Whaddy’all know (or think you know ;-) about bamboo flooring?
It is TIME!!! This morning, I actually *asked* the GG if he wanted to go to Lowe’s with me. I usually avoid Lowe’s like poison. We go there when we need lucky-shucky supplies or plumbing equipment or coaxial cable and I can stand about two minutes of that before I get bored. So I go look at the books and magazines. And I see all the lovely kitchens or bathrooms or decks or backyard studios that I’ll probably never have and I get discouraged. And then I just want to get outta there.
But we are going to do something about our ugly, cluttered kitchen. It was ugly when we moved in 24 years ago and we have made hardly any changes to it in that entire time. It is a small kitchen and there is really not any room to expand it, so we are not talking about knocking down walls or anything like that. And don’t get me wrong. I do not mind a small kitchen. We are going to rearrange things a bit and get a new floor (!!!!) and hopefully some new cabinets. And *maybe* a new dishwasher and stove. But I *like* the stove, so who knows…
The floor… The question of the day is: what kind of flooring? I had just about picked out some of that wood laminate (think that’s what you call it) when somebody mentioned something about bamboo. And that is what prompted the trip to Lowe’s today. Here’s the deal. I will never have linoleum anywhere in my house ever again. It was a bad decision. Watch the video all the way to the end and you will see the main reason why I am unhappy with it. There are others. I like the look of wood but this is a kitchen and I’m pretty sure that I won’t take care of it very well. Hence the wood laminate. But what *about* bamboo? It’s pretty. Does anybody have any long-term experience with it? I like the idea of using a natural and [arguably] environmentally-friendly material. How will it hold up? It’s a kitchen. I am a klutz. I drop things and spill things and sometimes I even throw things. Well, okay, I only throw things like wet washcloths, but still.
And here, ladies and gentlemen, without further ado, is a video of my ugly kitchen that I have courageously posted on YouTube in all its cluttered glory! Click or be square!
September 14th, 2008 at 4:13 pm
Bubs and Harry have a bamboo floor in one bedroom– now the yoga room. call them up, stop over and see what it looks like and feels like. Harry may have leftover wood as well – not sure how much he had and if he’s done anythign with it.
September 14th, 2008 at 4:53 pm
on the other hand, if you *do* decide to go with the laminate, I have several cartons of the Pergo “Presto!” Applewood AND corresponding underlayment and spacers and tool that I would happily GIFT to you…. but IF and ONLY IF you really truly want it. You’ve seen it in action in my house.
Otherwise, it might wind up on Craigslist.com (if I can ever get around to dealing with that).
September 14th, 2008 at 5:18 pm
all I can say is “Research, research, RESEARCH”. I found a link from 2005 (some environmentalist) who stated that bamboo flooring is just as vulnerable as other soft-wood floorings (and the darker the color, the softer it is – the color comes from heat, not stain/pigment). There have very likely been improvements in the 3 years since – if anything, take a hammer to the sample @ Lowe’s and see how it looks.
September 14th, 2008 at 7:08 pm
I’ve also heard of people putting cork flooring in the kitchen. I don’t know much about it, but it might be something else to check out.
September 14th, 2008 at 7:50 pm
oh yeah – I have a friend with a cork kitchen floor. let me know if you want to go visit that floor as well. 😉
I like them both. nice feel on the foot.
September 14th, 2008 at 8:32 pm
Pooh: Jane beat me to the punch about Bubs and Harry’s bamboo floor. We have the old (i.e. before we brought the house) linoleum. Ours doesn’t have a giant stain on it, but the pattern is absolute camoflage for Cheerios, corn flakes, whatever. Until you step on them of course!
Marquis: I would recommend that you start at the top of the room and then work your way down. That way your new beautiful flooring is not ruined.
September 15th, 2008 at 6:51 pm
Susie Khoury has bamboo flooring in the kitchen, dining room and family room at her home. Since she lives near Dogmom, you could stop by her place to see how it looks (on your way to get your free wood laminate flooring). Shortly after she put it in, her water leaked behind the fridge and under the dishwasher. It sat for a few hours before they came home to find that there was a problem. The floor looks fine. It didn’t warp or discolor. Also, when they moved the fridge across the room, it did not dent. That is a problem with regular wood flooring. She has only had it for a couple of months so I guess that long term, she couldn’t tell you much. So far, she and Michael are very happy with their choice. Also if you decide on bamboo, Costco has a decent price. We belong to Costco and we would be happy to take you there to look at it. You could compare pricing.
September 15th, 2008 at 6:53 pm
Oh yes. I forgot to mention that I know a cabinet salesman. He might have some ideas for you.