Green Shoots Blog
San Diego, CA
Alma is a teacher who recently remodeled her entire San Diego home. With a young daughter who loves to dance and large yellow lab Bailey, she was concerned about putting hardwood in the kitchen, until her contractor found Cali Bamboo and put it to the test. One year later, Alma could not be happier with her Antique Java Cali Bamboo Flooring in Kitchen and looks forward to decades of enjoyment!
“Hi my name is Alma and welcome to my newly remodeled home in San Diego. When I was looking for flooring, I thought about hardwood floors, but I wasn’t sure because I have a big dog and scratches are an issue. My contractor said he heard about a company called Cali Bamboo so we took a look at it and we really loved it! Our biggest concern was swelling in the kitchen because my dog drools and I have kids. I actually flooded my stove with water and when I came home there was water on the floor but nothing happened to it- no warping or anything, we just put the fan on it and it was perfect. We’ve had this floor for a year now and it’s amazing and I plan to have this floor for 20-30 years. It’s beyond our expectations, I love the way it looks. I get one hundred compliments every time someone comes to my house- they just love it and I keep telling them it’s Cali Bamboo and worth every penny. I highly recommend it and would never use anything else again.”
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I have a small 900 sq foot cabin surrounded by a continuous 12 foot porch on all 4 sides . My big family sleeps on the porch and the g’kids ride tricycles. The porch has 4 track windows. It’s in NW iowa where it gets VERY cold. I do not leave heat on in winter. Subfloors are beginning to show wear. Finally need to put down flooring
Questions: do you have a product for the porch floor that will be moisture tolerant (when we forget to close the 4 track windows) cold tolerant, and ecologically responsible?
What about for the cabin proper ?…where the temperature question is still a factor but not the moisture factor.
Hi Carol,
While none of our products are warranted for an outdoor type application, our Cali Vinyl Pro flooring is waterproof and holds up to freezing very well. It’s not the most eco-freindly option we offer, but it’s what I would probably use in this type of scenario.
Hi!
Is there anywhere that I could buy here in Europe?
Hi Maria,
In order to get product to Europe, you would need to find a freight carrier to bring it over. Probably very expensive, but we do this from time to time for people on remote islands.
Walker
The installation instructions for Cali solid bamboo seems to say not to install under kitchen cabinets or an island. Obviously this applies to a floating floor but does it really apply to a T&G nail down installation? The cabinets will clearly be lighter than the refrigerator which will sit on the floor. Can I install the floor under the cabinets with a T&G nail down installation?
Hi Dean,
I’ve been told that for nailed down floors, while it won’t void your warranty, we don’t recommend installing flooring under cabinets.
Hello, we just bought a condo, with carpet throughout – but today just picked up my 1,000sq ft of Cali Bamboo. The condo is 14 years old, struckuly sound. We are doing the entire first floor, minus entrances and bathrooms. I would prefer to glue down, rather than nail, due to the extreme hardness of the product. (and that is what Lowes recommended.) Any tips, before I start? I reviewed the PACE video.
Hi Tom,
You typically glue down to concrete and nail down to a plywood subfloor. My only tips are to follow the PACE guidelines and have plenty of saw blades for the chop saw, you should be swapping every 300-500 sqft or whenever the cuts aren’t clean.
I have had my Cali Bamboo Fossilized Java floor for almost 5 years. With two skidding , drooling dogs and sloppy cooks, it is holding up well. I just have a few questions. First, I thought that I could trust my floor installer, but that might have been in error. I have several places where the planks seem to have separated even though he used ample amounts of glue. The floor is floating, but glue was used at the seams. Is this a problem, or is it ok? Second question concerns cleaning – I have been seeing commercials for Rug Doctor’s flexclean and thought that would be an ideal machine for both my carpets and the hardwood area. However, I am concerned that their claims of the machine being used on hardwood floors are over the top. Would it harm my floor to invest in this thing? Thanks.
Hi Gail,
Thanks for the feedback. Separation can a result of shrinkage that was poorly planned for. Here’s a video that explains everything. If your flooring is T&G (tongue and groove) then gluing the seams is correct. We do not recommend anything other than sweeping and vacuuming with a vacuum designed for hard surfaces (no beater bar). For cleaning, all you’ll need is a microfiber pad and Bona Pro hardwood floor cleaner. Steam and hardwood are natural enemies, and wet mopping will cause cupping and can lead to buckling. I actually get a lot of cleaning questions so I shot a video in my home this weekend. Once I get it edited and up on YouTube, I’ll add the link to this comment. But in the meantime, this video showing how to clean vinyl flooring is essentially the same steps.
