Building with Bamboo Flooring?

[Billy McCarthy]

After finally getting a proper floor into our hallway and new nursery, I have about a box and a half of solid bamboo T&G planks. (came with the house, thought they'd be used in the last job, they weren't)

Has anyone used bamboo for carcase work? I'm thinking about making myself a new bureau using the boards for that. Any advice or warnings?

[johnny means]

I've worked with a bit of bamboo and find that it machines fairly cleanly, but is very rough on blades. It also requires more advanced type adhesives due to its "slickness". I used West epoxies and silicone caulk for gluing.

[Van Huskey]

Johnny is on the spot so to speak. :)

Not that this is relevant but do you actually have "solid" bamboo, I assume you mean solid as in it is bamboo all the way through (but still a gue up of smaller pieces) as opposed to an engineered product with just a wear layer of bamboo. I ask not to be a smart butt but I am actually curious.

[Billy McCarthy]

Yeah, solid as in all bamboo, not a veneer over other wood. The bamboo planks are several strips side by side, maybe about an inch wide each. I know that some bamboo grows pretty big, might be possible to find wider, not sure about thickness, though.

[Howard Acheson]

Is the bamboo pre-finished? If so, you had better find out if it was finished with a metal containing finish. If so, it will quickly dull your tools.

[Chris Padilla]

It isn't a bad idea to have some spare flooirng on hand for future mishaps....

[Van Huskey]

Yeah, solid as in all bamboo, not a veneer over other wood. The bamboo planks are several strips side by side, maybe about an inch wide each. I know that some bamboo grows pretty big, might be possible to find wider, not sure about thickness, though.

That is what I assumed, we have what you have in our house. I love it and the thing I liked most about it was the milling was almost perfect, we had less than 1% waste and as a result have maybe 300 ft sq left over. Very neat "green" product, though I don't know how truly green it is considering the amount of adhesives used, but we bought it because we liked it.

[george wilson]

I've heard bamboo is a bit too soft for flooring. You aren't getting that hard,thin outside shell.

[Van Huskey]

I've heard bamboo is a bit too soft for flooring. You aren't getting that hard,thin outside shell.

Although it is incorrect to market Bamboo as harder than hardwoods it certainly is harder than many and excellent for flooring. One key is bamboo by quality (young growth is softer) and type can vary a LOT. The really cheap stuff is havested when the weeds are too young and therefore really too soft. Bamboo that has been carbonized is softer (1120 Janka) harder than black walnut, softer than heart pine so it is on the edge of acceptable. Natural bamboo (what I have) is around 1400 , right at hard maple and white oak but a long way from say Brazilian Cherry or Santos Mahogany. Strand woven bamboo is significantly harder than either and depending on the process and manufacturer is up over 1800 (some over 2000) so harder than Pecan.

Again anyone that had poor results with bamboo probably got an inferior product (or carbonized). Bamboo can makes excellent flooring as long as you get the correct product, which is the key because bamboo flooring by its nature is very variable, compared to other types of solid wood flooring.

[Dave Gaul]

Very neat "green" product, though I don't know how truly green it is considering the amount of adhesives used, but we bought it because we liked it.

I think the reason bamboo gets the "green" label is becuase it is a highly sustainable product due to how fast it grows...

[phil harold]

I trimmed widows once with it
It dulled blades...

[george wilson]

What did the widows have to say about that???:)

[Van Huskey]

I think the reason bamboo gets the "green" label is becuase it is a highly sustainable product due to how fast it grows...

I understand that, I just meant if taken on the whole I don't know how "green" it really is. Most of it being produced in China and the potential amount of VOCs and other industrial waste associated with the product might make it far less "green" on the whole than any number of other flooring materials and products. It is just hard to know.

[phil harold]

What did the widows have to say about that???:)
They thought it was exotic!