BAMBOO FLOOR

[1950landy]

Who has bamboo floor in there house?
Back in November our fridge / freezer that has a water / ice dispenser in the door the switch board burnt out causing the water dispenser to switch on. :( We were not at home at the time & by the time we arrived home it had flooded the kitchen , formal dining room & part of the lounge room. Now the bamboo flooring has swollen . I had our insurance in this morning to have a look & it looks like they are going to replace the floor in in 2 bedrooms , hall , rumpus room 2 dining rooms , kitchen , lounge room & entry. [smilebigeye] This floor is glued to the slab & the way it is put down you can not just remove a couple of boards & replace them as the boards are tongue & groove.

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So warning if you have bamboo floor make sure it doesn't get wet. :thumbsdown: We should have replaced our old cork floor with cork.

[cripesamighty]

I think you will find most wood flooring that is direct stick (not just bamboo) will act in much the same way. In my last house I had jarrah floorboards layed in just this manner and was told in no uncertain terms to keep it dry, and to be VERY careful when mopping (ie. don't use hot water, don't just pour water everywhere with the mop, etc). That looks like a bugger of a repair job!

[Geedublya]

Bamboo is apparently more prone to swelling and shrinkage than others. I was advised not to use it for my house without an expansion strip down the middle of the living area.

[Roverlord off road spares]

Same with Floating floors either laminate or like are MDF based on a lot of them, they also don't like getting wet. But fashion sees these things installed all over the place.

[p38arover]

We've had it for some years. It's brilliant with dogs. There are absolutely no marks on the floors from dog claws. Ours is coffee coloured and shows no sign of wear.

Re expansion, I removed all the skirting boards prior to the flooring being laid to allow an expansion slot along the walls. The skirting boards were refitted and it covers the slot.

To allow expansion under the architraves around doors, the installer undercut the vertical sections of the architrave to allow the flooring to fit underneath. Very neat.

Re water, we soaked pieces of the flooring in a bucket of water for several days and saw no appreciable change and no damage.

These pics show at how neat the floor looks when undercut at the architrave and door frames. The pic also shows I needed to repaint the chipped paint around the frame! [bigsmile1]

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2018/02/733.jpg

The skirting boards were new. I pre-cut and pre-painted them. You can see I hadn't painted over the puttied nail holes when I took the pics.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2018/02/735.jpg

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2018/02/736.jpg

[Homestar]

Had bamboo down for 6 years - like Ron, have found it brilliant with the dogs who can't mark it. I have had a flood on one part of it that came out of the laundry - it dried out no problem, but I have a bit in the kitchen that was subjected to a slow leak from the old dishwasher over a couple of months and this has caused it to swell locally, but not to the point it needs replacing.

Any timber laminate would do the same thing, but isn't anywhere near as hard wearing.

[NavyDiver]

Both love and hate our bamboo floor. Rotten thing expands and contacts 360 degrees and leaves me kicking board back often! Band new renovation!!!

Love its price. Do not try puting in in to several rooms without cuts at doorways or you might like me love and HATE it

[1950landy]

We had ours layed when we did out renivations 7 years ago . It is also coffee coloured All the skirting boards were removed & new ones fitted after the floor was layed. I think the problem with ours is that they glued it to the slab so it go anywere but up when it expands. I agree it is very scratch resistant. It seams to be a real problem here in Qld , I had a couple of guys in to look at it & booth told me it is a common problem in Brisbane.

[Homestar]

Both love and hate our bamboo floor. Rotten thing expands and contacts 360 degrees and leaves me kicking board back often! Band new renovation!!!

Love its price. Do not try puting in in to several rooms without cuts at doorways or you might like me love and HATE it

Never had expansion and contraction issues with mine, but mine wasn't cheap. Like a lot of flooring products, the price range and what you get for that is very wide. Stability was one of the big selling points for the product I bought. It weighs a tonne too, about twice the weight of a bit of similar timber. Mine runs in a continual length from my front door, up the corridor, throught the lounge, into the back bedroom corridor with no expansion joints - a long way, I'll get a pic later.