We are replacing kitchen. living room and hall floors…were told bamboo has to be unpacked and laid out flat for 72 hours prior to installation? Will this prevent buckling? We chose cali savannah bamboo
Correct, but it’s actually 5 days not 72 hours, a few years back we increased it to five days and I think there may still be a video out there on youtube that states 72 hours. The savanna color is brand new and it will definitely brighten up your home while the color variation and plank distressing will retain that cozy, “lived in” look and feel.
We recently had the Cali Bamboo Vintage Java distressed hardwood floating floor installed in our kitchen, & dining room. The floor is very spongy and almost comes apart. This is happening in several places not just one. We are not happy with the way this is sponging and almost coming a part. Do you have any resolutions to this problem? It has nothing to do with the weather or the humidity in the house. Any suggestions?
Sorry to hear of this Shelly, it is certainly very unusual sounding. I’m forwarding this over to our customer service department, someone will be contacting you shortly.
Best,
How can the bamboo flooring be sanitized around a toilet? I also like to kill germs in the kitchen. Commercials warn about food poison causing pathogens easily spreading throughout a kitchen. These are a real possibility with some of the cooks in the house. Thank you
Hi Roxanne,
We really don’t recommend using anything but Bona Pro, but I hear your concern. What I would do is choose a cleaner that you feel sanitizes adequately but is natural, and free of harsh chemicals. Be sure and clean an inconspicuous area of the floor first and let it set a few days and then try cleaning it again. What you don’t want is something in the cleaner reacting with the aluminum oxide finish. Once you have successfully cleaned it a few times and it doesn’t show any signs of damage you can use in a more conspicuous area.
So I picked up a sample of Cognac Fossilized Wide T&G from Lowe’s yesterday. I had the same concerns with swelling that Alma in the video had, so I tried putting the sample in water to test the claim. I didn’t submerge it completely, but rather had about half of it submerged placed on it’s side. After 1 hour like this the sample’s finish is ruined – the finish has all sorts of cracks where it was exposed to water. I know even this is an extreme test and flooring, even in the kitchen, likely won’t be exposed to this much water (though I have experienced a leaking dishwasher in the past), but this is a far cry from “putting it in a bucket of water for like a day, and nothing happened.” So, what gives? Why the difference in test results?
Hi Kevin,
Cognac is one of our stained floors so possibly the red stain used affects its absorbency? I agree, this is a pretty extreme test her and her contractor performed, a puddle on the top of the flooring is probably a more true-to-life test. Bamboo flooring isn’t waterproof this was just the experience they had. I’ve taken down the video.
Hi Walter,
Just for full disclosure, I did pick up two samples from Lowe’s – the Cognac, as well as a sample of Vintage Java Fossilized Wide Click. The day after my test with the Cognac, I did the same test with the Java and it performed much much better – virtually no damage was noticeable. I notice that the sawn edges of the Java sample are much more smooth and burnished than that of the Cognac’s edges. I suspect that burnishing (maybe from a duller saw blade?) sealed off the bamboo and decreased it’s absorbency. Maybe you guys can experiment with different cutting methods or possibly adding a waterproof sealant to the sawn edges to decrease absorbency – just a suggestion. I think you guys have a good product overall.
Like.
Hi we are planning on purchasing the Eucalyptus Fossilized flooring. What type of saw works with this? We need to purchase one and I want one that can handle the hardness of the floor. Thank you!
Chop saws with Diablo 72T or 96T blades are great for quickly cutting floor planks. Plan on using at least 2 blades, more for large jobs. If you need to rip floor planks (cutting the long way) a table saw is best. If you don’t want to pony up for two saws, a quality circular saw can do it all with a bit more ingenuity and skill (clamping to workbench or sawhorse, etc.).
Hi, I traditionally use sand in place floors, with a water based poly. What type of coating do you use on the Mocha Fossilized Wide T&G?? And can it be resealed with a water or oil poly in the future after sanding or scuffing??
Thx, John
Hi John,
Our solid bamboo and eucalyptus has a 10 coat UV cured aluminum oxide finish. In the future, if you every needed to do a screen and recoat or a full sand and refinish, a water-based clear coat finish would be recommended.
