Letter 26096

Help with bamboo floors with aluminum oxide urethane finish

+++ I just had bamboo floors installed into my new home. The product came with an aluminum oxide urethane finish. The flooring industry has been touting bamboo floors and this coating as the hardest wood available with a coating just about impervious to anything. Wow, were they wrong! It's brittle and scratches more than oak. Has anyone out there had similar problems? And if so, what can I do? I've asked my installer to ask a manufacturer's rep to pay a visit. Outside of that, I fear I'm stuck putting booties on my dogs paws! Sue J [name deleted for privacy due to age of posting] Home owner - Severna Park, Maryland, USA ++++ I wondering what the company and product you guys have? I see that some grains and color have a harder hardness. Grain/Color Hardness (lbs.) Flat Grain Natural 2156 Vertical Grain Natural 1846 Flat Grain Caramelized 1926 Vertical Grain Caramelized 1417 Joe N [name deleted for privacy due to age of posting] - Toledo, Ohio ++++ I had bamboo installed throughout my home in March and the very next day after installation, we had multiple scratches - even gouges in the floor. Every thing has scratched this floor, dogs, my vacuum cleaner, even a plastic hamper my husband pushed to the side to clean under. We have been fighting with the manufacturer ever since. Today, we are sending a sample of the bamboo to a forensic lab for testing. I cannot believe the coatings they say it came with are actually on it. I'm not giving up. Donna B [name deleted for privacy due to age of posting] - Fort Lauderdale, FL, USA

We just had a natural bamboo floor installed and selected for the very reason that it was advertised as very hard. The very day installation was complete I found an extraordinary number of shiny scratches and also many deep gouges. Needless to say, I am very unhappy and in dispute with the installer about the installation and waiting to hear from the manufacturer's rep about this finish and what can be done to 1) repair it, and 2) make the finish hold up to normal wear and tear. We had planned to get a small dog, and now I don't think any dog could live on it without causing extreme damage. I never intended to have a floor I had to tiptoe on in booties.

Sarah S [name deleted for privacy due to age of posting]
- Cary, NC

Just had a black bamboo floor installed. It was totaled within a week. Deep scratches even with a finger nail. Manufacturer is replacing but I'm not confident the new floor will be better. The samples of the new floor certainly were not.

William H [name deleted for privacy due to age of posting]
- Melbourne Beach, Florida

My wife and I had the caramelized bamboo flooring installed throughout a 2400 square ft house. indentions and scratches result by the least amount of friction or weight upon the floor. We had the dealer visit our house and he offered a bucket of commercial grade finish which the installing company agreed to apply. Now we have shiny scratches and indentions. I may seek legal counsel.

Keith [name deleted for privacy due to age of posting]
- Tuscaloosa

Thank you. I would like to hear both more about any other bad or GOOD experiences with bamboo flooring.

AND, what is the consensus of what is the most durable, safe, as in falling on it, unscratchable, unstainable, and lovely flooring?

Again, thank you!

Dee A [name deleted for privacy due to age of posting]
- Palmdale, CA, USA

I'm sorry to read about everyone's bad experience with bamboo flooring and an aluminum oxide finish. I have just installed it myself and it looks beautiful, but unfortunately I inadvertently scratched it with a razor knife to the wood. does anyone know if I can buy this finish, sand out the scratch, and re-apply the finish?

Thanks,

David K [name deleted for privacy due to age of posting]
- San Francisco, CA, USA

I installed bamboo throughout my home this past year. And as many others are saying, all of the advertising, research and phone conversations were misleading. I asked about dogs & scratches & was assured my two beagles wouldn't do damage. I some parts of the floor there are more scratches than not. I am at the point I have to replace my whole house. The manufacturer recommends I refinish it in a commercial grade finish, even though when I ordered it they told me the finish was the hardest out there. I am wondering if anyone else out there is interested in participating in a Class Action Lawsuit. My old maple floors held up better than this!

Mona C [name deleted for privacy due to age of posting]
architectural designer - Royal Oak, MI, USA

I would like to join a class action law suit. I experienced the same problems. I can't wear my shoes in my unit because the wood scratches and dents so easily. In addition, at least half of my boards are cracked. I feel I was mislead as well. I was also told that the product is extremely hard. Any pressure results in dents and scratches as well as cracks.

Jen D [name deleted for privacy due to age of posting]
- Winchester, MA

Just installed 2200 sq/ft of carbonized Bamboo and the finish can be scratched off by my finger nail. Dents and scratches everywhere! Class action let's go!

Jason J [name deleted for privacy due to age of posting]
- North Berwick, Maine

My husband and I just built a brand new 4200 sq ft house and installed natural bamboo throughout the entire downstairs. We were told it was the toughest wood flooring out - commercial grade - the first week we had several large scratches. If there is any dirt, sand, etc. on floor - watch out - major scratches. We moved a rug from our entry which has been down 2 weeks and already major bleaching of the non covered wood. What a disappointment! What a waste of money - beautiful yes - worthless yes - it's only good if you don't walk on it, live on it, breath on it. Water leaves marks - horrible floor!

Stacy H [name deleted for privacy due to age of posting]
- Little Rock, Arkansas

Hello, I am only a consumer at this point, but have found this thread via Google search on Bamboo flooring. I would like to ask two specific questions regarding this flooring.

First, my fiance and I have purchased carbonized finish bamboo flooring for a 1300 sq' log cabin we've built up in Lake Tahoe. The flooring has come out of the box looking as though it's the natural finish. We were told by one of the salespeople that it will turn color with time. Unfortunately, I can't get a hold of ANYONE at the three California stores I've called to find out just how long it will take. I have found nothing mentioning the flooring NOT being the color chosen when the box was opened, only that it should acclimate to its environment for a while before installing. Has anyone else had this experience? It hasn't been installed yet, and if it's supposed to be the color chosen, we have to act fast.

We were also told that it's 25% harder than oak. I have no idea how this is quantified, but again we're concerned because the fellow renting our place has a very large dog. Needless to say, we're all concerned about scratching.

We are further concerned because we're buying a home currently under construction here in the Sierras and we want hardwood floors instead of the contractor's initial choice of laminate. We had decided we were going to stick with the bamboo, same color and finish. I am also becoming concerned because NOW that I'm Googling to learn more about this product I am not finding such good results. So far their customer service could not be described as "exemplary", or really, even "adequate", but I do hope that's not indicative of the quality of flooring they sell.

Marina H [name deleted for privacy due to age of posting]
- Pioneer, CA, USA

I finally got a check to refinish my carbonized bamboo floors. It took 8 weeks for the claim. Keep on them!