[Geedublya]

My setup is the same, all skirting boards removed and replaced, architraves cut, but my living area is 8 meters across. I had three retailers advise me I would need an expansion joint down the middle for such a wide area. It was disappointing as I really wanted bamboo. I ended up going for blue gum which isn't as hard but is coping well.


We've had it for some years. It's brilliant with dogs. There are absolutely no marks on the floors from dog claws. Ours is coffee coloured and shows no sign of wear.

Re expansion, I removed all the skirting boards prior to the flooring being laid to allow an expansion slot along the walls. The skirting boards were refitted and it covers the slot.

To allow expansion under the architraves around doors, the installer undercut the vertical sections of the architrave to allow the flooring to fit underneath. Very neat.

Re water, we soaked pieces of the flooring in a bucket of water for several days and saw no appreciable change and no damage.

These pics show at how neat the floor looks when undercut at the architrave and door frames. The pic also shows I needed to repaint the chipped paint around the frame! [bigsmile1]

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2018/02/733.jpg

The skirting boards were new. I pre-cut and pre-painted them. You can see I hadn't painted over the puttied nail holes when I took the pics.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2018/02/735.jpg

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2018/02/736.jpg

[1950landy]

Never had expansion and contraction issues with mine, but mine wasn't cheap. Like a lot of flooring products, the price range and what you get for that is very wide. Stability was one of the big selling points for the product I bought. It weighs a tonne too, about twice the weight of a bit of similar timber. Mine runs in a continual length from my front door, up the corridor, throught the lounge, into the back bedroom corridor with no expansion joints - a long way, I'll get a pic later.

Our's was not cheap either cost over $20,000, the info sheet they gave us with the product told us it was the most stable product on the market. Ours was layed the same as yours only they started at back of house & worked to front door. The house was empty with no skirting boards . This is the second time the floor has done this , it did it in the first room they put down with in the 1st year & when they replaced it under warranty they left a small gap between the last board & the rest of the floor which they filled with a soft gum type filler that acts as a expansion joint . This section of floor is not being replaced this time because it is not affected, unless we pay for it which we will be doing in case there is a difference in the color.

The previous flooring was cork & was down for over 30 years & never had a problem . We were going to go with cork again but it didn't go with the french providential look in the house so went with the bamboo instead . We are going to look at cork again as there a lot more choices now in color & design, & some even look like timber .

Did they glue yours down or lay it like a floating floor. I am sure that is the problem the glue dose not allow it to expand out to the gap between the boards & the wall.
136851136852136853136854 The kick rails were left off all the kitchen cupboards & the boards went under the cupboards a couple of hundred mm. I don,t know weather you can see in the photo of hall way but the boards are all ripple from moisture & some of the boards have changed color becoming darker. Most of the area in the photo's is fine but there are some loose boards , if you tap a broom handle on them they sound hollow because they have become unglued .

[Homestar]

Our's was not cheap either cost over $20,000, the info sheet they gave us with the product told us it was the most stable product on the market. Ours was layed the same as yours only they started at back of house & worked to front door. The house was empty with no skirting boards . This is the second time the floor has done this , it did it in the first room they put down with in the 1st year & when they replaced it under warranty they left a small gap between the last board & the rest of the floor which they filled with a soft gum type filler that acts as a expansion joint . This section of floor is not being replaced this time because it is not affected, unless we pay for it which we will be doing in case there is a difference in the color.

The previous flooring was cork & was down for over 30 years & never had a problem . We were going to go with cork again but it didn't go with the french providential look in the house so went with the bamboo instead . We are going to look at cork again as there a lot more choices now in color & design, & some even look like timber .

Did they glue yours down or lay it like a floating floor. I am sure that is the problem the glue dose not allow it to expand out to the gap between the boards & the wall.

