|
Letter 26096
Help with bamboo floors with
aluminum oxide urethane finish
1 2 3 4
+++++
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
- 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
- Fort Worth, Texas
+++++
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
- Tujunga, California
+++++
My horizontal carbonized scratched and dented immediately as well.
LL refunded my money back for the flooring.
Jason J
(returning)
- North Berwick, Maine
+++++
To Jason in Maine - would you please 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 S
(returning)
- Fort Worth, Texas
+++++
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
- Moyock, North Carolina
+++++
Here's an update to my 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 (returning)
- Port Angeles, Washington
+++++
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
(returning)
- Gallup, New Mexico
+++++
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
- 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
- Hartwell, Georgia
++++++
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
- Columbus, Ohio
++++++
Here is a website that may be useful in getting some satisfaction
from bamboo flooring manufacturers and dealers.
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
(returning)
- Gallup, New Mexico
Ed. note: Sorry, that site is no longer functional
++++++
I read this thread the same week we had our bamboo floors
installed in our house and it made me quite nervous. Then I read
Mollie F's post above about the brand of their bamboo floors
(Established big name flooring company that's been in business for
over 125 years) which is the exact same brand I have (and same style
- horizontal natural). Her positive review was a bit comforting
although I was still concerned from the numerous negative comments
about bamboo.
It's been 6 weeks and I have to say that I absolutely love these
floors. Yes, there are a few scratches. Yes, I've dropped a couple
things that dinged the floor. But I also dropped an item on my wood
dresser recently and that dinged as well. Overall, these floors have
held up very well and look absolutely gorgeous.
We just had our housewarming party with about 20 ppl in attendance.
Tons of foot traffic (with 3 kids running around) and the floors
still look absolutely beautiful.
I agree with Mollie in that the brand makes a big difference. We went
with the "brand name" option because it was a reputable company among
the dozens of small unknown vendors. Even the flooring guys tried to
push a generic brand on us and we didn't budge. I can say we are very
happy we made the choice we did.
So, my suggestion is, if you haven't purchased/installed your floors
yet, do your homework and go with a company that is reputable and
backed by a solid warranty. Sure you'll pay a little more, but that
price is far less than what you'll have to pay in headaches,
aesthetics, and repairs later on.
Dave T
- Hermosa Beach, California
++++++
It may be the type of finish on your flooring. I read some
interesting info regarding the various finishes used on bamboo
floors. The web site that furnished this info is duro-design.com -
they manufacture their own bamboo flooring. Wow, I'm really glad I
came across this site before I purchased bamboo flooring for my
kitchen.
lori r
- spokane, Washington
++++++
I had bamboo flooring installed 8 months ago. Already it's
splintering and cracking. I even ended up getting a 2 inch splinter
in my foot. This is becoming a hazard. I can't get anyone to respond
at either the manufacturer or distributor where I purchased the
flooring. Does anyone have any ideas how to get a response? I sunk
way to much $ in these floors to let this go lightly.
Miki H
- Henderson, Nevada
April 26, 2009
My wife and I had 800 feet of strand woven carmelized bamboo
flooring, with an aluminum oxide finish, professionally installed. We
did a ton of research before making our purchase. Our floor is so
hard and so dense, our installer said it was the hardest floor he had
ever installed, and it was a pain to install. We love the way it
looks, and it is extremely hard, 3000 on the Janka hardness scale;
twice as hard as oak. We've had the floor in for several months now,
and no problems with denting or scratching. During our research for a
solid bamboo flooring product, we came across a ton of low quality
soft bamboo products. Because bamboo is so new, there is a lot of
variance in the quality of the product that's out there. We also have
a friend who installed over 2400 sq feet of bamboo in their house,
and they are not experiencing any problems either.
Regards,
John Trudeau
May 29, 2009
I recently discovered your site, and saw the many postings
relating to Bamboo Floor nightmares with Aluminum Oxide finishes. I
am the third generation in the hardwood flooring industry, and have
worked every avenue of this field. Here's what I have to say- A vast
majority of the bamboo flooring which has come to the U.S since the
introduction are coated with acrylic finishes, and while they may or
may not have some content of Aluminum oxide; It is the ACRYLIC FINISH
that is the bane of this flooring material. Yes, bamboo is tough,
dent resistant, looks cool,etc. etc. etc.
Here's the bottom line. With any wood or laminate flooring; it is the
finish which you are walking on that must be able to stand up to
being walked all over by people and pets.
Things get dragged across them, etc.
