How to Prepare Your Home for Bamboo Flooring Installation

Bamboo flooring installation requires preparation, especially regarding the subfloor in your home. However, you must also ensure the job site is ready. Bamboo has rapidly become a popular alternative to traditional hardwood flooring products. It’s extremely durable and versatile, but without adequate preparation, serious problems can occur. 

Subfloor Preparation Is the #1 Priority

The subfloor, which can be concrete, wood, or another material, is as important as the flooring material atop it. If a subfloor is in poor condition, not prepared properly, or incompatible with the installation method, flooring failure is a possibility. You can avoid such a situation with the following steps:

• Make Sure It’s Flat: Any variation in the slope or evenness of the subfloor must not exceed 3 millimeters. More than that can affect the overlying material’s stability. A level or straight edge can be used to check flatness. To correct any leveling issues, use a smoothing compound or, for a wooden subfloor, install a plywood liner.
• Make Sure It’s Dry: Moisture in the subfloor can rise and damage a bamboo floor. The best moisture detection method depends on the material. For a wooden subfloor, a two-prong moisture meter should be used and have a reading of no more than 16%. If the wood subfloor and bamboo planks absorb and release moisture at different rates, the floor can expand and contract unevenly (that’s why the flooring material should be acclimated in the room for at least 24 hours before installation).

For a concrete subfloor, use a digital hygrometer. Its maximum reading should not exceed 65% relative humidity after 24 hours. Concrete absorbs water as it hardens and then releases it over time. After laying a concrete floor, wait at least 60 days for it to fully cure before bamboo flooring installation. 

Concrete subfloors can be sealed with a urethane vapor barrier adhesive, concrete sealant, or vinyl to prevent moisture issues. Cracks and holes must be filled with a suitable patching compound.

• Make Sure It’s Clean: The subfloor must be clean before laying a bamboo floor. This involves removing any existing oil, wax, paint, or adhesive before thoroughly cleaning the subfloor of any dust or dirt. 

What About Subfloors with Radiant Heat?

Solid bamboo flooring can be installed over a subfloor with radiant heat. The warranty usually requires such a bamboo floor to be installed using glue that’s at least 2 millimeters thick. You’ll also need a heat-safe, vapor lock adhesive. 

If the radiant heating system is set in concrete, turn it up to the highest temperature setting for five to six days. After that, you can begin acclimating your bamboo flooring, first placing a polyethylene barrier between the subflooring and packaged bamboo. 

For other types of subfloor with radiant heat, set the system at 65℉ for 24 hours. You can then bring the bamboo flooring in to acclimate. Follow the manufacturer’s or supplier’s instructions for the best way to do this. Keep the floor temperature the same during installation and for 72 hours thereafter.

What Is Acclimatization? 

Acclimatization is a process in which any bamboo or wood floor adjusts to its surroundings. Bamboo naturally expands when it absorbs moisture and contracts when it dries out. While the changes can be subtle, they can affect the final installation if the bamboo isn’t allowed to adapt. 

Fully acclimatizing a bamboo floor helps ensure a perfect fit. To achieve this properly:

• Leave enough space to arrange your bamboo flooring once it’s delivered. It should be left in the room where it’s to be installed, in unopened boxes (and raised off a concrete subfloor).
• Make sure the floor is not damp, there’s no wet plaster in the room, and relative humidity is between 45% and 65%.
• Keep the bamboo flooring away from radiators, portable heaters, and other heat sources.

Bamboo Flooring Installation Method

The installation method used can determine how you go about preparing your home. It is generally dependent on the type of subfloor you have. Here are the most common installation methods for bamboo flooring:

• Nail-Down: The nail-down method for bamboo flooring installation requires nails to penetrate the subfloor and fasten securely. Too soft a material will cause the nails to come loose, while too hard a subfloor may prevent them from penetrating at all, so the flooring material won’t be properly secured. 

This method is best suited for the following subflooring:

• The existing wood floor is at least ¾” thick.
• Plywood at least ⅝” thick.
• Firm linoleum was installed over plywood.
• Firm kitchen vinyl placed over plywood.

However, the nail-down method does not work well with concrete, particle board, asphalt tile, steel, ceramic, or rubber tile.

• Glue-Down: The glue-down method for installing bamboo flooring works with a wider range of subflooring types. Depending on the material, additional preparation steps may be required. For example, concrete slabs must be first sealed to block moisture. Bamboo flooring can also be glued down to steel, cement board, or backer board. 

Solid bamboo floors can also be glued to the following materials once the appropriate preparation steps are taken:

• Gypcrete: It must be sanded with a coarse grit sander and sealed with a diluted acrylic primer. The primer must soak in; any film will prevent the glue from adhering.
• Plywood: Must be at least ⅝” thick.
• Oriented Strand Board: Must be at least ¾” thick.
• Existing Wood Floors: Sanding or scoring helps the adhesive bond to the wood.
• Ceramic/Marble/Stone: Scuffing the surface ensures the adhesive bonds to the subfloor.

The glue-down method does not work with particle board, asphalt tile, firm linoleum, firm 

kitchen vinyl, cushion vinyl, or rubber tile.

If you have a subfloor that isn’t suited for either of these methods, you can choose 

different types of bamboo flooring, such as one that can be floated.

Job Site Preparation

Before flooring products are shipped to your home, technicians should perform a preliminary job site inspection. This ensures the subfloor is of the proper grade, finish, and quality. Contractors must also ensure lighting is adequate for inspection and installation. During the evaluation process, they can determine if pieces may need to be located, defective pieces must be cut out, and a range of other details.

Other Bamboo Flooring Installation Considerations

You can also use this checklist from the National Wood Flooring Association. It accounts for important factors that can affect your bamboo flooring after installation, including the following:

• Exterior ground slope angle
• Floor flatness
• Presence of roof overhangs/gutters/landscaping/irrigation
• Nearby water sources
• Interior temperature/relative humidity
• Meter type used
• Relation of concrete slab to the exterior soil line
• The moisture content of the concrete or wood subfloor
• Type and thickness of wood subfloor
• Condition of crawl space/basement below flooring systems

The checklist also accounts for a wide range of other considerations. These involve technical aspects about existing floor coverings, rooms being worked on, and moisture content of wood at various temperatures and relative humidity levels. Technicians must also input the results of tests on the subfloor substrate. 

Contact Hernandez Wholesale Flooring

Are you considering bamboo flooring installation or replacement? The specialists at Hernandez Wholesale Flooring can install high-quality products at reasonable prices. Visualization tools and an in-home estimate help determine the best solution, while coupons and financing options can make your project more affordable. Contact us to learn more about our solid bamboo flooring or schedule an appointment in or around Commerce or Santa Ana, CA.