Jason [name deleted for privacy due to age of posting]
- Maine

I just installed 500 sf of medium carbonized horizontal, which I bought online. My dog is already ruining it. I knew it would get scratched and was willing to live with that, but the real problem is that the scratches turn WHITE. This is definitely a problem with the aluminum oxide finish, since the bamboo is uniform in color all the way through.

I took a scrap board and have tested a number of ways to repair the scratches, including stains, polyurethane, acrylic, and scratch sticks. Nothing is working. If I make a scratch deep enough to get past the finish, I can stain it, but the typical scratch isn't that deep.

Can anyone provide a link to additional information about this?

Dan H [name deleted for privacy due to age of posting]
- Lake Arrowhead, CA, USA

We are halfway through installing carbonized flooring and are already seeing problems with the finish. What steps do we take to get the supplier to pay for refinishing??

Shawna S [name deleted for privacy due to age of posting]
- Phoenix, AZ, USA

An update for anyone who reads this stuff:

The cabin in Lake Tahoe finally has the bamboo floors installed. It's beautiful, but TOTAL CRAP. Rolling the refrigerator into place has GOUGED it horribly. The act of stumbling in hard shoes has also gouged and scratched it. The contractor cannot walk through with anything on his feet, and literally, a plastic cup dropped onto the floor has also gouged it. I cannot believe that this stuff is actually 25% harder than oak, as we'd been told by staff at the store.

I also want to let folks on the west coast know about [name deleted by editor], the regional manager. He is THE WORST I have encountered, especially considering that these folks were paid in full up front for the whole package. He does NOT return calls, he does NOT follow up, he does NOT deliver as promised.

First, the flooring in the package, which was marked "Carbonized" was actually natural finish. We needed it replaced ASAP so we could get our C of O and funding.
We called, "Yes, the whole pallet's wrong. Yes, we'll replace it."
"Ok, when?"
"Well, it'll take a week for it to get down here."
(The location is about 8 hours away, how it needs a week I don't know. )
"A week? We ordered this stuff months ago, and we paid for it when we ordered it. Then, when we called to see if our order was in we were told yes, we get down there and you can't find our whole order, so we had to make a second trip, and then you didn't have the installation materials we'd also ordered, so that was a THIRD trip. You folks have already been paid in full, the check passed, so we know you've been paid. We want our whole order, and we need to have it now!"
"We can try to find it closer and get it to Sacramento sooner."
"Ok, but we want *you* to ship it to Tahoe at your expense, we don't have the time to continue making trips into your store only to stand around for hours before anyone can help us."

Many, MANY phone calls and promises later, including a promise for a flooring upgrade that never materialized (thank you!), we got the initial flooring order delivered in full (they hadn't even completed the original order, you see) TWO WEEKS LATER. Now, we're supposed to be getting $450 back for all our trouble, but I am now ready to sue not only for the incredibly poor quality of the flooring, but for the delays their ineptitude has caused and cost us (we've ended up almost a month behind schedule).

So, not only did the refrigerator being moved into place seriously gouge the floor (NO refinishing is possible with this sort of damage), but I can gouge into it with my FINGERNAIL! I don't have acrylic nails, I have plain old natural nails, and I can gouge this stuff like it's dough.

Now, I've been doing some searching on this stuff, and found that there are those who argue that it's the finish that's bad. I call BS, because I cannot see how the finish would make something that is apparently inherently soft, hard enough to live on. I want the entire floor replaced, but we can't do it before our tenant moves in. I plan to sue for the flooring and cost of this installation, as well as our tenants costs while the new flooring is installed. Only this will make us whole.

I will also comment that the CS reps at headquarters are great to work with, but they seem to be unable to get others to follow through on their end (namely regional manager). They have failed miserably between product offered for sale, product information (truth in advertising is a real issue here) and customer service.

Marina H [name deleted for privacy due to age of posting]
- Pioneer, CA, USA

Ed. note: we printed your review, Marina, as you are certainly welcome to your opinion. But people have a right to privacy even though you are very unhappy with them, so we can't print their names. Also, because the internet is too anonymous to verify that the "people" who post are real, we delete slams of specific products (more than once a product "slam" has been proffered by a competitor using a fictitious name). But we'll try to help you get into private contact with the other posters if you wish.

I installed carbonized bamboo flooring about a year ago- it looked beautiful and continues to stand up to kitchen traffic without scratching- but- it is now beginning to warp and bow- creating gaps. Anyone else have this problem? I'm now thinking of tearing it all out!!

Mike C [name deleted for privacy due to age of posting]
Handyman - Temecula, CA

My story. Five weeks ago we had the color "spice" bamboo installed in our kitchen and dining rooms. Not even getting direct sunlight, it has faded dramatically. Three service people from the store have looked at it and the discussion of what to do is still going on.

Deborah N [name deleted for privacy due to age of posting]
- Harrisburg, PA, USA

I am about to install vertical carbonized bamboo. From what you have mentioned in this forum I'm in line for a rude disappointment.

I have a question for Mike C (he talks about his floor is starting to warp and bow). Mike, is it solid or engineered bamboo? Vertical or Horizontal? Did you glue it down directly to the concrete? Did you nail it down to plywood subfloor?
Thanks a bunch to all who have expressed their opinion in this forum. I'll let you know how it goes.

Rudy Q [name deleted for privacy due to age of posting]
- Gilroy, CA

Hi again,

I noticed several people are also having problems with getting up the glue the installers use for the floor. I too am having this problem, in addition to the extra scratches and gouges.

I am in Austin, TX and would welcome any comments via email. If there is a suit pending I would also like information.

Lin H [name deleted for privacy due to age of posting]
- Austin, TX, US

We purchased engineered, vertical, bamboo floor and are now experiencing the bowing/hollow effect (to best describe it). We have in-floor heat and used the floating method of installation. I am also interested in hearing from Mike C on his floor; anybody know if this can be fixed or having similar problems?

Winona B [name deleted for privacy due to age of posting]
- Anchorage, AK

I am really sorry to hear about so many terrible experiences with the bamboo flooring. I plan on installing bamboo in my home within the next couple of weeks. However, I am using the composite type and I will install it unfinished (I will put my own court finish). I have received several samples from different manufacturers and it seems like the STRAND is much harder, more dense and heavier than the VERTICAL or HORIZONTAL. I have performed my own hardness tests. I can dent and scratch the VERTICAL and HORIZONTAL with my finger nail. The STRAND I can barely dent when smacking on piece against the other. So STRAND it is for me.

I will report back here after I install to share my experience.

Henry C [name deleted for privacy due to age of posting]
- NY, USA

I installed my Bamboo flooring about a month ago. Myself and my wife have seen scratches appearing more and more every day including some gouges and we are not even living on this floor yet. I just contacted the supplier to find out what to do about this problem. You would think with a 30 year finish guarantee that we would should not be dealing with this issue right now.

If I cannot get this problem resolved, I would be interested in a class action law suit also.

