Once you've committed to installing your bamboo floor, make sure to order an additional 7-9 percent flooring to allow for waste and cuts. Also, carefully examine the bamboo flooring for consistent color, finish, quality, and damage before you begin. As with all projects, read and have a thorough understanding the manufacturer's installation instructions, policies and warranties because the time spent in these early stages can greatly improve the quality of your finished product.

The basic concepts for installing bamboo flooring are the same as for installing other hardwood flooring. The sub-floor must be flat, smooth, clean and preferably dry -- especially if installing onto a concrete surface (and you probably should consider laying a vapor barrier between the sub-floor and bamboo. Most bamboo floors are not covered under warranty if installed in a bathroom, washroom, saunas, or other similar wet locations -- but check with the manufacturer you want to choose to make sure. Remember, bamboo flooring is a natural product that will warp or swell with extended exposure to moisture, and shrink with extended exposure to heat.

General Preparation

• Acclimate: As with other hardwoods, bamboo flooring must be acclimated in the room where it will be installed for 24-72 hours to ensure it adapts properly to the temperature and humidity level of the room. If you live in an arid zone, it's advisable to have the wood acclimate in the space it's to be installed for even longer; you want the wood to be at about the same moisture content as the humidity level in the room.


• Lay-Out: By laying the flooring prior to installation, you can ensure that the floor color and grain characteristics enhance the beauty of the finished floor. Being a natural product there will be variations, and the finished floor looks better if you intermix the light and dark pieces, as well as the slightly different grains.


• Warranty: Follow the manufacturer's installation instructions to protect your warranty.


• Tapping Block: To avoid fracturing the flooring edge, use a tapping block to hit the bamboo, or a rubber-headed mallet. Never hit the bamboo flooring directly.


• Base Molding: Remove any base molding (aka baseboard or toe kick) and door thresholds before installation. Leave 1/4-1/2" expansion space between walls, cabinets, etc. using plastic or wood spacers to accommodate expansion due to changes in moisture level. These spaces will be covered when base moldings are reinstalled.
  

Wood Sub-Floor -- Additional Preparation

• Clean and Smooth Surface: The wood sub-floor must be clean and free of all wax, grease, paint, etc. To ensure a smooth, even surface, sand the wood sub-flooring, and remove dust with vacuum and damp rag. If the floor isn't level, sand down the high spots and fill in the low spots.
• Secure: To eliminate squeaks, nail or screw the sub-flooring every six inches. This is well worth the effort because squeaking floors are a nuisance.
• Moisture: As recommended by the manufacturer, add a moisture barrier.

Concrete -- Additional Preparation

• Clean and Dry: The cement must be clean and free of all oil, stains, dust and debris, and must have all cracks and holes filled with patching material. Do not install on concrete unless it will stay dry during all seasons. Using a moisture meter, check the moisture levels in both the concrete and bamboo flooring. The difference between the two must be less than 3 percent (or 3 lbs. per 1,000 square feet, using a calcium chloride test).
• Moisture Treatment: Treat for moisture per the manufacturer's recommendations.

Vinyl -- Additional Preparation

Clean and Dry: Make sure the vinyl is in good condition, clean, level and well bonded to the sub-floor.

Installation

Once your sub-floor has been prepared, your working line can be established by measuring an equal distance (the width of the plank plus 1/4" for expansion) from the wall at both ends. Once measured, snap a chalk line. Confirm your working line by laying a few rows without glue or nails.

The three primary methods for installing bamboo flooring include the nail-down method, the glue-down method, and the floating method. Typically, the nail-down method is used with wood sub-flooring, the glue-down method is used for concrete sub-flooring, and the floating method is used for radiant heat floors, though nail-down can also be used on radiant heat floors too.

The use of each method depends upon the sub-flooring and the manufacturer's recommendations. Regardless of the method you choose, it is vital to follow the manufacturer's instructions because they vary from company to company, and variances from these instructions may void the warranty.

Finishing

Bamboo flooring can be purchased either pre-finished or unfinished. If you've installed unfinished flooring, sand the flooring using a floor sander as you would any other hardwood surface. After sanding the floor with a coarse grit, repeat with a medium grit and finish with a fine grit paper. Directly after sanding, apply the first coat of finish to avoid moisture absorption. Apply additional coats as recommended by the manufacturer, and as needed for traffic. Pre-finished flooring is ready to use immediately.

[Note: pre-finished bamboo planks have beveled edges so that as the imperfections of milling come into play, you won't have ridges between planks. One advantage of unfinished bamboo flooring over pre-finished bamboo flooring is that the sanding done after the bamboo installation is complete smooths all plank edges. Then putty can be applied to any gaps, caused by the imperfections of milled wood, before the finishing coats are applied, giving a smooth surface to your new bamboo floor. With a smooth floor, there are no cracks or gaps to collect dirt. And, damage happens as bamboo is installed; there is minimal recourse with pre-finished bamboo, but with unfinished bamboo the sanding will take care of the nicks and scrapes that can happen.]