Wow, I'm starting to think they don't know what they're doing... Mine's a floating floor, layed on a thin foam with mositure barrier. Did it myself. Removed all skirting boards, left a 10mm gap all around, never had an issue. Longest part of the run is right on 20 metres. Most around 10 to 12 metres. I wouldn't have thought gluing them down would be a good idea myself - when they are floating, the while length can expand and contract, but glued down doesn't give them anywhere to go, although I'm no professional floorer....

On the pic attached you can see the length of the run going down the corridor to the front door (Excuse the mess😇) Behind me as about 2 metres more.

[p38arover]

I think the problem with ours is that they glued it to the slab so it go anywere but up when it expands.

Ours is laid over pine floorboards with a layer of foam between the old and new. The new floor is not glued down.

[DoubleChevron]

Our house was flooded last year. I wanted cork again. No-one wanted to lay it. I was offered "floating cork" .... Which IMO it competelly ****house. I simply don't like floating floors. No-one wants to lay floors properly anymore though. Cork goes down, has numerous coats of laquer over the top. THis means it IS water tight. We have had it layed through "wet areas" etc... Even though apparently this can't be done (it CAN if it isn't the floating crap). The cork is/was brilliant.... absolutely fantastic. The only down side is it is easily marked.

The only issue I have with the bamboo that has replaced it is ....... It's again floating ****. Its all about ease of installation. Now if they fitted the bamboo properly ...ie: glue the boards down. Then coated them with many coats of laquer. It would be absolutely fabulous. However now we are stuck with "floating" ****. So you can't get it wet. As obviously, it's not sealed, so the water will go straight into all the cracks and sit underneath the boards where it will never dry out.

The bamboo is way noisier, and nowhere near as nice as cork IMO. It does look fantastic though. And as a flooring product is brilliant. THey just need to install it properly so it's sealed. Apparently each board has 11 layers of laquer (or something crazy like that). So each board looks spectacular. But sealing each board like this is just dumb unless you seal the floor as an entirety once installed (so water can't get beneath it).

The guy who installed our floors did an absolutely spectacular job. He rebated it under all the of skirting boards and door frames.

seeya,
Shane L.

[1950landy]

Wow, I'm starting to think they don't know what they're doing... Mine's a floating floor, layed on a thin foam with mositure barrier. Did it myself. Removed all skirting boards, left a 10mm gap all around, never had an issue. Longest part of the run is right on 20 metres. Most around 10 to 12 metres. I wouldn't have thought gluing them down would be a good idea myself - when they are floating, the while length can expand and contract, but glued down doesn't give them anywhere to go, although I'm no professional floorer....

On the pic attached you can see the length of the run going down the corridor to the front door (Excuse the mess😇) Behind me as about 2 metres more.


I have been talking to a few people who lay bamboo floor & they are surprised that it has been glued . we have two problems causing the problem , the 1st is the water from the water dispenser in the fridge & rising damp through the slab even though the slab was sealed before the being layed. I do feel the problem is caused by layers who were employed by the importers . When they were laying the floor they were using ratchet load binders to pull the boards together & some times when they pulled them up too tight they would all fly up & they would have to relay them. When they replaced the ones in the bedroom under warranty they were not layed so tight & they used the gummy filler as an expansion joint.
If we lay the bamboo again we will be doing it the same as yours & laying it as a floating floor & will have to pay the extra to do the room the insurance is not doing that way the levels & color's will be the same & it will have the black plastic moisture barrier.
Thanks for your help , Wayne

[1950landy]

Our house was flooded last year. I wanted cork again. No-one wanted to lay it. I was offered "floating cork" .... Which IMO it competelly ****house. I simply don't like floating floors. No-one wants to lay floors properly anymore though. Cork goes down, has numerous coats of laquer over the top. THis means it IS water tight. We have had it layed through "wet areas" etc... Even though apparently this can't be done (it CAN if it isn't the floating crap). The cork is/was brilliant.... absolutely fantastic. The only down side is it is easily marked.