How long was it before you saw your flooring cracking? This is another huge concern of mine. I always hear people talking about their flooring that is durable and worry free. I wish I would have bought that flooring instead.

Todd B [name deleted for privacy due to age of posting]
- West Berlin, NJ, USA

I am a contractor and have a client who purchased bamboo flooring for us to install. Every thing turned out o.k. until she had an outside window install company install a new 6' 0" sliding glass door after the floor was installed. They sealed the gap between their slider and my floor with a cement or grout type product and left no expansion gap at all. Right in front of the slider and now throughout the downstairs floor the bamboo is cupping or as the homeowner say it is like a washboard. She insists it was my installers lack of skill that is the cause. I have not told her that I suspect the new slider may be the cause because I do no know for sure if it is possible. Is it and what can I do at this point to get the floor to lay back down. She is demanding a refund for the install and I would like to know if it is warranted or not.

Thank you,

Thomas L [name deleted for privacy due to age of posting]
- Fountain Valley, CA

We have purchased 800 square feet of the Horizontal Carbonized Bamboo. I think the important thing with this product is to give it time to acclimatize to the atmosphere in the home before installation. I have taken some of the product out of the box, and have dropped stuff on it, pressed my fingernail into it, had my dog run over it, and tried to do damage to it in other ways. There are no scratches in the finish. I think any flooring material has its own quirks, and maybe other brands have problems. I researched for months to find a good material that was environmentally responsible and also aesthetically pleasing. I am happy with it.

Dave D [name deleted for privacy due to age of posting]
- Colorado Springs, CO, USA

We just installed a Horizontal Carbonized Bamboo floor and noticed scratches immediately. After reading all the postings I'm very concerned the problem will get worst in time. If the manufacture is recommending a commercial grade finish can anyone give me a product name?

Don R [name deleted for privacy due to age of posting]
- Portland, CT

I just had several rooms of horizontal bamboo flooring installed (glue-down). After several days I noticed an area that popped up from the glue, so now I hear a pop every time I walk on the area.

I'm completely unhappy with the quality and have already decided to tear it up in a year have something else installed; however, for now I need to find some extra planks to repair the bowed area!! if anyone has any planks that has a finished surface of 36 1/4" X 3 3/4" please let me know.

I requested replacements, but the planks they gave with the SAME style number is an inch longer and has the male/female parts reversed, so its useless for me. When I pointed this out, I was told that each lot is different.

If had known this I would have NEVER wasted my money on this flooring

William M [name deleted for privacy due to age of posting]
- Phoenix, AZ

I cannot believe I stumbled onto this website. I was in the process of trying to solve my bamboo problems. I am in totally agreement with each of the emails I have read which complain of the problems with their bamboo flooring. It has been the biggest disappointment. A huge expense and not what it was touted to be. Scratches and dents so easily. Very, very hard to maintain. I have two Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, and I cannot believe the damage their paws do to this flooring! They weigh less than 12 pounds each. I want to be included on any class action law suit! I am desperate to find a finish which might improve matters. Should I try and have it sanded down and refinished?
DON'T buy this stuff! The installers could not believe I was ripping out the previous oak parquet which was designed and each piece put in place beautifully.
What a mistake!!

Nancy B [name deleted for privacy due to age of posting]
- Irvine, California USA

I had Bamboo Flooring installed 6 months ago during a rain season. The floor was installed directly on the concrete subfloor that was dry. It is certainly not as hard as boasted. The flooring cupped markedly after 3 months. The "acclimitazation" is not the solution. The air moisture seems to cause the entire plank to swell. After its glued down, the bottom cannot move but when the top is exposed to dryer air and shrinks. This appears to cause the cupping. I have not yet had it sanded. I wonder if the use of solvents during installation as in the glue penetrates the wood bottom and causes the cupping also! I would never recommend bamboo floor to anyone.

David S [name deleted for privacy due to age of posting]
- San Dimas, CA, USA

Wow, pretty discouraging news for someone considering a bamboo floor! Has anyone heard of experiences with other brands of bamboo floors (Teragren or some such)?

Don W [last name deleted for privacy due to age of posting]
- Royal Oak, MI, USA

Ed. note: Don, sorry, but due to the anonymity of the internet we can't print brand comparisons. This website runs 50,000 threads and doesn't have the resources to discern real people from shills promoting their own product and slamming their competitors under fictitious names. See if a magazine like Consumer Reports [link is to product info at Amazon] has covered the topic.

I wrote about my problems here back on June 19th, and I wanted to give an update on where I have gotten since then. Short answer: nowhere!

I haven't found any way to repair the scratches, the on-line store's claims dept. has been horrible to deal with, and the manufacturer seems to be dodging the issue (although I did speak with the VP and he assured me that he is looking for a solution).

I found out the manufacturer of the aluminum oxide finish from the VP. The coating company told the lumber company that the aluminum oxide is a clear coating and therefore could not possibly be the problem. I am convinced otherwise.

My floor is carbonized with the aluminum oxide finish on the top and bottom of the planks, but not the sides. If I scratch the top or bottom, I get unrepairable white scratches. If I scratch the sides, I get a normal, repairable scratch (meaning that the area is easily stained and crayon products don't rub off easily).

The flooring supplier is telling me that the white scratching is inherent in the carbonized product, but my previous paragraph shows that to be false.

There have been so many statements on this board about how easily this stuff scratches, if there was a single manufacturer I think a class action would be viable.

BTW, I have also experienced severe denting problems with my floor. Like others have said, even the most common household items will dent and scratch this stuff.

Dan H [name deleted for privacy due to age of posting]
- Lake Arrowhead, CA, USA

I just put horizontal bamboo in my living and dining room - while it looks pretty in the box, it is scratching everywhere!! What a waste. If anyone does start a class action - seriously - I want in!!!

Theresa B [name deleted for privacy due to age of posting]
- Douglas, MA

I've been asked to clarify the issue of bowing and warping bamboo. I purchased this on line - vertical carbonized. Instructions indicated that it could be glued down on concrete. This is what was done. I have just removed the flooring. It appears the glue did not do a great job in areas- as in some areas- it pulled up chunks of concrete. I also had no moisture barrier and any water spilled on the floor that went between the joints- formed a lot of mold on the bottom side of the planks. I am now installing a hickory engineered floating floor with antimicrobial underlayment.

Mike C [name deleted for privacy due to age of posting]
- Temecula, CA

maintenance instruction bamboo floor

What To Do
1. Vacuum or sweep floor regularly. If you do sweep, we recommend nylon brooms, as straw brooms tend to be too rough on some floor finishes.
2. Remove spills promptly.
3. Place mats at exterior doors to trap sand and grit from incoming traffic.
4. Use area rugs on high traffic pathways. All rugs should allow floors to breathe. Avoid rubber backed or non-ventilated rugs.
5. Install "wood guards" on "feet" of furniture.
6. Recoat a worn surface per your installer's recommendations before the bamboo is exposed to avoid refinishing/resanding.
7. When moving heavy furniture, always pick up the furniture rather than sliding it across the floors.
8. Keep pets' claws properly trimmed to avoid excess scratches and gouges.