When manufacturers began aluminum oxide into their finishes, it
increased the time span that the floors were able to wear before any
refinishing was necessary. However, acrylic has never been a suitable
choice for a flooring finish; whether or not there is aluminum oxide
in it or not, it does not matter. I used to dread any bamboo
installation, because I could hardly install the floor without
scratching it. I would steer people far away from these floors as
possible. That's history. To the point about aluminum oxide finishes
themselves: When these finishes started to be used throughout more of
the industry, the introduction was great, but what happened
thereafter was not. Homeowners, slowly but surely, would wear the
finishes enough that they would decide it was time to freshen them up
and have the recoated, otherwise known as a " buff and coat " or a
screen and recoat.
Houston, we have a problem ! The floors would get recoated and
depending on a number of variables, the fresh finish would begin to
separate from the original; sometimes in flakes, other times in LARGE
FLAKES, even in large sheets. The consumers were mad, the site finish
crews were baffled, stores lost customers, money, and lawsuits.
Everyone was pointing fingers at who was to blame for this disaster.
The common denominator was Aluminum Oxide finishes. Nobody had any
education as to how to approach refinishing work when that time came.
Nobody had a solution, except to drum sand the floors and completely
remove the unwieldly aluminum oxide finish. This was a complete
nightmare! Flooring stores, employees, and sub-contractors all work
very hard to establish a good reputation for themselves and their
work. There were long-time clients who abandoned the businesses they
worked with; and of course people talk. When the talk is good, it's a
boost for any business. When it's bad; it seemed like word could not
travel any faster. Well here we are today in 2009. Several companies
have systems to be a ble to recoat wood or bamboo flooring with
Aluminum Oxide Finishes. My personal choice is a system by Bona Kemi,
called the " prep and recoat adhesion system " or just prep and coat.
They post detailed instructions as well as a full video of how to use
this system on their site. There are other manufacturers producing
fine products which accomplish the same desired results.
In some cases, if foreign chemicals or cleaning agents have been
applied to the floors; they may have to be fully sanded and then
refinished. It's best to do a test area in a non conspicuous area,
but an area that would have receive the same treatment as all the
rest; as it is unlikely the broom closet received the same exposures
as the main areas of the floor. No matter, I ALWAYS EXPLAIN TO
CLIENTS- there is some risk that the new finish will not bond in the
manner it should, as one particular spot or area may have had
exposure to something that will prevent the new finish from bonding.
I have only had one job where there was a bonding issue utilizing
this system which was due to missing a spot with either the pad or
the prep spray. It was quickly resolved to everyone's
satisfaction.
Regarding bamboo flooring: There is only one manufacturer's bamboo
product I will sell regardless of whether I lose a sale or not. It is
pricier than many, but I always know what I am selling; my customers
are safe, my reputation is safe, the final invoice will be paid, my
customers are going to love the floor and recommend me to others. I
hope this will help those in need of answers, and educate many.
Robert Knupp
Flooring sales / service - Naples, Florida
July 19, 2009
I have been doing a lot of research on bamboo floors, and although
I do not claim to be an expert on the subject (I am just obsessed
with internet reviews prior to spending my very hard earned money), I
feel as though a lot of the negative responses to bamboo flooring
have a common denominator - the inexpensive end of bamboo flooring
has many problems!
From all the reading/research that I have been doing, it seems that
all things need to be considered when deciding on bamboo
flooring:
1) Laminate will not perform as well as solid bamboo or engineered
bamboo.
2) Types of bamboo: some are harder than others, and there are more
than 1000 different types (moso seams to be one of the harder
types).
3) Grain/Colors: vertical grain is harder than horizontal grain.
Common colors with either vertical or horizontal bamboo are natural
bamboo and carbonized bamboo, of which the natural bamboo is the
harder of the two colors. Strand bamboo is harder (by far!)than
either vertical or horizontal, and comes in several colors!
5) Harvesting: The number of years that the bamboo is harvested. 5-7
years is best - anything harvested earlier is much softer.
6) Finish: It seems that the better ones have either a bona kemi
finish or a german klum finish. Repeated (many!) thin coat
applications, seems to provide the best finish.
7) ISO certification: a company that recognizes standards and helps
ensure quality products and services on an international basis.
8) Installation: There are a lot of people out there that install
great products, but if the install is not done correctly, it becomes
a nightmare!
So, my overall opinion on bamboo flooring is - you get what you pay
for. Scrimping on the cost usually means sacrificing quality. I have
come to the conclusion that all of the things that I have mentioned
above contribute to the quality of the product and are important
things to consider when buying bamboo. I think what was really
helpful to me was googling 'hardwood hardness comparison chart' and
'janka ball test".
No, I am not a fan of the big box stores. Although I do purchase a
number of things from them, I have my limitations as far as what
things I will purchase from them. Bamboo flooring (or any flooring)
falls into the category of "never", along with windows, siding, etc.
To me, the big box stores are for hardware, landscaping maintenance
items, etc.