We have vinyl asbestos tile on concrete first layer. It was covered with Quietzone by Congoleum second layer, assumed it is glued. Is it okay to float the bamboo flooring over this? It is a smaller kitchen used for cooking and cleaning up only. No table & chairs. Thanks.
Yes, you can float right over that.
Husband says “Wonderful!” Thanks.
I will be redoing my flooring in my entire house next year. I am looking for a product that is pet friendly, but that doesn’t have the noise that I’ve noticed with a lot of laminate floorings. Does this floor have a really hollow sound when you walk on it with heels on and such (like I’ve noticed with laminates)? Or does it have the nice solid sound of real wood flooring?
Hi Carissa,
The noise you are referring to has to do with the installation method not the product. Laminates are usually click-lock milled and therefore often floated causing that “hollow” sound whereas nailed down or glued down floors have a very solid feel to them. If you want that solid feeling, look at T&G milled flooring, it can be glued down (concrete subfloors) and nailed down (plywood subfloors).
Walker
I was wondering when installing Cali Bamboo if im transitioning into another room but still using the Bamboo do i still need a T-Strip or can i just install into next room with no strip our current floor has a strip between the rooms but they are diff flooring never liked the T strip or the bumb it creates,
Hi Jannene,
The short answer is if you are gluing down or nailng down your new floor, you do not need a transition piece. However, if you plan on floating the floor, than you should use one. That said, if you’re floating, and the span of flooring from one room to the next is under 30 feet then you should be fine without one. The reason for the piece is to insure against normal expansion and contraction of hardwood due to fluctuations in relative humidity (not temperature as many think), or in your case, it sounds like it might have just been used between two different types of flooring. If you need any more clarification, just let me know.
Best,
Thanks Walker for the reply we are installing the click lock flooring. the old flooring ran in 2 diff directions the Cali Bamboo will be running the long way East and West in both rooms and to the east it will run down a hallway the opening between the kitchen and living room/foyer entrance is 4′ 9′ total width from the 2 rooms is 22′. We want to make sure this is done right because we plan on this being the last floor we install in our home my husband and i are both 55.
Ok, since you are floating, you need to be mindful of the span. If the flooring will travel from room to room and down a hallway, if that distance is over 30′ you should look for a spot to break the span and add that t-molding.
Hello there, we just installed the Cali Bamboo one click Fossilized Java flooring in our dining room, kitchen and hallway the past few days. I was wondering if I could use a Swiffer Wet Jet or something of the sort to clean it? I don’t have the Bona products mentioned above and just wanted to make sure the Swiffer wad ok before I clean with it. Thank you!
The Swiffer Wet Jet mop and micro fiber pad are probably just fine to use, but I can’t speak for the Swiffer brand solution. We’ve tried a bunch of different ones and always found Bona Pro to be the superior solution.
Bamboo vs porcelain wood look tile. Pros and cons please. Does this stuff show wear in kitchen areas in front of sink, refrigerator cooking appliances? Our last home had hardwood and it was an issue. These areas became lighter in appearance, almost like the finish wore off.
How about installation in bathrooms, laundry and powder rooms?
Hi Linda,
Great questions, if you are looking for a floor that will look pristine 10 years from now I wouldn’t go with a hardwood. No matter what any hardwood manufacturer says, no floor is scratch proof and will show some signs of wear over time. That said people still do it and just accept that there will be some wear to live with. Keeping a hardwood floor clean and free of debris can help keep hardwoods looking new longer also, direct sunlight can fade hardwood floors so you’ll want to keep them shaded. Steer clear of the cheaper (under $5/sqft) hardwoods, they simply don’t last.
The porcelain floors I have seen seem very durable but are cold and very hard so most people cover them with rugs to make them more livable. If you want durability and are thinking about installing in a kitchen and bathrooms, but you want the wood look, our Inspired Cork Flooring may be a better match than bamboo. Also, there have been advances in vinyl flooring called LVT (luxury vinyl tile) that look pretty close to real wood, they are waterproof, very affordable and are becoming very popular. The downsides to LVT are that it is currently very thin and not very comfortable and it isn’t very eco-friendly being comprised mostly of plastic. If a certain eco-friendly flooring company could develop an LVT that was comfortable and eco-friendly they would be on to something, and if they could launch it within the next few months that would be even better 😉
I have the bamboo flooring but there so many feet marks on the floor I use bona cleaner but as soon as you walk on it the feet marks come back I use water but it still looks bad what can I use to get rid of the walking marks I clean my floor everyday with a swifter mop please help
Hi Sara,
That’s one I’ve heard before and it usually is related to the darker colors. I actually just found out our customer service team recommends Bona Pro which is slightly different than regular Bona and apparently deals with footprints better. If Bona Pro doesn’t solve your woes, contact coustomer service and create a support ticket, and they can give you a few more suggestions. Oh, and send us photos of the floors, we love seeing completed projects!