What Not To Do
1. Do not let sand, dirt or grit build up. They can act like sandpaper and actually abrade and dull the floor finish.
2. Never damp mop. Excessive amounts of water can cause your floor to swell and cup.
3. Avoid walking in high heels. They can severely damage bamboo or wood floors.
4. Do not use wax, oil soap, or other household cleaners on your polyurethane-finished or prefinished floor. The use of these products can dull today's floor finishes and make refinishing difficult.
5. Do not roll or slide appliances across your floor.

Products We Recommend For Cleaning
No alkaline cleaning agents should be used. Such agents may cause strong yellowing and color changes.

Jack
SZ bamboo floor from China

I too recently purchased Carbonized Vertical Bamboo floors. 1200 sf. I have two dogs and have found these floors to scratch at every turn. When they moved the refrigerator back into its spot in the kitchen, it also left deep gouges. We have only installed it to this point in the kitchen and dining room and are wondering if it's worth it to continue in the rest of the house.
Am also interested in class action. This product does not live up to its marketing.

Kehmay A [name deleted for privacy due to age of posting]
- San Antonio, TX, USA

What's the answer? It's obvious we are all experiencing great disappointment with our Bamboo Flooring.
What is the answer? If I refinish the floor with a commercial grade finish will this protect the floor from farther scratches? Or will bowling wax give me the same results.
We need answers TODAY!!!

Don R [name deleted for privacy due to age of posting]
Home owner - Portland,CT USA

Ed. note: I don't think everyone is experiencing great disappointment, Don. A public draws discontented people disproportionately. But, yes, a lot of disappointed people have related their stories here.

For those of you interested in communicating details with each other for a class action suit or otherwise, if anyone wishes to be a "keeper of the list", write to me and I'll post your e-mail address on this page (you may get unwanted mail though). As mentioned before, this is one of 50,000 topics on a free website and we do not have the resources to even know if all of the people who posted here are real people, let alone their interest level and particular situations.

I came across your comments on bamboo a few of my friends installed it last summer. It DID get scratches but I think they look cool. It gives the floor character and almost any type of wood is going to have scratches. At first they stand out, but over time they will look very very cool. Good luck and peace

Colleen M [name deleted for privacy due to age of posting]
- Melbourne, FL

I have to say that this thread scared me to death when I first read it. I had just nailed down my first two rows of horizontal carbonized bamboo and we have 2 50 lb. dogs that I just assumed would totally destroy my floor. I'm a pretty slow worker, so I just put my final rows down today...roughly 6 weeks after starting. During this time, my dogs have been all over the floor, my wife has been in an out of the room painting, and it's seen a normal daily traffic flow. To my knowledge, we have one scratch (that only I seem to see), and a dent (where I dropped the floor-nailer). In fact, I'm looking at the floor right now, and it looks great.

Maybe I haven't given it enough time, so I'll certainly keep an eye on it but so far so good for us.

Also, I'd like to add that at no time during my research and shopping phase did I see advertising that mislead me in any way. On the contrary, everything I saw and everyone I spoke to led me to believe that this was not some sort of "uber product". It was just a beautiful and earth friendlier way of decorating your home...that also happened to be cheaper.

I'm not an expert, but wouldn't a sliding refrigerator damage nearly any natural flooring? ...That sounds sarcastic, but I don't mean it that way. I honestly don't know.

Dave W [name deleted for privacy due to age of posting]
- Saratoga Springs, NY, USA

I began this topic with my letter dated +++. I finally came back to the site today and was amazed at what I started. So many of you are disappointed just as I. I feel your pain.

As for an update, my bamboo floors just keep getting worse, i.e., shrinking gaps, bowing, SCRATCHES and GOUGES, have all become the norm. In an area close to a door, I now have water damage under the floor. It literally looks as if the floor is bubble rotting from underneath. And it continues to grow!

The installer won't return my phone calls anymore. The manufacturer takes NO responsibility whatsoever ("Buyer Beware," he says).

Yesterday, I had a new contractor visit and investigate my flooring. To replace one room alone with red oak will exceed $5,000! He, as well as most reputable flooring companies, REFUSE to install Bamboo. The major supplier in the Northeast has gone bankrupt due to the number of lawsuits against them.

As for a class action lawsuit, who do we sue? Last week, our local paper carried an article about Bamboo floors on the inside front cover of its Real Estate section. Although it gave some warnings, it still touted the flooring. It churned up bad memories. I feel it my duty to force the flooring industry to stop promoting this product. Anyone with me?

Sue J [name deleted for privacy due to age of posting]
- Severna Park, MD, USA

I am a contractor and have been researching bamboo flooring and aluminum oxide finishes. One of the e-mails mentioned stranded bamboo. This is the "hard" bamboo. All others appear to be exceptionally soft and should be avoided. Unfortunately, the only strand that was available to me was 3/8 thick glue down, which I just don't trust. As for the finish, aluminum oxide is added to urethane finishes for abrasion resistance. If you must refinish, it appears that there only two products that are compatible with the aluminum oxide urethane, so choose carefully. I still have not been able to get good specs on this. From my experience, multiple thin layers of finish are the most durable, but I don't believe that any one finish is "hard". I believe that the hardness of the wood, or substrate, is going to determine if the floor will dent, not the finish. Also, thick coats of finish seem to be far less durable than multiple thin coats, no matter what the material. So, a good finish will not protect a soft floor and I am always hesitant to use a product that does not have a proven track record, such as bamboo. I continue to find that many sales people are ill informed on the products they are selling. My local rep gave my client the same bad information as others received in this thread. I found out the truth when I smacked our sample with the handle of a putty knife. My clients have decided to go for what we know works, which is solid white oak with a 50 year guarantee on the finish. Good luck all.

Curtis S [name deleted for privacy due to age of posting]
- Portland, OR, USA

Bamboo (or any wood floor) is a natural product and subject to wear. However, the real issue is really the finish and not the wood underneath. Even if you install CUMARU (also called Brazilian Teak) which is one of the top two or three hardest woods in the world, the finish will scratch even if the wood itself will not dent.
As for the cupping, unless you are installing teak, plantation or Asian, virtually any solid wood floor will cup because of differences in humidity between the subfloor, the wood itself, and the ambient room.

Bottom line--some people are not good candidates for wood floors. However, by choosing a natural solid floor, minor damage becomes part of the floor and does not detract from its beauty.