The only issue I have with the bamboo that has replaced it is ....... It's again floating ****. Its all about ease of installation. Now if they fitted the bamboo properly ...ie: glue the boards down. Then coated them with many coats of laquer. It would be absolutely fabulous. However now we are stuck with "floating" ****. So you can't get it wet. As obviously, it's not sealed, so the water will go straight into all the cracks and sit underneath the boards where it will never dry out.

The bamboo is way noisier, and nowhere near as nice as cork IMO. It does look fantastic though. And as a flooring product is brilliant. THey just need to install it properly so it's sealed. Apparently each board has 11 layers of laquer (or something crazy like that). So each board looks spectacular. But sealing each board like this is just dumb unless you seal the floor as an entirety once installed (so water can't get beneath it).

The guy who installed our floors did an absolutely spectacular job. He rebated it under all the of skirting boards and door frames.

seeya,
Shane L.

I think you hit the nail on the head it all comes down to the guy who lays it. if he does a good job all is good if not :thumbsdown: The problem with Bamboo is it is only coated on the top side & if water gets down between the boards it can soak into the timber & if it is glued down it can only expand up.
The guy who layed our floor kept telling us he was a cabinet maker by trade & that's why he was good at laying flooring. I was not sure if he was trying to convince us or him self how good he was.:unsure:
All this helps us to make our discussion on which way to go bamboo or cork. Thanks every one.
Wayne

[DoubleChevron]

I think you hit the nail on the head it all comes down to the guy who lays it. if he does a good job all is good if not :thumbsdown: The problem with Bamboo is it is only coated on the top side & if water gets down between the boards it can soak into the timber & if it is glued down it can only expand up.
The guy who layed our floor kept telling us he was a cabinet maker by trade & that's why he was good at laying flooring. I was not sure if he was trying to convince us or him self how good he was.:unsure:
All this helps us to make our discussion on which way to go bamboo or cork. Thanks every one.
Wayne

I just checked the boards (we have 1/2 packet here left over). They are certainly coated all over .... top, bottom ... sides. I'm betting they actually dip them rather than spray. spectacular looking pieces of wood they are!

ours are lighter and darker colours. They aren't stained. The darker colours are just heat treated to a higher heat.... So they are darker. This means if you ever re-coat or scratch them, they are the same colour all of the way through.

They really do seem to be a fantastic product.

seeya,
Shane L.

[1950landy]

I just checked the boards (we have 1/2 packet here left over). They are certainly coated all over .... top, bottom ... sides. I'm betting they actually dip them rather than spray. spectacular looking pieces of wood they are!

ours are lighter and darker colours. They aren't stained. The darker colours are just heat treated to a higher heat.... So they are darker. This means if you ever re-coat or scratch them, they are the same colour all of the way through.

They really do seem to be a fantastic product.

seeya,
Shane L.

I think you are correct , I just had a look at an off-cut I had here from when the floor was layed , it looks like it may have one coat on bottom & sides & from finish looks like it has been dipped but you can see small areas , places were the coating is missing in the groove , then finishing coats on the top to give smooth finish. When we bought the flooring we were told it could be sanded the same as polished wooden floors & re-coated . Some pick's of the off cut.136863136864136865136866136867 sides ,end, bottom & cut end which shows how the board is made up.
I am thinking we may go with the bamboo again but not glued that way if the fridge does leak again the boards can expand & when they dry out will shrink back into place.

