a safe level. Manufacturing companies that are reputable will always abide by these guidelines and test their products before distributing them.

The health and safety of you and your family are important so it pays to ask how your floor is impacted by any nasty chemicals. Whilst bamboo is an eco-friendly flooring solution, like a finished floor the glues and products used can emit toxins into your home. Formaldehyde is an organic compound commonly found in these products and is associated with health risks - but the amount of chemicals emitted will vary depending on how the planks are manufactured.

Reputable bamboo flooring companies will only use a very small amount of glue that has been safely tested during the manufacturing process. It’s not uncommon for overseas manufacturers to take shortcuts with the process so when it comes to your health, it’s best to ask how much is used and if the products meet the standards.

5. What Are the Environmental Benefits of Bamboo Flooring and How Sustainable is it?

The environmental impact of bamboo flooring is huge and offers green-conscious homeowners many benefits. As we are becoming more concerned about the sustainability of products we use around the home, bamboo flooring is like a breath of fresh air. In comparison to other woods, bamboo replenishes itself much quicker than grass – making it a highly renewable source.

Bamboo is not threatened by forestry, like hardwood, because cutting the stalks actually promotes faster growth. Thus it’s one of the more sustainable flooring solutions. Most flooring is made from Moso species, different from what pandas and other animals eat – enabling the food sources for wildlife to be protected.

6. How Durable Is Bamboo Flooring?

The durability of bamboo flooring depends on three factors, stalk construction (for example, woven strand bamboo flooring), materials added (adhesives), and the overall quality of the bamboo.

Homeowners often find it hard to comprehend just how durable bamboo flooring is compared to other hardwoods because it’s not actually wood itself. Its durability tends to come from the compression used when manufacturing and producing bamboo. The most hardwearing form of bamboo goes under 2000 tonnes (the equivalent of two jumbo jets) of pressure to make for an incredibly dent-resistant surface.

7. How Will My Bamboo Flooring React to Humidity?

Bamboo flooring can be prone to cupping and warping when exposed to humidity. In an environment that is very dry, the bamboo floors can shrink and expand, causing the bamboo to crack.

How your bamboo flooring reacts to humidity and exposure to moisture depends on its durability and board design. Despite excessive moisture having the ability to ruin any wood floor, bamboo is more advantageous in humid climates because it doesn’t swell and contract as much.

Source: www.DoItYourself.com

How to Replace a Cracked or Chipped Ceramic Floor Tile

 With patience and the right tools, you can learn how to replace a cracked or chipped ceramic floor tile. The idea of tile flooring need not be abandoned if one or a few of the tiles should happen to break. If you're considering installing a ceramic tile floor, it's always a good idea to get extra tiles. If there's a problem with breakage, the tile can be matched correctly. It's also easier to match the tile if a broken piece can be taken to the home improvement center or hardware store.

Safety glasses and work gloves are very important. Shards of ceramic tile and grout can be sharp enough to cut skin or cause eye damage. Pets and children should also be kept away from the work area, tools, and materials.

Remove the Broken Tile

Using the awl and hammer, gently chip away the grout surrounding the piece of tile, being careful not to chip the surrounding tiles. Use the chisel and the hammer to pry the tile up from the floor until the entire piece has been removed.

Prepare the Exposed Flooring

Use the hammer and chisel to chip away as much of the adhesive from the subfloor as possible. The new tile piece will stay in place much better if the subfloor is smooth before installation.

Install the New Piece of Tile

Apply the tile adhesive to the back of the tile using the notched trowel or a putty knife. This is referred to as "buttering" the tile. Place the new piece of tile onto the prepared floor, using even pressure to be sure that the new piece is level with the existing floor. Follow the directions on the adhesive itself to know how long to wait before applying the grout.

Apply the Grout

Using the putty knife, apply the grout around the new tile piece. Refer to the directions to know how long to wait before removing the excess grout, usually about fifteen minutes.

Remove the Excess Grout

Use a damp sponge or rag to gently wipe off the excess grout. The sponge or rag should not be too wet, otherwise, the water will displace the grout. Moving in a diagonal direction across the tile is the easiest way to remove excess grout from the surface, without dislodging too much.

Apply Grout Sealer

If desired, a grout sealer can be applied over the new grout to protect it from stains and mildew. Refer to the directions on the sealer to know how long to allow the grout to dry before application.

As simple as that, the floor is repaired and looking its best. This isn't a speedy process, but one that is worth taking the time and patience to complete as thoroughly as possible.

Source: www.DoItYourself.com

Tile and Stone Cleaning in Beziers South of France

The English owner of a French Chateau contacted Tile Doctor about the hard floors at their property in Béziers in the South of France. There were several floors at the property including Terrazzo, Limestone and Black and White Encaustic tiles all around a hundred years old and in a bad state of repair. There was a lot to cover so for this post we will focus on the Terrazzo flooring.

 

We have been known to carry out tile renovation work in other counties so we were more than happy to consider a visit to the South of France and help bring the floors back to life. Previous overseas projects have included a hotel restaurant in Addis Ababa, holiday cottages in Ireland and a villa in France. 

Luckily for us the customer had invested in some machinery that he had found on eBay but he didn’t have the technical knowledge to do the work and so had decided to seek help. Having discussed each of the floors in detail over the phone and with photographs sent via email I worked out a restoration plan for each floor.