Best,
Walker
Hello,
I want to install your wide click solid bamboo on concrete, glued down (to minimize floor noise).
30 year old floor kitchen, dinning rooms. there are two cracks in the floor that did crack former ceramic tile. Floor has been ground clean and flat after tile removal. Should I install (or is it ever done) ?to install
Schluler Ditra to isolate the flooring from the slab?
Hi Steven,
Floating the floor will remove any concerns you may have about a shifting subfloor, but you mentioned you prefer the glue down method to reduce floor noise? I’ve never hear of Schluler Ditra and from my google search it appears to be used with ceramic tile not hardwoods. Hardwood especially bamboo will have a bit more flex than ceramic tile, so I think as long as we aren’t talking about significant slab movement you should be in the clear to glue down. That said, I’m no flooring installation expert, and I can’t see your floor so having an expert look at it is highly recommended. Remember to always seal concrete subfloors with Titebond 531+ a few hours prior to installation.
Interesting to hear about your dog on your floor. We just installed antique Java snap floor last month in our new home and it scratches super easy, and we’re not tough on it. We have a shoes off policy and try to be careful but even chairs with plastic caps on the legs leave scratch marks. Any suggestions?
Hi Cameron,
Sorry to hear you’re experiencing some scratching. Sounds like those pesky “white” superficial scratches? I have the same floors in my house and I’ve used a black sharpie and rubbed it in quickly with a finger to hide those. We are actually coming out with a series of color-matched markers to accomplish the same thing. I’ll have customer service send you a free kit. I’m trying to track down your address and I don’t see your account in our system under the email address you used for this comment. Did you happen to use another emaill address? Or I could use your last name and phone number? Email it to me directly. We’ve also noticed that those plastic caps tend to do more harm then good, try to replace or add felt or rubber pads and the scratching will stop.
Hi, we are considering bamboo flooring in 3 parts of our house. The kitchen/ family room, back hall and a good sized laundry
Room where I often let clothes drip dry. We also have dogs, and a lot of traffic in and out of the house with a pool we are very popular and grandkids.
Hi Geri,
I think you are asking about Bamboo Flooring and it’s tolerance to drips of water on the floor? Bamboo flooring can handle drips just fine, it’s when drips become puddles and those puddles reach a plank’s seam you can have problems. Best thing to do is get several samples of the different flooring you are considering and put them through a real world drip test testing different amounts of water on top of the floor. Drips and puddles in the middle of a plank should evaporate just fine, it’s when the moisture finds an edge and gets into the floor crack is where hardwood and bamboo can have different reactions.
I have just put in Cali Bamboo Moca color and I already love the floor. We put down the floor on our entire first floor. My only problem is I don’t know how to clean it. I know to use a swifter (dry) but that does not get rid of the water marks (drips in the kitchen) or ordinary marks from the contractor. Please let me know the best way to clean the floor to keep it glossy and beautiful.
First off, I apologize this isn’t the easiest information to find on our website. We have a page here that discusses Bamboo Flooring Care & Maintenance. Do Not Wet Mop Bamboo, Eucalyptus or Cork Flooring, this can lead to a dull finish and in extreme cases plank cupping. We recommend lightly spraying the soiled area with Bona® Hardwood Floor Cleaner and quickly wiping it up with either a microfiber cloth or dry swiffer type device. Bona® also has an all-in-one mop has has the floor cleaning solution sprayer built into the mop and you just re-fill the mop and replace the micro fiber pads as needed. These are nice because the Bona® and the mop always seem to end up in different ends of the house (in my house at least). Send us photos Diane we want to see your family on the new floors!
I love my bamboo flooring but after only one month it began to gap in 7 different places, I live in the mid-west and it is winter here. Could anyone please tell me what to do to fix it. Not one professional that I have contacted has had any advice except to tear it out and start anew. Please help!
Hi Sandra,
Gapping can be a tough thing to prevent during these dry winter months. According to the notes in your account it looks like you went with another floor brand? What did you end up installing just for reference? Depending on the severity, have heard of floors returning to normal when temperature and humidity levels start to rise.
Walker