First of all the flooring is all made the same way but the difference being the colouring and how it is made. Bamboo flooring is created by mechanically stripping for 4 – 6 year old Mao bamboo stalks, then after boiling in a water and boric acid solution to remove sugars ( a termite attractant) and to inhibit fungus and mould growth.
(Strips are dried and material is woven with DYNO an extremely low VOC plasticizer – strand woven only)
The flooring is then crushed in a 2000 ton heat press that operates at 265f. The flooring is then milled in a German laser guided mill that makes very accurate cuts so each board you receive is cut just like every other board that comes out of that shipping carton. After milling, the flooring is then sanded and coated with a 6 coat build up process with Aluminum Oxide Finish. All our flooring’s here at Tongling bamboo flooring is extremely durable and easy to care for or refinish.
How the colours are created
If you have visited our website, you would of seen that there are many bamboo flooring’s to choose from. There’s different names, colours, patterns etc…
In past blogs we have compared Horizontal and Vertical, Carbonized Horizontal and Carbonized Strand Woven. We have decided to take a closer look at how the beautiful colouring of all the bamboo flooring is made!
Caramel (Carbonized)
The caramel colour is obtained through a process called Carbonization. The dark colour is obtained by undergoing pressure heating where the sugar contents darken and obtain a coffee coloured tone on the surface. The longer the process, the darker the surface.
Natural
Natural bamboo flooring reflects the true colour of bamboo along with the natural grain, growth patterns and joints. Natural bamboo flooring does NOT go through any process to retain it’s colouring.
Tiger
The Tiger effect on the bamboo flooring is made from a mixture of both Natural and Caramel Strand Woven bamboo. This is not a surface stain.
Tiger strand woven flooring has a unique texture and colouring due to it’s mixture of natural and caramel strand woven bamboo, leaving a dramatic affect to any room or building.
Like all other Tongling bamboo flooring, Tiger strand woven is suitable with underfloor heating. With high density and superior durability this flooring is ideal to be fitted in:
- Public Houses
- Bars
- Shops
- Offices
- Industrial buildings
- Commercial buildings
- Retail & Heavy traffic area’s
Tiger strand woven flooring is created by mechanically stripping 4 – 6 year old mao bamboo stalks. After boiling in a water and boric acid solution removing sugars which are a termite attractant, also inhibits fungus and mold growth. Strips are then dried and material is woven with DYNO an extremely low VOC plasticizer from Norway. Crushed in a 2000 ton heat press, operating at 265f, the strand woven boards are then milled in a German laser guided mill that makes accurate cuts, each board you receive will be cut exactly like the other boards that come out of that shipping carton. After milling, the boards are sanded, retaining their colour even after. They are then coated with a 6 coat build up process with aluminium oxide finish.
Tongling bamboo strand woven flooring is extremely durable and easy to care for/refinish.
Underfloor heating is a popular topic when customers phone to order there new bamboo flooring. As we aren’t specialists in underfloor heating we thought it was only fair to tell you both the advantages and the disadvantages to take into account and make your own individual decisions. We shall start with the advantages:
- Simple to install
- Cheap to run
- Safe
- No wall space
- Creates no noise
- Easy to control
Tongling bamboo flooring has superior durability and high density making the flooring more than compatible with underfloor heating. Any of the laying methods that we have previously written about can be used once underfloor heating has been fitted. Due to the thickness of the floor boards the heat rising from the from the underfloor heating doesn’t affect the strength or the colouring of the flooring.
Another great benefit with underfloor heating is that it reduces dust mites as the moisture levels are too low meaning that it is a great alternative for sufferers of asthma and other breathing illnesses.As the heat rises from the floor it evenly distributes itself around the whole of the room.
Once you are ready to turn the underfloor heating on for the first time start with a low temperature then over 6-8 weeks gradually increase the heat so that the flooring has time to get used to the different temperatures.