[NavyDiver]

Never had expansion and contraction issues with mine, but mine wasn't cheap. Like a lot of flooring products, the price range and what you get for that is very wide. Stability was one of the big selling points for the product I bought. It weighs a tonne too, about twice the weight of a bit of similar timber. Mine runs in a continual length from my front door, up the corridor, throught the lounge, into the back bedroom corridor with no expansion joints - a long way, I'll get a pic later.
My sister has bamboo like yours and no problems. Mine was not cheap but clearly a cheap product in my view. I will find the brand as it is one to avoid at all costs. The importer came and looked and honestly wish I had made them rip it up and shove it somewhere dark![biggrin]

[1950landy]

With ducted air con the house is kept at a constant 20deg all year around so it shouldn' t be a temp problem , the expansion has to be a moisture problem

[trog]

I just checked the boards (we have 1/2 packet here left over). They are certainly coated all over .... top, bottom ... sides. I'm betting they actually dip them rather than spray. spectacular looking pieces of wood they are!

ours are lighter and darker colours. They aren't stained. The darker colours are just heat treated to a higher heat.... So they are darker. This means if you ever re-coat or scratch them, they are the same colour all of the way through.

They really do seem to be a fantastic product.

seeya,
Shane L.

Would you recommend them for a flat ? Not sure if it will become a rental or not, so looking at options other than carpet.

[DoubleChevron]

Would you recommend them for a flat ? Not sure if it will become a rental or not, so looking at options other than carpet.

They are far harder than australian hardwood. They will scratch without care, but its unlikely they will ever get damaged (unless you burn or flood them).

seeya,
Shane L.

[1950landy]

Would you recommend them for a flat ? Not sure if it will become a rental or not, so looking at options other than carpet.

As Shane said they are hard , can scratch ,( you can buy some oil from the supplier to put on scratches to blend the scratches in ) The flooring does not like water so have to be careful moping it . We always use a cup of metho in the water to help dry the floor faster & try to wring out as much water as we can so as not to get the floor too wet.
I am not sure it is the best flooring for a flat that you are going to rent out , a lot of tenants would not look after the floor . I would be looking at some of the vinal flooring , there are some nice designs around now & some of it looks like wood. My brother just had it put in his new house thinks it is the greatest thing since sliced bread.

[LRJim]

Gday I've been laying flooring for over 10 years now. This is the 1st time I've ever heard of bamboo being glued down how old are the boards? Is it normal T&G like solid wood flooring? Or is it a click lock system? Either way you can replace individual boards you just need to cut the bottom half of the groove off and glue the board down in place.
Split the poo boards in the guts with a chisel or set the depth of a power saw to 12mm and lever out.
If you replace it with another floater make sure it's a click lock system and not a glue together or glue down system they age notorious for buckling. Expansion joins in doorways help but are ugly. And always leave the biggest gap possible under your skirts you can cut the plaster to gain another 10mm if you really need to, if you have 12mm skirts instead of 19mm skirts.

[1950landy]

The floor has been down 7 years , it is T& G solid like normal floor boards. Our problem now is the insurance Co has now decided they want us to except a cash payout for about 10% of the floor after the accessor telling us they would replace all the floor except one bedroom as they don't want to do the job so we now have to find someone to do it also in there offer there in no offer to repait the damage to the kitchen cupboards & were the floor has pushed the cupboards up & damaged the cealing . We have been told by a flooring co that we will never be able to match the colour. I have rang a number of people about doing the job but only one turned up & never came back with an quote. I have also been advised by the timber floor association it would be best to remove all the flooring & lay it as a floating floor & they do nor recommend glueing it. Since this has happned I have spoken to people who have had similar problems & all of them the floor has been glued. The way I se it if it is layed as a floating floor it can expand , if it is glued it only has one way it can go & that is up.
I am now trying to get quotes for all the damage so I can try to get mor money out of the insurance co.

[LRJim]

Yeah insurance companies are thieves. I used to do repairs for them and the money was terrible. We could always push for more money for extras and unforeseen problems. So you should be able to push them.

If you are a DIY'er do it yourself. They have done all the undercuts for you already the hardest part is getting the boards up. Just look at the way they cut the boards under tge door jambs to get an idea of how it's done.
The glue shouldn't be hard to get off its like rubber a nice sharp scraper will smash it
As for the boards try and get a 5g system (5th generation) it's the latest clik together. It's so easy to work with compare to others. You won't be bashing them trying to get them to click.

