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basilisk[_2_] basilisk[_2_] is offline
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Default Best wood floors in dry climate?


"ransley" wrote in message
...
On Feb 17, 8:33 am, Swingman wrote:
On 2/16/2010 10:01 PM, ransley wrote:

If a wood floor is installed without opening up packages and allow to
aclimatize to the lower humidity of your home this can happen, its not
a bamboo problem its a installer problem, a real pro has a moisture
meter handy. For all you know the floor was stored in a very humid
place before you got it, it can take weeks to aclimatize wood to a
house before install. Did a store install it that sold it to you, then
there was a warranty, id call the manufacturer and ask.


Well, you start off on the wrong foot ... bamboo is NOT wood, it is a
_grass_.

And the OP's is most definitely a "bamboo problem" (related to
"climate"), and more than likely NOT an installation problem.

Bamboo is notorious for having wildly varying degrees of moisture
content, some of which has not been observed to change for months no
matter how long the acclimation period ... unless in an extremely dry
client, like where the OP indicates his is installed.

With regard to moisture meters ... once again, bamboo is not wood, and
moisture meters are calibrated to use on WOOD, and furthermore, specific
species of wood.

AAMOF, I can personally attest that as of the summer of 09 there were no
moisture meters currently on the retail market calibrated to accurately
and consistently determine the actual moisture content of bamboo
flooring .. which was the last time I was asked to have on installed.

Unless there have been very recent changes, the only way to approximate
a usable MC reading of bamboo is by _comparison_ with a known sample,
using the same meter, thus your "real pro" is basically at the same loss
to give an accurate MC for installation as any DIY'er without a moisture
meter would be.

Most important thing when contemplating using bamboo flooring is the
quality of the product. This is the single most important factor on
whether you will have a successful installation ...and, as with all the
Pacific Rim shoe merchants and ribbon clerks looking to make a buck
these days, that is a most difficult thing to do with this particular
_grass_ flooring product.

The second is the climate of the locale of the intended installation.

In short, bamboo flooring, despite what the retailers will try to tell
you, seems to be more suitable when building for what are classified in
the trade as "Hot, Humid, Climates", and can be problematic, as the OP
has discovered, when building in drier climates.

IOW, the single biggest factors in the success of the installation in
drier climates is the QUALITY of the product ... a hit and miss
proposition at best in this day and age, and one reason why, as a
builder, even then I generally discourage my clients from using the stuff.

IME, YMMV, FWIW, etc. ....

--www.e-woodshop.net
Last update: 10/22/08
KarlC@ (the obvious)


Moisture meters measure % of moisture they are not only "calibrated to
wood" The one I use Delmhorst, has scales on the screen to use it for
concrete plaster or wood. In construction you have to Know when
concrete, plaster, drywall, wood are too wet to use and too wet to
paint. The floor guys I have used have them, it saves them from doing
bad jobs and redoing floors. Inspectors and roofers use them to
pinpoint problems, Its one tool that has saved me alot of money over
the years from bogus complaints and knowing a products moisture before
working with it, like PT, everybody wants it stained now when its new,
and it works on Bamboo.


Swingman is right.

I use a Delmhorst RDM2, a high end meter but several years old, it does
not have a built in calibration for bamboo, here is a conversion table to go
from doug fir to bamboo flooring:

Doug Fir reading -Actual % M/C
6- 3
7- 3.5
8 -4
9 -4.5
10- 5
11 -6
12 -6.5
13 -7
14 -7.5
15 -8
16 -8.5
17- 9
18 -9.5
19 -10
20 -11
21 -11.5
22 -12
23 -12.5
24 -13
25 13.5
26 -14
27 -14.5
28 -15.5

The important point is the equilibrium moisture content,
at 72 degrees and 15% relative humidity the ECM is only
2.5%, any floor laid at a higher moisture content that this
will eventually shrink and leave cracks.

It may take a year for hardwood flooring to reach ECM,
no one can wait a year to lay their floor, acclimating the
flooring to the house for a couple of days or a week may
help a little but is for the most part worthless.
Bamboo isn't hardwood and I have found no information
on the drying rate, it being a closed cell glued up product
I suspect Swing is right about it not drying out at any
timely speed.

There is a handy ECM calculator he

http://www.csgnetwork.com/emctablecalc.html

Most quality hardwood flooring is dried to 7-8% MC
and when laid will swell slightly in most home environments
making a nice tight floor that doesn't generally leave
much gap even in dry periods.

Most wood shrinks and swells the most between
12% and 25% MC, with smaller changes between
0% and 12%. I have no idea about the shrinkage rate
of bamboo.

I think people expect consistent perfection from
wood/bamboo/cork/name your favorite cellulose
based floor, from products that cannot deliver it.
If you want wood/bamboo floors you kinda have to
accept their builtin characteristics.

basilisk