The disadvantages are:
All depending on the type of flooring that you have the heating up time differs. If you have a wooden floor this could take 30-60 minutes, concrete flooring could take several hours. The same process applies for the cooling down of the heating and the flooring. The thicker the flooring the longer to cool down. If you have carpet you may not benefit from the full advantages from the underfloor heating as the carpet insulates the heat meaning that the amount of heat that eventually spreads around the room would be a lot less than it would be without carpet. Although there is a special carpet that has a higher tog rating and has been made especially for this circumstance. You may need to find out more information about this product from a specialist.
Underfloor heating should not be installed under “floor mounted” objects due to them making the heating “sweat” meaning this could then ruin the furniture above and the flooring. As kitchen cupboards are usually fitted before this type of flooring is installed this rule doesn’t apply. Although for any furniture such as wardrobes or cabinets etc after a while they maybe moved around the room if there is a decision to rearrange furniture or redecorate.
The most concerning comment that I came across was: what if there was a leak in the piping? Would that then mean you would have to take up the newly laid flooring to sort out the leak and then have somebody come back in and refit the flooring?
For more information there are underfloor heating specialists who are more than happy to answer your questions.
In our recent blogs we have provided you with handy tips and advice on the installation and the three methods used to lay the bamboo flooring. In our blog today are tips and advice to help you keep the flooring undamaged and clean.
- Padding – When the furniture is ready to be moved back in the room, you will need padding to protect the flooring otherwise the weight off the furniture will leave a dent and will scratch the flooring if moved about. Furniture padding can be found in most DIY stores.
- Cleaning the Floor - As soon as the flooring is laid you are going to want to dispose of any lingering residue. If you decide to vacuum make sure that you use an accessory that isn’t going to be harsh towards the floor. DO NOT USE HARD BRISTLES, as this leads to scratch marks. If you decide to mop, rinse the mop extremely well so it is only damp and not soaking. A light dusting over with the mop will clean the floor, afterwards make sure you wipe over the floor with a towel or piece of kitchen roll so any access water is removed and stops the floor from becoming slippy. For sticky spots a damp cloth and a small amount of pressure applied should remove the stickiness, if not you should try a generic hardwood floor cleaner following the instructions on the back of the product. DO NOT use a SCOURER! This will scratch the flooring.
- If a water spillage occurs get the water up straight away, please don’t get thinking that the water will dry itself up, it won’t. The bamboo will absorb the water resulting in the flooring to swell!
- Door mats are essential with bamboo flooring and you should have one at every entrance to your house. They collect moisture, dirt, grit and any other potentially damaging and unwanted substances from the bottom of your shoes. If possible try to get into a routine of replacing your shoes with a pair of slippers as you step through your front door, this way there is no worry about unwanted substances being trodden into your flooring.
- High heels are bamboo flooring’s worst nightmare, they will scratch and mark the flooring. By getting into a routine of taking shoes off before treading on the flooring there will be no need to worry about wearing them.
- Tongling bamboo flooring is finished with a gloss coating meaning that there is no need for you, the customer to polish the flooring once it has been laid. The gloss used will keep the floor looking brand new and shining for many years.
Any queries or questions about any of the recent blogs, please leave a comment and we shall get back to you straight away.
Here is all the information that you are going to need for the floating installation.
Equipment:
- Measuring Tape
- Handsaw (power saw may also be helpful)
- Tapping Block (spare piece of flooring/old piece of wood)
- Wood or plastic Spacers (10mm)
- Crow/Pull bar
- Hammer
- Chalk Line
- Pencil
- Underlay
- PVA Glue
- Poly Tape or Duct Tape
Floating Floor is attached to itself, not to the sub floor and is installed over various types of cushion underlay. Floating is suitable with any sub floor and especially recommended for radiant heat or below grade installations. This involves gluing the tongue groove joints of bamboo flooring together over underlay. Start the first row with the groove towards the wall, glue the end joints of the first row by applying adhesive to the bottom groove. Lay subsequent rows of flooring by applying glue to the side and the end of the joints and fitting planks together with tapping block.