Kent Sjolund
Unique American Teak - Sarasota, FL

I have horizontal bamboo in the natural finish. It has a lot of light scratches, but they are not highly visible in the natural finish. The problem is the seams between boards and the dents and deeper scratches fill up with dirt and I have black (dirty) seams and dents. (I imagine the dirty seams would have been prevented if I had put on a layer of finish after the floor was installed, but I didn't think of it, and others who have tried it have had problems finding a post-finish that will adhere to the pre-finished pieces). I haven't had the cupping that others have experienced and this may because mine was nailed, not glued. I would eventually like to sand and refinish. Has anyone tried this? What type of a finish would be best? Another question - will the bowling wax fill dents on the natural colored floor (or is it a darker color)? If so, where does one purchase bowling wax?

Michelle W [name deleted for privacy due to age of posting]
- Toronto, Ontario, Canada

OK, you have got us seriously worried about Bamboo flooring. We just purchased 2500 ft**2 of this to replace all the tile and carpet in our home. We bought a dark (finish is called Espresso) horizontal engineered product from a large box retail store and intend to install it as a floating floor over a concrete slab. Curious whether or not you would recommend for high traffic or wet (i.e. kitchen) installation.

Keith B [name deleted for privacy due to age of posting]
- Albuquerque, NM, USA

We hate our new floor, which was installed less than a month ago. The installers have had to replace 4 boards from scratches they caused and this morning I noticed, more stains, scratches, etc. Do you all think that a polyurethane finish would have been better? One of the installers told me that the "bamboo itself is very strong, but the urethane finish is soft". Why would they ever coat a hard wood with a soft finish? I think too little is known about bamboo flooring at this point and the installers were telling me tall tales. My floor is the premium vertical carbonized version.
Yes, I would like to be included in a class action!!

Mary O [name deleted for privacy due to age of posting]
- Danbury, CT, USA

I'm an owner of a bamboo flooring company in NYC and our brand of bamboo is called SILKROAD. SILKROAD is actually one of the pioneers of the whole bamboo flooring industry in North America -- we've been doing it for almost 12 years -- sold over 2 million square feet of it. The reason why some of you have had poor quality is because you purchased poor quality bamboo flooring. Not all bamboo flooring is equal. But even the best quality bamboo can still be scratched like any other hardwood floor. I think people scrutinize bamboo more because it is new. The most important thing to look for when buying bamboo flooring -- or any product brand for that matter, is experience. How long has the company been around? Most companies are just importers or bamboo flooring. They buy what ever is cheap that month and bring it into the country. SILKROAD, along with very small group of like companies in this country, actually sell and are involved in our own brand of bamboo flooring from start to finish. If you buy bamboo flooring for $1.99 or some crazy low price, you WILL be dissatisfied, or if the company has no history. Our clients rave about our products. It's a whole other world on this side of the fence. All you have to do is your research and remember that you get what you pay for.

Jermain T [name deleted for privacy due to age of posting]
- New York, NY, USA

I had 1000 sq.ft of natural/vertical bamboo flooring installed 3 months ago, and now the flooring is cupping. It was installed on slab w/bostik's vapor barrier type adhesive.
Has anyone been able to correct the cupping, without ripping up the floor?

David P [name deleted for privacy due to age of posting]
- Cathedral City, CA, USA

My husband and I just had a new 2400 sq ft home built. IMO we made a mistake by putting in bamboo throughout the entire house, with the exception of bathrooms and kitchen. The rest is all bamboo. Its horizontal carbonized, and we bought it because we have 2 dogs (pugs which are toy breeds) and 2 kids. We were told this was the strongest wood out there. Throughout the whole installation every time a board would contact another it would scratch. We've been living here for 1.5 weeks now and my dogs nails have completely tore up the hall and entryway. I keep my dogs nails trimmed. If its touched the floor, its damaged it, everything including a rubbermaid box. I am VERY disappointed. I knew hardwood would get some scratches, but I didn't expect to have to tiptoe on it. My in laws have 2 huge dogs, an enormous boxer and a Brittany spaniel, both very hyper, and their floors are 2.5 yrs old and do not look like my 1.5 week old ones. The retailers must be ill informed, because we went to 3 different ones, and everyone said the same thing, that it was the best thing we could buy with kids and animals... I really regret it. I wish I had let the builder put in their cheap vinyl and carpet.

Rebecca R [name deleted for privacy due to age of posting]
- Beavercreek, OH, USA

I too put bamboo floors in my new home and within a year they were scratched and gouged - though nothing more than normal wear and tear mind you - to an unacceptable extent.

I'm thinking this is a bill of goods that the flooring industry has sold the public. Clearly, the production costs for bamboo based on the price of raw materials have to be a mere fraction of what they are for real hardwood, and yet they can market the flooring surface as a premier surface and sell it for a premium. Result? High profit margins.

Too bad the material doesn't perform as advertised. If you get a bamboo floor, you're making a serious mistake.

Andy M [name deleted for privacy due to age of posting]
- Des Moines, IA

My husband and I considered all options for flooring when we moved to our new home. We had name brand laminate in our previous two homes but were interested in looking at wood or bamboo. We carefully compared price, durability and care and chose bamboo. We chose it for several reason--partially because of the renewable resource issue, partially because it goes well with our decor, partially because it is just plain gorgeous. We picked the natural color, horizontal, with an Aluminum Oxide finish. It's 6 ply engineered, 3" planks. It's a name brand (a company that has made floor coverings in America for over 125 years) installed by a national floor coverings chain. They acclimated it in the home for a couple of days before installing it, even though the packaging said it was not necessary. They used a nasty smelling brown glue that I'm certain was not water-based.

We realized that the cat's claws would have to be kept trimmed and we don't wear shoes around the house much (usually just Birks), and never heels, or God forbid, stilettos! It's been about 6 weeks. We've yet to trim the cat's claws and they scurry and scramble about like a couple of cartoon characters but they don't seem to have had an effect. We've protected the floors from furniture and tried to be careful about dropping things. That's what you do with wood floors. We have rugs at entrances to catch the dirt. We have a couple of small dents where we have dropped things. Gosh, if we'd dropped a knife on a dining room table or an oak floor it would have left a dent, too. We have seen no evidence of "cupping" or warping or anything alarming. I have not check for fading, I'll do that and post if I find any. It did come with a 25-year finish warranty and a 1-year installation warranty. It's not bombproof like laminate but I have been lucky to avoid the other issues that everyone here seems to be posting about. I wonder if the quality of the flooring makes a difference, like one poster said. We paid just under $8.50 a sf, installed. There are a few tiny gaps between planks, but not big and not worrisome. We did not install in wet areas--common sense tells me that's like putting nice wooden furniture outside or letting children have Thanksgiving dinner on a wooden dining table with no table cloth or coasters. I guess I'll have to post a follow up in a few weeks/months.

