Lumber liquidators Supreme Bamboo?

Has anyone installed the Supreme bamboo floor from LL? How does it perform? What size cleats did you use? How thick was your subfloor?

Lumber liquidators Supreme Bamboo?
you had better just hope that a panda bear doesn't get into your house and eat the floor.
Reply:I recommend that you avoid any kind of bamboo flooring. A friend of mine owns a flooring supply business and did a lot of bamboo floors over the years. He said that about 60% of them had some kind of problem and 20% of them had to be redone with something else, because of problems with the flooring (peeling, splitting, warping, etc.). Bamboo is a grass, not a wood. As such, it is way more susceptible to moisture and humidity changes. Hence the peeling, warping, and splitting.



Bamboo also scratches a lot easier than they say it does. And, it doesn't take well to refinishing.



When I consulted him on having my floors done for a remodel, he said he refused to even help me purchase any bamboo flooring, much less install it for me.



Also, beware of stuff you get for cheap at Lumber Liquidators. It's usually very thin (half inch), even if it's solid wood. This means it flexes more and can only be refinished once or twice before it has to be replaced. Or, it's engineered wood that you can't refinish at all.



With flooring, you definitely get what you pay for. And, unless you're flipping a house or just doing cosmetic work for a rental, you should invest a lot into your floors. They're very expensive to be continually replacing over the years.
Reply:Totally agree with Paul in San Diego and not much to add... but I'll try. :)



Bamboo is cheap for a reason -- and none of those are good in the long run. Even the "green" reason is bad because they don't refinish the way wood does. All you can do is degloss and reapply the finish. You can forget about sanding any scratches, etc out of the "wood" -- so, if you have REAL wear/tear, the only way to fix it is to rip them up and replace them. The fact is, it's not really wood, much less hardwood. They can be good for rooms that don't have to deal with moisture (warping), heat (they darken), or a lot of hard knocks or a lot of wear (splintering, dents, scratches, and/or refinish)... but I still wouldn't recommend them since that basically means they're good for rooms you don't use. Get REAL hardwood, tile, or resilient flooring.



btw, your subfloor should always be at LEAST 3/4" total, but it largely depends on how far apart your floor joists are and what you're putting on it as final flooring. 1 1/4" is ideal in that it will support tile or anything else you put on it. If you're laying cement board over plywood for tile, then the cement board should be 1/2" thick for the proper inflexibility.



2" cleats are pretty standard...