As far as a couple of postings about 'taking the advice of the big
box store experts'. I feel sorry for them, if they think that the
experts work at those stores. The majority of the people that work
there are in high school, college, or are people that are working
there part time to supplement their other income. Most people working
there have no training in specific products, and are just hired off
the street as sales help and maybe a little bit of experience with
general information.
For that matter, even trained sales reps working in a specialty field
are oftentimes misled about a product from the manufacturer. Some may
just want the sale and almighty dollar, but I do believe that some
are just plain uninformed or even misled.
Keep in mind that the product world revolves around marketing. There
will always be the 'here today, gone tomorrow' companies that don't
care about the consumer and will sell anything they can make a buck
on. Additionally, there are many big companies that have been around
a long time, and offer a really reputable, quality product that is
wonderful and sold in reputable stores, but will also manufacture a
lesser quality product, often times with the same name, that is mass
produced for the big box stores. Of course, the manufacturer wants a
segment in every market. Money makes the world go round.
It is ultimately up to the consumer to really research the products
that are available before making a decision. My personal preference
is to wait until a product has been out for a while, see what sales
reps are saying, talk to installers to get their opinion, then follow
it up with a bunch of (unbiased) reviews. Most newer products on the
market have little quirks that are either improvised and improved
upon in time, or or are so bad that after a short (or medium) run,
they fail the market entirely. Keeping in mind that there is a market
for every price range.
My final conclusion? I have still have my kids, my pets, and my (no
longer clean or white) white carpeting. I have gained a lot of
knowledge, and I do believe that there is a good quality bamboo floor
(of which I don't believe I am allowed to name on this website). Even
with my business licensure that provides me with access to a pretty
decent discount, and an acquaintance/friend that installs floors and
will provide very inexpensive installation, I will have to wait until
next year to shell out for the quality bamboo (for anyone that is
interested - the estimate for the bamboo, after my discounts - just
over $12,400 for 1,728 square feet, includes underlayment, and all
necessary threshholds, stairnose, etc - installation not
included).
Hope I have been helpful.
Jeanne Spors
- Muskegon, Wsconsin
July 21, 2009
Has anyone else experience our problem? We have brown spots (about
the size of a dime) appearing on the surface of our floor. With time
they spread down the length of the board. They stay confined to that
board and do not spread to the next board. Unfortunately, we now have
over 50 boards effected and visually the floor looks worse and worse
with each passing week. Having removed one of the boards, it shows
the brown discoloration in all the way thru the depth of the board.
If you have any information about this problem please let us know.
Thanks,
Nelson R
home owner - Bellevue, Kentucky
September 11, 2009
I was thinking of putting bamboo flooring in and now probably will
not
Tomy Rose
- Washington
September 27, 2009
I have read all of the postings and find it interesting that no
one mentions the brand of bamboo that was installed. There is no way
to evaluate the comments.
Eric Niederhoffer
- Shiloh, Illinois
September 28, 2009
Hi, Eric. Sorry, but many postings on internet forums are from
fictitious names, shills posing as satisfied customers, etc. For the
forum to be of value, we've found it necessary to remove the
commercial benefit of those fictitious postings, and delete those
postings that we knew were from shills. That needed to include
removing condemnation of brands as well as praise of brands. For
brand comparisons you should go to Consumer Reports and organizations
like that where the reviewer is not essentially anonymous. Good luck.
Regards,
 |
Ted Mooney
finishing.com
Brick, New Jersey |
|
October 11, 2009
Had a bamboo floor installed in my kitchen almost 8 yrs.
ago. The floor installer talked us into it, saying it's the
hottest new flooring...won't scratch, much harder than oak.
He even invited us to his home where he just installed the
same flooring. We went and looked and were so impressed.
Well the 40 year old oak floor in my dining room looks
better, and we had it refinished 10 yrs. ago. Anything
dropped on the bamboo floor will dent, and dirt or sand on
shoes will scratch the finish. Some rainwater got into the
seam of the floor by our back door and there are strange
looking stains in that area. I'm now at the point where I
need to call in a professional to refinish and can't even
imagine what that will cost. This floor is beautiful when
brand new, but very quickly looks like garbage.
Colleen Simon
- Jackson, New Jersey
October 12, 2009
Sorry all the complaint about the bamboo flooring, but
certainly all your guy's need to do more researched, because
if one of your guy bought the bamboo through the Big Box
Stores or lower quality products then you guys will have
thing of problems.
In Canada good quality bamboo cost almost 5 canadian dollar,
and depending which kind of the bamboo your guy buying
too.
Hope your guy will learns from the mistake.
Take Care
Larry K
- Kingston, ON Canada
1 2 3 4
-
-
|
|
|
 |
Save
This Page (why?) - Home - ©1995-2009 finishing.com