I purchased some 3-1/4" x 36" bamboo tongue and groove nail down
flooring from an auction. The room in the old house has half particle
board subfloor, and half hardwood flooring from the 1950's which had
dips as much as 1/2". I have used leveling compound and made it level.
I tried driving flooring staples through a test piece with level
compound and I get cracking - I think this could cause problems, like
crackling when walking under that area. Also have been told by
flooring people that particle board is not a good subfloor to nail
into, as over time, may likely loosen and produce gaps in the
flooring.

So I thought of floating the floor and glueing the tongue and groove,
with a 1/8" foam underlay. I have talked to a few suppliers and some
say this can be done using a resilient glue. Others have said the
bamboo slats are designed for nail down and if you glue them tongue
and groove, they will eventually come apart - because the tongue and
the groove are not designed tight enough, and there is no guarantee
the glue will interface properly. I find that hard to swallow, as the
tongue and groove have little room, and glue will surely spread well
and cover the surfaces. Info on the internet seems to say that you
can float bamboo floors. Does anybody out there have experience with
floating a bamboo floor? What type or brand would you use?

Thanks, Henry

(henry) wrote in
om:

I purchased some 3-1/4" x 36" bamboo tongue and groove nail down
flooring from an auction. The room in the old house has half particle
board subfloor, and half hardwood flooring from the 1950's which had
dips as much as 1/2". I have used leveling compound and made it level.
I tried driving flooring staples through a test piece with level
compound and I get cracking - I think this could cause problems, like
crackling when walking under that area. Also have been told by
flooring people that particle board is not a good subfloor to nail
into, as over time, may likely loosen and produce gaps in the
flooring.

So I thought of floating the floor and glueing the tongue and groove,
with a 1/8" foam underlay. I have talked to a few suppliers and some
say this can be done using a resilient glue. Others have said the
bamboo slats are designed for nail down and if you glue them tongue
and groove, they will eventually come apart - because the tongue and
the groove are not designed tight enough, and there is no guarantee
the glue will interface properly. I find that hard to swallow, as the
tongue and groove have little room, and glue will surely spread well
and cover the surfaces. Info on the internet seems to say that you
can float bamboo floors. Does anybody out there have experience with
floating a bamboo floor? What type or brand would you use?

You need to follow the manufacturers recommendations. Nobody elses. I would
get rid of the particle board anyway, nothing permanent should go over it,
it turns to mush first time it gats wet.

That said, there are a lot of problems with bamboo, it does not make an
ideal floor. Problems with nailing(it is a grass!) and finishing.


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Agreed - one shall not be nailing floors to particle board, all plank
manufacturers and floor installers I know say that.

tweaked vvv wrote:
(henry) wrote in
om:

I purchased some 3-1/4" x 36" bamboo tongue and groove nail down
flooring from an auction. The room in the old house has half particle
board subfloor, and half hardwood flooring from the 1950's which had
dips as much as 1/2". I have used leveling compound and made it level.
I tried driving flooring staples through a test piece with level
compound and I get cracking - I think this could cause problems, like
crackling when walking under that area. Also have been told by
flooring people that particle board is not a good subfloor to nail
into, as over time, may likely loosen and produce gaps in the
flooring.

So I thought of floating the floor and glueing the tongue and groove,
with a 1/8" foam underlay. I have talked to a few suppliers and some
say this can be done using a resilient glue. Others have said the
bamboo slats are designed for nail down and if you glue them tongue
and groove, they will eventually come apart - because the tongue and
the groove are not designed tight enough, and there is no guarantee
the glue will interface properly. I find that hard to swallow, as the
tongue and groove have little room, and glue will surely spread well
and cover the surfaces. Info on the internet seems to say that you
can float bamboo floors. Does anybody out there have experience with
floating a bamboo floor? What type or brand would you use?

You need to follow the manufacturers recommendations. Nobody elses. I would
get rid of the particle board anyway, nothing permanent should go over it,
it turns to mush first time it gats wet.

That said, there are a lot of problems with bamboo, it does not make an
ideal floor. Problems with nailing(it is a grass!) and finishing.


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--
Alex Safonov
safonov [around] cs umn edu
http://www.cs.umn.edu/~safonov/

tweaked vvv wrote in message ...
(henry) wrote in
om:
You need to follow the manufacturers recommendations. Nobody elses. I would
get rid of the particle board anyway, nothing permanent should go over it,
it turns to mush first time it gats wet.

That said, there are a lot of problems with bamboo, it does not make an
ideal floor. Problems with nailing(it is a grass!) and finishing.


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---= 19 East/West-Coast Specialized Servers - Total Privacy via Encryption =---

Unfortunately, when you buy stuff at an auction, there is no support
provided. I could not source the manufacturer either. All said and
done, I have chosen to float these floors, gluing the tongue and
grooves together, and installing an underlay. I have tested one piece
so far and it seems to be really holding well - I could not break them
apart, even by putting a lot of my weight on it - so it might stand a
chance of working out. Will do the whole floor tomorrow. Let you
know how it goes after a week or so.

Lowes sells a bamboo topped pergo floor called "Bambo", but they have
problems with delivery. Not sure to trust them or not because their
license is suspended. They are operated by a bunch of females from San
Diego Ca, and owned by a company called:

WNM INTERNATIONAL, INC.
Number: C2098514 Date Filed: 12/28/1998 Status: suspended
Jurisdiction: California
Mailing Address
16955 VIA DEL CAMPO
#260
SAN DIEGO, CA 92127
Agent for Service of Process
LINDA WANG
16955 VAI DEL CAMPO
#260
SAN DIEGO, CA 92127

and connected with:

AIM INTERNATIONAL
Number of Businesses 002
Business Name AIM INTERNATIONAL
Business Name AMG TECHNOLOGIES
Number of Owners 001
Owner GINN ANGELA M

with:

Primary Business Name A I M INTERNATIONAL INC
Number of Businesses 001
Business Name A I M INTERNATIONAL INC
Number of Owners 001
Owner WNM INTERNATIONAL INC
Filing Date (CCyy/MM/DD) 19990628
Expiration Date(CCyy/MM/DD) 20040628
Business Conducted By Corporation

However, A I M INTERNATIONAL is not the same AIM International, so
there could be some fraud here too.

And... AMG Technologies is owned by:

AMG TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
Number: C2377412 Date Filed: 1/14/2002 Status: active
Jurisdiction: California
Mailing Address
2319 SUSAN STREET
SANTA ANA, CA 92704
Agent for Service of Process
TONY LAM
3400 W WARNER #A
SANTA ANA, CA 92704





(henry) wrote in message . com...
tweaked vvv wrote in message ...
(henry) wrote in
om:
You need to follow the manufacturers recommendations. Nobody elses. I would
get rid of the particle board anyway, nothing permanent should go over it,
it turns to mush first time it gats wet.

That said, there are a lot of problems with bamboo, it does not make an
ideal floor. Problems with nailing(it is a grass!) and finishing.


----== Posted via Newsfeed.Com - Unlimited-Uncensored-Secure Usenet News==----
http://www.newsfeed.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! 100,000 Newsgroups
---= 19 East/West-Coast Specialized Servers - Total Privacy via Encryption =---

Unfortunately, when you buy stuff at an auction, there is no support
provided. I could not source the manufacturer either. All said and
done, I have chosen to float these floors, gluing the tongue and
grooves together, and installing an underlay. I have tested one piece
so far and it seems to be really holding well - I could not break them
apart, even by putting a lot of my weight on it - so it might stand a
chance of working out. Will do the whole floor tomorrow. Let you
know how it goes after a week or so.