I'm sad to see all the poor results that others have had but I have to say we are DELIGHTED with ours. I guess we're in the minority, but maybe paying a little more for it and paying a professional installer was worth the expense. It was not cheap, more than laminate, but less than other hardwoods. I hope it turns out to be a good investment.

Now we just have to figure out what to do about our annual steel drum band home concert for carnival. I think we'll have to require bare feet this year ;-)

Mollie F [name deleted for privacy due to age of posting]
- Austin, Texas (Cedar Park)

I also have had nothing but bad results from my bamboo flooring.

Background:
I'm not someone complaining about bamboo without a justifiable reason. I'm also not someone complaining by transitioning from vinyl to my first hardwood floor. I've lived with white oak hardwood in my entry for over 5 years and it's held up well to 2 shar-pei's (60 lbs and 90 lbs). It received its share of scratches per say, but they weren't very deep or noticeable. They are what you'd expect from a hardwood floor, but my bamboo isn't reacting the same way.

Current Situation:
Recently I upgraded my entire downstairs removing all carpet, vinyl and hardwood (white oak), replacing it with slate, marble and bamboo. The only reason I replaced the white oak hardwood in the entry way is because it really didn't fit in with the slate, marble and bamboo.
I went with horizontal carbonized bamboo flooring from a major reseller who is touted on a variety of "Home Improvement" cable channels. I chose the nail down variety, using a vapor barrier and nailing into OSB subflooring, perpendicular to the flooring joists as is recommended by the manufacturer.

I can honestly say the quality of this product is EXTREMELY lacking. I blindly assumed that if this company was touted by the "Home Improvement" experts, then it must be at least a decent product. Now I feel sorry for all the unsuspecting people in the makeover episodes who received bamboo flooring from this flooring reseller.

The product claims to have a 30 year warranty that's labeled on the outside of every carton, but I found no paperwork describing the details of this included in any of the 600 square feet of bamboo that I installed. I noticed during installation that this flooring was scratching easily, but I wasn't extremely concerned with this. That all changed once I begin moving furniture back into place. As careful as we were (i.e. placing felt pads on everything) the bed frame with it's plastic rollers scratched the floor when we rolled it six inches over to center the bed frame in the room. These weren't slight scuffs, but rather deep indentations from the pattern on the wheels. Even rolling the vacuum across the floor has left unsightly scratches in the floor. We used to let our dogs sleep with us in a bedroom that now has bamboo, but within two days following installation we've no had to ban them from entering the room because their toe nails have severely scratched the surface leaving penetrating gouges.

I never had this trouble with other hardwoods, regardless if it was a vacuum cleaner, hand truck, piano cart, or dogs toe nails. There was never this problem with the white oak in our entry over a 5 year period, but in only 3-4 weeks time this bamboo has forced us to isolate the dogs from any room with bamboo and its forced us to wear slippers in any room with bamboo flooring.

I've been around a lot of hardwood floors in my life and this is not anywhere near the same quality of any hardwoods I've seen. If you don't believe me I'd be happy to send a flooring sample to any dissenters in the audience.

Again, the white oak in our entry was regularly abused. By not only my family tramping in and out of the house, but also by my dogs that aren't the best behaved when someone knocks on the door. I'm most thankful that the entry now has slate and not bamboo…phew!

If there is any momentum with a class action suit, or other effort underway, I would be willing to do what's necessary to seek an equitable solution. I rather just have a decent floor rather than make some lawyer rich off my bed experience.

Jeff H [name deleted for privacy due to age of posting]
- Camas, Washington, U.S.A.

Isn't it peculiar -- I'm finding this site a HUGE comfort! It's nice to know that I'm not the only person who got caught in this little scam.

I've lived my long life on oak hardwood floors, so I have reasonably good hardwood training. I use a dust mop reflexively, and I always put rugs over high-traffic areas. My wood furniture has felt protectors on its feet, and my dog doesn;t click when he walks. And I have also learned by living with them that actual hardwood is really tough stuff -- it does scratch, but eventually the scratches become a pleasing patina. And you have to drop an anvil on it to actually dent the wood.

Like everyone else here, I was thrilled at the notion of something even tougher and longer-lived. And like everyone else here, I got something very much like balsa wood with a high-tech finish. I had my kitchen floored first, as part of its remodel, and by the time the contractor moved on to the rest of the great room, the kitchen floor had huge grooves in it, along with a lot of random dents from chairs being sat in & so on. Mine seems to have a better finish than a lot of yours -- it even manages to flex enough to cover the really deep grooves and dents without a break in the surface. But the grooves and dents are unbelievable.

I was interested not only in buying green, but in buying locally. So I bought my flooring -- which cost about the same as oak, BTW -- from a local store with a cutesy name, which sells architectural salvage and green building-related products. Their supplier is an importer of a range of high-end products, also pretty local, and has a dazzling website where they explain how superior their bamboo flooring is and why.

So I figured the importer was responsible for the installed flooring, which has absolutely failed to live up to its billing. And I figured the retailer would be responsible for taking back the 800 sq ft of flooring that's still in unopened boxes, since I clearly wasn't going to install this defective product in the rest of my house. Silly me! They both came out to inspect the damage, and told me both before and after their inspection that their flooring is not the problem -- no reimbursement for the installed flooring, and no refund for unopened boxes.

I live in Washington State, and our Attorney General has a consumer protection program. I called them, they told me I definitely had a valid complaint, I filed my complaint on-line, and now I'm waiting to see what happens. Might be worth checking in your various States to see if you can do likewise.

I'd be happy to participate in a class-action suit, but I'm wondering who we'd sue. I get the impression that there are lots of smallish importers like the one who posted here, and that they don't form a sue-able bloc. I'm wondering, too, since all of us seem to have the same experience -- of having bought a supposedly warranted product that nobody stands behind -- if those same importers are now desperately trying to make each of us feel that we're unique, that nobody else is having problems, because otherwise they'll be doing so much refunding and replacing that they'll go under. I notice that a number of us have used the "25% harder than oak" phrase -- possibly we could act based on false advertising? In the meantime, I am planning to write letters to the local Green Builders' Guild, and to the Northwest Builders' Association, which is part of the National Builders' Assn. I'm not sure what to do to warn other people like us, who buy the flooring ourselves and then get it installed.

For what it's worth -- the store that delivered my kitchen appliances told me to bring in a very experienced local hardwood-floor guy. He and a colleague came out and did an impressive forensic analysis on the damage. Their opinion -- the worst of the grooves were indeed caused by my refrigerator being rolled into place, and an oak floor would have been scratched by it, though not grooved. As to the chair dents and so on -- they say that they estimate my bamboo floor is about the hardness of fir. So I'm putting oak in the living areas and good old indestructible porcelain tile in the kitchen -- at my own expense, of course!