We supplied the products he needed and we were flown down from Manchester to Béziers Cap d'Agde Airport where we were picked up by the client, (very Hollywood). If you have never been to Béziers before it’s well worth a visit, it's a beautiful area, well laid out, with parks and rivers, an old 12th Century Monastery and the property had great views all around.

Deep Cleaning and Filling Terrazzo Flooring in Béziers France

On arrival at the property work started with setting up the machinery and conducting some preliminary cleaning tests to work out the best approach. After that however our host insisted on showing us round Béziers, it was a Saturday afternoon and we were in the South of France so why not, they certainly know how to live properly down there.

   

So, work started on the Sunday with the application of a 200-grit Milling pad and Oxy-Gel cleaning solution. I was concerned (due to some hairline cracks in the Terrazzo) that water would seep through into the rooms below (this was a big old townhouse set on four levels) so by using a gel-based product it would be easier to control and the moisture would be kept to a minimum.

 

The resultant soiling was then extracted with a wet vacuum and attention moved to filling the cracks in the Terrazzo with a resin filler. Once the resin had cured the floor was cleaned again, this time with a 200-grit DRB Milling pad which contains diamond segments. The process was lubricated with water and progress was checked underneath several times to ensure the pad was working as expected.

Polishing a Terrazzo Floor in Béziers France

This work continued with increasingly finer diamond encrusted burnishing pads starting with a 400-grit Diamond burnishing pad and moving up to an 800-grit and finishing with a 1500-grit pad. Only water was used for lubrication and the soiling was extracted with a wet vacuum after each pad was applied. This method slowly improves the surface of the Terrazzo adding a long-lasting polished appearance. 

The floor was left to dry overnight and the following day treated to a spray burnish using a very fine 3000 grit burnishing pad; the pad is applied dry to the floor with only a little amount of water which is sprayed onto the surface.

Sealing Terrazzo Flooring in Béziers France

This final 3000-grit pad leaves the floor dry and allows the floor to be sealed shortly afterwards. The sealer chosen for the Terrazzo was Tile Doctor Colour Grow which is a colour enhancing impregnator which works by soaking into the pores preventing dirt from residing there. Sealing the floors keeps the dirt and other contaminates on the surface where it can be easily removed.

Two coats of Colour Grow were applied and this brought out the lovely pink tones in the Terrazzo which together with the polished appearance really transformed the appearance of the floor.

 

For aftercare cleaning I got the customer to purchase a five-litre bottle of Tile Doctor Neutral Cleaner along with the other products. You must be careful what you clean sealed floors with as many products contain bleach and are simply too strong resulting in the premature degradation of the sealer.

We spent the whole week at the property and as well as working on the other floors did find time to do some more sightseeing before flying back the following weekend.

Source: Terrazzo Floor Cleaning and Restoration Service in the South of France

Buckinghamshire Tiling Expert Reveals How to Remove Stains from Encaustic Floor Tiles

The pictures below were taken at a property in the old town of Marlow which had modern Encaustic tiles installed in the downstairs WC. Although they may appear on first appearance to be perfectly fine the owner had called us in to deal with the staining around sink area around toilet.

The tiles had only been installed six months earlier and after surveying the floor it was clear to me that the tiler hadn’t applied enough protective sealant following installation. I quoted for deep cleaning the floor with diamond burnishing pads and then re-sealing with a stronger sealer which given the small size of the floor should be completed in a day.

 

Deep Cleaning an Encaustic Tiled WC Floor

To remove the original sealer and deep clean the encaustic tiles I started with a 200-grit burnishing pad lubricated with water. The floor was too small for a buffer machine so I used 6-inch pads fitted to a hand buffer. This action cuts back the tiles removing the stains in the process.

After rinsing and extracting the soiling that was generated, I checked the floor to confirm the staining was gone. I could see that the 200-grit pad had done the job and there was no need to apply a coarser 100-grit so I followed up with finer 400 and 800 grit pads. Again, water was used to lubricate the process and the floor was rinsed and extracted after each pad. I went over the floor slowly to ensure each tile had a deep clean and to avoid creating any swirl marks.

Once the 400 & 800 grit pads had been applied, I buffed the tiles with a White rag to remove any excess water and get it ready for the next pad which would enhance the deep blue colours in the floor. Once the floor was dry a very fine 1500-grit pad was applied to compete the burnishing and add a slight shine to the tiles, this also leaves the floor nice and dry and ready for sealing.

Sealing an Encaustic Tiled WC Floor

To seal the floor, I used an oil-based sealer called Tile Doctor X-Tra Seal, which is rated for internal and external use. I allowed it to soak into the encaustic tiles which would allow the colours to really darken after the use of the burnishing pads.

After about thirty minutes I rubbed off the excess with a White cloth and then proceeded to apply a 3000-grit buffing pad to leave a smooth surface and an even shine all over the floor. I finished off with a further coat of X-Tra Seal and left for 30 minutes and repeated the same process giving a deep colour finish and leaving the floor well protected.

   

The customer where very happy with the result and recommended us to friends of theirs who had the same tiled floor. Before leaving I spent a few minutes to discuss aftercare cleaning, which for this floor I recommend Neutral Tile Cleaner.

Source: Encaustic Tile Cleaning and Renovation Service in Buckinghamshire