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Hello there.
I just felt like posting a pciture of my new 'singing floor'.
It is made of bamboo and I thought it was the dream flooring for a shakuhachi player!
We just finished laying the flooring down and moved in.
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I could be wrong, but that doesn't look like bamboo... more like hardwood. (Nice nonetheless!)
Zak
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It is actually bamboo but made into pieces so you can put the floor down yourself.
You can see the nodes and everything.... If you see the 'dots' - that's the nodes. The bamboo is cut into smaller pieces and pressed together.
Last edited by Kiku Day (2009-04-20 08:03:07)
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Looks nice...
Beautiful detail: the shinning flower at the window!
Have nice moments at your new home Kiku!!!
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Zakarius wrote:
I could be wrong, but that doesn't look like bamboo... more like hardwood. (Nice nonetheless!)
Zak
Bamboo flooring comes in many colors:
http://www.calibamboo.com/bamboofloorin … agodTgaVFA
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How cool is that!? Bamboo flooring in the home of a shakuhachi player - of course! Enjoy your new home Kiku.
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its beatiful!
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Looks great, Kiku. By 'singing floor', do you mean that it sings like floors in Japan that sound like singing birds? I was always fascinated by this invention to warn one of approaching ninja!
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No no... we tried out best to put it so it wouldn't sing in that way.
The reason for I called it the singing floor was just because one of my Danish friends asked me whether the singing floor was finished (referring to bamboo in my hands usually means music). I liked that - and have since called it that - even though it doesn't sing as such... BUt it is really nice!
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philthefluter wrote:
Looks great, Kiku. By 'singing floor', do you mean that it sings like floors in Japan that sound like singing birds? I was always fascinated by this invention to warn one of approaching ninja!
This reminds me of the story "across the nightinggale floor". A good read.
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Yeah, that's made of bamboo, bamboo flooring, I woking in a factory that producing this bamboo flooing in China. Kiku day,May I ask, is the ceiling also made of bamboo?
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I had this in a house before. It works well, but keep an eye on it near doors for buckling and delamination. In FL we have houses built on concrete slabs, and any moisture can cause the bamboo to expand and buckle. We also found that is delaminated somewhat in direct sun. Also, although bamboo is hard and resilient, it really doesn't stand up to 100 lb dogs. My german shepherd is old and pretty lethargic, but he still managed to put some pretty big scratches in that floor. I am not sure how the floor is holding up now, as it is still in my ex-house with my ex-wife. One thing that is cool is that bamboo is much more renewable than hard wood floors. It also cleans well and easily.
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james3232 wrote:
Yeah, that's made of bamboo, bamboo flooring, I woking in a factory that producing this bamboo flooing in China. Kiku day,May I ask, is the ceiling also made of bamboo?
Of course you may
No, the ceiling is a wooden ceiling that was there when we bought the house! It is only the floor that is made of bamboo.
lowonthetotem wrote:
I had this in a house before. It works well, but keep an eye on it near doors for buckling and delamination. In FL we have houses built on concrete slabs, and any moisture can cause the bamboo to expand and buckle. We also found that is delaminated somewhat in direct sun. Also, although bamboo is hard and resilient, it really doesn't stand up to 100 lb dogs. My german shepherd is old and pretty lethargic, but he still managed to put some pretty big scratches in that floor. I am not sure how the floor is holding up now, as it is still in my ex-house with my ex-wife. One thing that is cool is that bamboo is much more renewable than hard wood floors. It also cleans well and easily.
Here in Denmark we have to put something that is called 'damp block' (if literally translated) when building new houses or putting a floor down. It is a sheet of strong plastic to block for moisture coming from the ground. So there is that first of all, then we put something that was at least 1 cm thick to dampen the sounds of the steps and insulate before laying the floor. So it should be ok - I hope...
We have put floor tiles at the entrance as it cannot be good for any wooden floor when people are entering the whole winter with wet boots etc.
Yeah, we have thought of the danger of direct sun affecting the floor. Time with show.
Thanks for writing about your experiences, lowonthetotem. Now I can watch out for the things you point out.
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We have put floor tiles at the entrance as it cannot be good for any wooden floor when people are entering the whole winter with wet boots etc.
This is a great idea. Our issues arose here during hurricane season when the wind would push rain through the weather stripping on the door frame and under sliding glass doors. It sounds like your place is a framed house with a crawl space below it. I think this is a much better application opportunity than concrete slab. I prefer tile flooring here in FL, but that would likely become very cold if it were throughout your place. Cold is something I don't worry about much.
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I need some tile at the entrance to my house. My oak flooring is really starting to buckle. Maybe, one day, I can install some bamboo too. Although, can you resurface bamboo like oak flooring? That could be an important determining factor for me.
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Although, can you resurface bamboo like oak flooring?
I think you mean "refinish," and I don't think that it is advisable. Ours came with a pretty hi-tech finish already on it. But, I could be wrong.
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Yes, refinish. That is what I would worry about. I have a few deep scratches in my oak floor and they will take some sanding to get rid off. I love the look of bamboo though. It is beautiful.
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purehappiness wrote:
I need some tile at the entrance to my house. My oak flooring is really starting to buckle. Maybe, one day, I can install some bamboo too. Although, can you resurface bamboo like oak flooring? That could be an important determining factor for me.
Bamboo flooring comes in two forms:
The type you (or an experienced person of your choice) install yourself, usually over a vapor barrier placed on the surface below, which is then
covered with a thin closed-cell foam cushion. The floor pieces lock together at the edges, and the entire assembled floor 'floats' on this substrate.
The type that is installed by fixing the pieces in place with a nailer or adhesive. The pieces are all the same precise dimension, and no sanding
or surfacing is done after installation.
Both types, in my experience, are pre-finished with some sort of clear epoxy film, and are difficult to touch up or refinish. It's cheaper to just replace the
floating type, at any rate. It's a very tough finish, though.
For some pretty good eddication on bamboo flooring, read through all the links on this site, starting with this introduction:
http://www.hardwoodinstaller.com/hardwo … uction.htm
Last edited by edosan (2009-04-24 22:50:35)
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Yes, I think a floating floor would be best. that way you could replace damaged areas when needed. They do look beautiful though. All you have to do is be careful and take your shoes off at the door. My oak floor has been a little abused.
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purehappiness wrote:
Yes, I think a floating floor would be best. that way you could replace damaged areas when needed.
The pieces interlock, so it's virtually impossible to do this. Best to remove shoes, and keep poochie's nails trimmed, and use strategically
placed rugs.
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