Hope you can squeeze some more coin out of them good luck with it all!

[1950landy]

Thanks for the advice .
Managed to get a verbal quote today to pull up floor & grind slab between $8000 & $9000 . Not sure what we are going to replace the bamboo with but it won' t be bamboo & will not be glued. They are coming out Friday to do written quote to pull up the floor & bringing out some samples for us to look at. Also had the people who made the kitchen cupboards out today to have a look & work a quote to repair the damaged to the cupboards.

[LRJim]

That's quite a lot of money to be honest with you how many square meters is the floor? For that price they should be polishing it also lol. Is the insurance company paying for the cupboards?

[1950landy]

That's quite a lot of money to be honest with you how many square meters is the floor? For that price they should be polishing it also lol. Is the insurance company paying for the cupboards?

There are 3 x bedrooms hall way, kitchen / dining room /rumpus room ( all one room) , formal lounge & dining room & entry. At this stage the are not showing in there offer repairs to cupboards. I am getting quotes for all repairs & going back to insurance co for a second offer . Also there is nothing in the offer for removal & storage of furniture , painting after skirting boards are removed & refitted & accom while job is being done. I don't expect them to pay for replacing the whole floor but i think they should be paying to replace all the floof in each of the rooms affected by water damage from the fridge board burning out turning water dispensor on & flooding 3 of the rooms plus damage to kitchen cupboards .

[1950landy]

Just an update.
Well it has been a while since I reported here . We have received our 3rd offer for a cash settlement to replace the Bamboo flooring in out house from our insurance Co . After getting my self to do the work required it looks like a fair & reasonable offer this time so we have accepted the offer.
We will be removing all the flooring in the house having the slab ground sealed & new flooring installed ( NOT BAMBOO) we have been advised by the ATFA ( Australian Timber Flooring Association) that bamboo should have never been glued down in out house & should been done as a floating floor but they do not recommend it being installed in our house.

We now have to wait for the insurance Co to pay us then we can start removing all the furniture from the house & storing it . We are told the job will take 2 to 3 weeks to complete so also need to find some were to live while the work is being done.
At least we have some progress.[smilebigeye]

[1950landy]

Wel at last we are starting to have our floor replaced . Cabinet maker came this morning to remove the kick boards & sides & cupboards above the fridge. Also had the electrician in yesterday it move a couple of lights as we are getting some extra cupboards installed each side of the stove top. Before photo 145127 that photo was taken at Easter as can be seen. Now 145128145129145130 sorry about the photo's being up side down bur Microsoft have done another upgrade & even if I invert them in my photo storage they will keep uploading this way .
Tomorrow the floor layer is coming to remove all the skirting boards in the house & Monday we move to an apartment for the 2 to 3 weeks that the work is being done.
Tuesday the removalist are packing up the furniture & putting it in storage . Wednesday the floor will be removed & the slab ground to remove the glue. The floor will then be allowed to dry out before sealing the following week & start laying the new floor & refitting the skirting boards.
After the layer has finished the cabinet maker will come back to reinstall the kick boards & install the new cabinets. After he has finished our builder will come in to fit new ceiling trims & repair the ceiling .

We are having Bamboo installed again because my wife doesn't like the matt look of other floating floors & likes the floor shiny but we are not going with the same brand that is a better quality & the floor will not be glued this time .
It will be installed as a floating with a top quality under lay so the floor will have 2 water proof barriers to stop any rising damp. :BigThumb:


Then it is my turn, we have decided to paint the inside as it is 8 years since it was last painted & the paint will be damaged where they removed the skirting boards . :thumbsdown:
It has been a long fight with our insurance co to this point but we eventually came to a decent settlement on repairs , accom & removal of furniture. [bigsmile1]

I will post up some progress photo's after we get back in out house as my desk top will be packed up & unusable during this period & I find my tablets will not up load photo's to the forum.[bighmmm]

[p38arover]

Doing the ceiling in bamboo, too! [bigwhistle]

[DiscoMick]

We put down a tongue and groove floating floor in our studio, which is fine, but what I really like is the vinyl floor we put in the lounge room as it came with spare strips so if one gets damaged we can just pull it up and lay a new section. Great idea. Water no problem. Looks good too.