Barbara M [name deleted for privacy due to age of posting]
- Port Angeles, WA, USA

I'm another person with gouges and scratches in her bamboo floor. Has anyone tried stopping the damage (not fixing it, but keeping more from happening) by coating with varathane?

This is what they suggested to me at my good hardware store, but I'd like to hear the experience of others.

Thanks,

Sydney C [name deleted for privacy due to age of posting]
- San Francisco, CA, USA

Wish I had found this site before we installed our bamboo floor 1 year ago. Our problem is some of our boards are getting dark streaks; I'm assuming it's mildew under the finish. We glued the boards directly onto a concrete slab(20 years old) and though dents and scratches haven't been a problem( no kids or dogs) we do have some major cupping. Has anyone else had the the very dark streaks in light bamboo appear-I'm terrified that the whole floor will turn black.

Renee B [name deleted for privacy due to age of posting]
- Vero Beach, FL, U.S.A.

We finished installing our vertical bamboo flooring yesterday morning, by yesterday evening there were a half dozen deep scratches from our dog. We put Red Oak all through the rest of our house and after 6 months the floor is still flawless. Has anyone figured out how to fix the scratches and dings?

Dan S [name deleted for privacy due to age of posting]
- Portland, OR, USA

Like many others I am having the same problems of scratching, denting, and bleaching. I have several rugs down to prevent future damage but then I end up with two different colors of floor. Has anyone tried to use Johnson paste wax these floors? I know the instructions say not to but they are really looking bad with all the scratches. Thanks

Pat O [name deleted for privacy due to age of posting]
- St. Louis, MO

Wow, I'm so glad I found this. I was about to order bamboo and something felt off. The folks at the hardwood store I'm dealing with haven't installed a bamboo floor yet. The owner talked to the distributors but, she said, "None of them would say anything negative about their product." She had one customer come in who gave a negative report, so she passed it on to me. I had also heard the claims about bamboo being harder than oak, yet she said the hardness index of the product I was looking at is less than oak. I guess I'll be going back into her showroom and picking another wood.

Rita F [name deleted for privacy due to age of posting]
- Nashville, TN

As a professional in this biz, and I admit I did not read all the posts, bamboo is a product oversold.

First, the nice people from the Republic are not aware of our ad laws and the fact they can not, should not, place ads with false info.

I am a full time professional flooring inspector, trained by hardwood flooring associations with 30 plus years in the flooring biz. Many people importing bamboo are not even aware of the different species characteristics or the differences between the carbonized or caramblized dark bamboo.

One importer got upset with a report she commissioned that stated the differences because she had been stating in her lit it was harder than red oak, sorry, not true. Carbonized is softer.

Since she paid for the report and it was not in her favor, she was upset with me. She thought if she paid for the report, it was to be in her favor, that is not the way professional inspectors work. That is another "CHARACTERISTIC" of the impostors, they do not see lying as wrong or illegal because it is "biz".

All this to get here, bamboo, who do you guys sue? the dealer who bought it to sell to you? or the importer who will disappear as soon you have papers served? Who? if you do, you must first act to secure property when the papers are also served.

For twenty grand, you too can become an importer of bamboo.

Today, many hardwoods are imported that do not have to meet the National Oak (wood) Flooring Manufacturers Associations stringent standards. Heck, many American firms also do not and are asking another wood association to set their own standards that will be lax to steal from consumers, but, back to bamboo,and hardwood. The imported hardwood is cut in Russia, shipped to China, sawn, dried and sent here. They do not have to meet any standards as do our NOFMA suppliers.

The hardest part of the bamboo is cut off in the processing. Bamboo is soft, will scratch, and dent. All wood will scratch and indent.

If you can find an honest inspector in your area trained in wood, you may be able to have your bamboo inspected, get a report to show your dealer, and maybe he can "go back at" the importer. The manufacturer in China is beyond your reach currently.

An inspector can not write a report on the "implied warranty" used by the salesperson, but, you can get copies of the lit from the importer, and, then, the warranties, and compare industry "facts or data" to what was told to you about performance and maybe get your money back, maybe.

Bamboo is not a hard product and despite what they say, it is extremely moisture sensitive, think of it this way, bamboo grows in "wet areas", then dried, so, inherit natural characteristic "to want to get the moisture back", it will swell more than wood and react more quickly. Buyer beware!

Selva T [name deleted for privacy due to age of posting]
- Laurens, SC, USA

ok, last one, here you go, more bamboo info from an inspector

"To:
cc:
Subject: bamboo plywood

"We have a small file on bamboo-related journal articles. Bamboo is a remarkable material. It can reach maturity in about 3 to 8 years...that's about 1/10 that of wood. With this rate of growth, one would expect greatly reduced properties when compared to wood. On the contrary, the following table shows some comparison between Bamboo and Southern Yellow Pine (Loblolly) (from reference 1, below):

Air-dry...............Specific gravity...............Compressive
strength.............Tensile
strength...........MOE.........................Modulus of rupture (Bending
Strength)
Giant Bamboo..........0.52......................................6130
psi.....................................17,400 psi.............1.55x10^6
psi................14,900 psi
Loblolly pine.............0.51......................................7100
psi.....................................12,800 psi.............1.79x10^6
psi................12,800 psi

In this same study, the shrinkage from green to air-dry was measured to be approximately....0.02% in the longitudinal direction, 9.3% in the tangential direction, and 18.2% in the radial direction. When compared to Northern Red Oak, for example, Bamboo shrinkage values are approximately TWICE that of N. Red oak.

Information for this comparison to Oak can be found in Table 3-5 of our Wood Handbook (these values are from green to OVEN-dry, not AIR-dry)..
http://www.fpl.fs.fed.us/documents/FPLGTR/fplgtr113/Ch03.pdf

If you have concerns with using a 3-ply panel consider the following: In regular plywood, this would mean that you are dealing with (likely) 1/4" plywood. However, in this case, the concerns that you have should be reduced because you are dealing with 1/4" layers, rather than thin veneers. Be sure that you are dealing with a panel that has a balanced layup. That is, outer layers are aligned in one direction and inner core is cross-banded....

Two things should be considered:

1. The panel should be finished on BOTH sides so that you do not get moisture entering on one side (the unfinished side). A moisture gradient across the thickness (which happens when only one side is finished) will surely cause a flat panel to warp.

2. Given that you now know that Bamboo moves (shrinks/expands) twice as much as Oak, be sure to incorporate this movement into the design of your furniture.


Reference:
1. Lee, A.W., X. Bai, and P.N. Peralta. 1994. Selected Physical and mechanical properties of giant timber bamboo grown in South Carolina. Forest Products Journal. 44(9):40-46.""