When following the Glue Down installation procedure the equipment you will need to use are:
- Measuring Tape
- Handsaw (power saw may be helpful)
- Tapping Block (a trimmed piece of spare flooring/old piece of wood)
- Wood or plastic spacers
- Crow/Pull bar
- Hammer
- Chalk Line
- Pencil
- Approved Flooring Adhesive
- Adhesive Trowel
This method includes gluing down the bamboo floor to the sub floor and is installed in a similar way as flooring tiles. It can be used on both concrete and plywood. Bamboo flooring can be glued down using moisture resistant flooring adhesive (especially urethane). Always read the instructions for trowel sizes and specific setting times. Do not use water based adhesive on this purpose. Never use the “wet lay” or the “loose lay” method. Start with the outside wall and spread as much adhesive as you can to cover the floor in an hour. After applying adhesive to the sub floor with a trowel immediately place the bamboo flooring with the groove facing the wall. Allow for adequate ventilation during this procedure. Make sure that the flooring is still aligned and also make sure that the installed flooring does not move on the adhesive, after 30 minutes make sure that there is a strong bond between the adhesive and the flooring by walking foot by foot over the floor boards. As you are laying the flooring and you find any adhesive on the flooring surface use a damp cloth and gently wipe off the adhesive.
Following on from the Installation process blog, here is all the information that you are going to need for the nail down method.
Let’s start with the equipment:
- Measuring Tape
- Handsaw (power saw may also be helpful)
- Tapping Block (a trimmed piece of spare flooring/old piece of wood)
- Wood or Plastic Spacers (10mm)
- Crow/Pull bar
- Hammer
- Chalk Line
- Pencil
- Hardwood appropriate nail gun
- Nail application chart
The Instructions for the “secret nail down” installation are as follow:
The flooring is secretly nailed down to a wood sub floor this is the Tongling traditional way of using nails or staples. The flooring joists whic are floor support beams should be marked on the felt paper with the chalk lines to guide the installation procedure and to identify where nails and staples should be driven to make a solid connection with the sub floor. The nails or staples should be rammed at an angle through the tongue and hidden by the next piece of flooring this is why the procedure is called the “secret nailing”. Nail each of the boards every 200mm and an within 50mm of each end. Once the starter rows are placed the next planks are nailed directly above the tongue at a 45º angle. Face nail may be needed in doorways and tight areas where the nail gun cannot fit, the last 2 rows may also need to be face nailed in the same manner. A good eye should be kept on the staple/nail penetration.
Here at Tongling we like to make things easier for our customers so we have made a short checklist for you to go through to make sure that you have done everything before your flooring arrives.
- The surface where the bamboo flooring is going to be laid needs to be clean, dry and level. If the surface is not level, the flooring will squeak once walked on.
- Remove any nails or staples from the old flooring.
- Also if there are any household jobs needed to be done, they should be completed before the flooring is laid.
Once the flooring has arrived you need to:
- Make sure you do not store directly on concrete or lean up against outside walls.
- The flooring MUST be stored where it is going to be installed 24-72 hours before it is laid so that it can adjust to the temperature of the room.
- Lay the flooring out for visual effect and to get an exact measurement.
- If you are installing the flooring on the second story of the house, you need to remove the lighting fixtures from the ceiling below. The stapler/nail gun puts pressure onto the joists which can loosen the ceiling mounted fixtures below.
For the best appearance Tongling bamboo flooring is often laid parallel to the longest wall or the outside wall, these are usually the straightest walls to refer back to. The direction of the planks should be based on the layout of the room and location of both entrances and windows.
Once you have made sure you have the right equipment and have followed our checklist of handy little tips you are ready to install your bamboo flooring.
Once the flooring has been laid remove the expansion spaces and re-install the base and the quarter round mouldings to cover the spaces. If you have used the glue down or the floating method, do not allow foot traffic or any furniture onto the flooring at least 24 hours. Dust, mop or vacuum your floor to remove any unwanted dirt.
We will be posting blogs soon for the Nail Down, Glue Down and the Floating Installation processes.
