How to Install Bamboo Flooring

Bamboo flooring is easy to install and maintain and it is often less expensive than other hardwood floors. Using bamboo also helps conserve resources because it quickly replenishes itself. Like other hardwoods, bamboo is usually installed by nailing it to a plywood subfloor. Some manufacturers offer bamboo flooring that can be glued down, allowing you to install it on a concrete slab.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Measuring tape
• Chalk line
• Adhesive
• Trowel
• Rubber mallet
• Saw

Prepare the Surface

1. Measure moisture with a concrete moisture meter or apply pieces of poly film to areas of the slab floor. Seal the edges. Allow the film to sit for two days. Check for color changes to the film or condensation. This indicates that moisture problems need to be taken care of before the floor can be installed.

2. Remove door sills and baseboards. Trim the bottom of door trims so that the strips fit under them.

3. Sweep and vacuum the concrete subfloor. Scrape the floor with a scraper or buff with heavy grit paper.

4. Move a straight, flat piece of lumber over the whole floor to check that it's level. Use a pencil to mark high and low spots.

5. Grind down high areas with a concrete grinder.

6. Prepare a quick curing patching compound according to manufacturer's directions. Pour the compound in front of the piece of flat lumber. Pull the lumber over the compound. Wait 20 to 30 minutes, then go over it with a trowel.

7. Lay the strips flat on the floor for 24 to 48 hours to acclimate to conditions within the interior.

Install the Flooring

8. Choose the longest wall perpendicular to floor joists. Measure a space away from the wall that's equal to the width of a strip and an expansion space that's 1/2-inch from each wall. Use a chalk line to draw a guideline along this space.

9. Trowel adhesive over a 3-foot area along the guideline. Place the edge of the strips against the guideline.

10. Hammer the strips securely into place with a rubber mallet.

11. Stagger rows of strips. Cut each strip at the end of the row. Use the remainder of the cut piece to start the next row.

Tips & Warnings

• Use an adhesive recommended by the flooring manufacturer. Don't use a water-based adhesive.