Selva T [name deleted for privacy due to age of posting]
- Laurens, SC, USA

PS,
aluminum oxide finishes, not actually in the finish, beneath it, covered by the finish,,,,,,, and, do you ever actually wear down to the bear wood? just another ad trick or marketing tool, one man's post about multi layers of thin finish is correct.

Selva T [name deleted for privacy due to age of posting]
- Laurens, SC, USA

I feel you guy's pain....

We to installed a carbonized vertical bamboo floor in our living room and hallway. Our two dogs scratched it up within two days. We were sick about it. They are beautiful floors, but not very durable when it comes to abrasions. We have even considered stressing the floor to age it and hide scratches. However, I would certainly test it well on scrap pieces before I had the nerve to try that. Glad to hear that we are not the only ones in that boat. I like the idea of the class action suit. I feel this product is grossly misrepresented when it comes to durability.

Dale R [name deleted for privacy due to age of posting]
- Rowlett, Texas

I had approximately 500 sf of vertical carbonized bamboo flooring installed and within 2 weeks it was scratched and dented. I have a small dog and was told by the sales rep that that would not be a problem, that it is 25% harder than oak and 50% more durable - and had a 30 year warranty. The sales rep came to my house to inspect so he could submit a report to his headquarters in Virginia. It has been almost 4 months and I have not received one response - despite the many e-mails and letters to the company's customer service department and the President of the company. I plan on following the advise of a reader above and contact the Texas Attorney General's office to see if they have a consumer protection group that can assist me, and I plan on taking the store where I purchased the flooring to court. I am interested in knowing if anyone out there has had any success in legal actions concerning this product. Thank you.

Jo S [name deleted for privacy due to age of posting]
- Fort Worth, TX USA

Add me to the list. I can live with the scratches (an advantage of having a cat instead of a dog) but I've got very serious cupping problems. Because of a high moisture content in the slab, the installer charged an extra amount for sealant. But in 4 months, it looks terrible.

As with others, my installer will not return my calls.

Does anyone know if sanding and refinishing will help?

Paul D [name deleted for privacy due to age of posting]
- Tujunga, CA, USA

My horizontal carbonized scratched and dented immediately as well. LL refunded my money back for the flooring.

Jason j [name deleted for privacy due to age of posting]
- North Berwick, Maine

To Jason in Maine - would you please e-mail me and let me know who at LL you spoke with to get a refund - I have been trying for almost 4 months and haven't been able to get a response from anyone. Thank you. Jo Sands

Jo S [name deleted for privacy due to age of posting]
- Fort Worth, TX, USA

I have just installed bamboo flooring in the espresso color, it looked beautiful for the 3 days it acclimated to my house. However, with installation came the scratches. I was looking on line to see if there was a way to buff them out when I came across this website. If there is going to be a class action lawsuit, please include me. The thing that bothers me the most was that I was told that this product was harder than oak, but these scratches look horrible and I don't have any dogs or cats. Good luck to everyone and if anyone finds a solution let me know. Thanks

Rae R [name deleted for privacy due to age of posting]
- Moyock, NC

Here's an update to my November posting. I told you I was going to work thru my State's Attorney General consumer-protection program. Well, it was educational. Both the retailer and the importer are now saying I abused the product and thus the warranty doesn't apply. Want to know how I abused it? By weighing too much! So it turns out a warranty doesn't mean all that much, if the person issuing it doesn't choose to honor it.

The importer of the flooring I used is based in Poulsbo, WA, and I've noticed they are selling in a lot of locations on-line. Are any of us talking about the same company, I wonder? A couple of you mentioned that the only paperwork available was on-line, which was true for my brand too. That might be a class-action suit right there, if we bought the same brand.

Or, if you're in another State, it would be worth letting the Washington State Attorney General know about your complaint -- apparently if there are a lot of complaints, they will go and investigate for fraud, false advertising, & so on. That won't get us back our money -- my next shot is small-claims court, another educational experience. But it would prevent other people like us from getting burnt, at least by this particular importer.

Barbara M [name deleted for privacy due to age of posting]
- Port Angeles, WA, USA

Well, the company sent out a flooring "expert" to look at my floor. He said that it was incorrectly because the floor wasn't completely level. If that is the case, then why is the floor warping and checking EVERYWHERE? The way he measured, he was finding that the tops of the warped areas are not level. Well no kidding. The floor is warped! He was nothing but a patsy for them. That was over 2 months ago. They finally called me today and said that they were not going to do anything, based on the "experts" report. I begged them to consider coming to an agreement with me and they said no way. well, I have an attorney all ready to go after them and this will end up costing them far more than the $3000 I paid them for the floor. If they reads this: It's too late! I asked you several times to work with me. Now you can deal with my attorney and he has an incredibly successful track record in things like this.

Bill A [name deleted for privacy due to age of posting]
- Gallup, NM

I have gaps about the width of two quarters in my bamboo floor where some plans have shrunk unevenly due to seasonal variation in ambient humidity. Relative Humidity where I live varies from 20 per cent to 80 per cent.

My hardware store guy says to use a coloured wood putty (comes in a tube and or jar) to fill the gaps.

Has anybody tried this?

What would happen when the relative humidity goes up again? Will the planks buckle?

Sid V [name deleted for privacy due to age of posting]
- Atlanta, GA

I would be interested in joining any class action suit. I was mislead about the hardness and have been very disappointed with my new bamboo floors. they are less then a year old already need to be resanded.

Mary C [name deleted for privacy due to age of posting]
- Hartwell, Georgia, USA

I too am dealing with the bamboo flooring nightmare. I wish I would have found this site last week. Just had gorgeous bamboo floors installed 2 days ago and I could not be more disappointed with the strength of the product. I just called the manufacturer and they basically said that they can't help me and that I can't add any type of finish to the aluminum oxide to make it stronger. If you do not have pets, kids, never drop anything, weigh less than 100 lbs. (and you'll still need to tip-toe), and never plan to wear shoes in your house again, then I would suggest this product. Otherwise, please do not waste your money.

Ariel G [name deleted for privacy due to age of posting]
- Columbus, OH, US

Here is a website that may be useful in getting some satisfaction from bamboo flooring manufacturers and dealers.

http://bamboo-floors.blog-city.com

There is power in numbers. this product is flawed and the manufacturers, importers and dealers should be held accountable.

Bill A [name deleted for privacy due to age of posting]
- Gallup, NM

Please continue your discussions at http://bamboo-floors.blog-city.com; or advise of other discussion sites on the topic which we can add to this page; or volunteer to be a 'keeper of the list'--which means we'll publicly print your e-mail address or other contact info on this page (you may get e-mail you didn't want). Sorry but we just can't print any more responses on this topic or put party 'a' in contact with party 'b' or party 'y' in contact with party 'z'.