[1950landy]

We put down a tongue and groove floating floor in our studio, which is fine, but what I really like is the vinyl floor we put in the lounge room as it came with spare strips so if one gets damaged we can just pull it up and lay a new section. Great idea. Water no problem. Looks good too.
I would have liked vinal but the boss doesn' t like it.

[whitey56]

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20181012/0fe1e7ab632de2ad405da1b5c1719fca.jpg
We installed vinyl planks a few years ago, they have been brilliant and easy to look after and handle whatever the grandkids can throw at it.
There is a bit of warping on a few planks above a join in the slab probably moisture wicking up, I will seal that one day and they also got wet from a flood here and dried out like new.

[Homestar]

My bamboo has been down for over 8 years now - still looks as good as the day I layed it and it’s had 3 dogs clattering around on it the whole time. It’s as tough as nails. Most issues people have had with bamboo is due to how it was layed - as was the issues with the OP’s floor. Hopefully his new floor will last a long time after all this mucking around - it sounds like it’s been a nightmare.

Mine is all through the kitchen too and has had no issues with the moisture in there either.

[1950landy]

My bamboo has been down for over 8 years now - still looks as good as the day I layed it and it’s had 3 dogs clattering around on it the whole time. It’s as tough as nails. Most issues people have had with bamboo is due to how it was layed - as was the issues with the OP’s floor. Hopefully his new floor will last a long time after all this mucking around - it sounds like it’s been a nightmare.

Mine is all through the kitchen too and has had no issues with the moisture in there either.

Ours has been good & shows no sign of wear or scratching even after 3 geand kids , toddlers ziping around on there ride on toys. I do beleave if the floor had not been glued down we would not be going through this problem . Yes you are correct if it is layed propely that is 1/2 the battle. The skirting boards are coming off tomorrow it will be interesting to see if they left gaps between the boards & walls. I have found a few places already were they have not.

[1950landy]

Skirting boards removed this morning , found a few places were doards had no were to expand to . The full lenght of hall 1st board was hard against the wall the full length . Probely would not have made any difference with it glued it could not expand anyway except for upwards.

[1950landy]

We moved to our tempory accomodation yesterday & the removalist was at the house to pack & remove all the furniture . they said when they quoted the job they would take 6 hours & that is what they took.
first thing tomorrow the guys will start removing the old bamboo & grind the slab. They recon to will take them 3 days but won't be finished till Saturday as they have another job to do Thursday. So far all seams to be going smooth & & they are starting to pull the floor up 2 days early.:thumbsup:

[1950landy]

It's Friday afternoon & the guys have finished removing the old bamboo & grinding the floor. He told me he is not sure what they painted the floor with last time but it wasn't a water proof barrier. The floor will now sit to dry out over the weekend & they will seal the slab Monday ready to start laying the new floor Tuesday & all going well will be finished by Friday.
I am wanting to get some of the walls painted before the furniture returns so the tall heavy wall units can go back were they belong & I don't need to shift them again.
Will post up some photo's next week when I can get near my desk top.

[1950landy]

Old floor coming up 145388 Grinding glue 145389145390 New floor going down 145391

[1950landy]

Water proof sealer on slab 145392 Bag of water proof underlay , they tape up the joins were 2 sheets meet. 145394 Entry, Lounge & formal dining room almost finished 145395:thumbsup:

Even though we will have a lot of work to do when we move back in , painting & putting every thing away , we can't wait to get home . we are not liking living in an apartment in the city. :thumbsdown:

[1950landy]

Well lots of progress today. the layers are putting the last two floor boards in now & are getting the skirting boards ready to be refitted . So will be finished this afternoon two days early. I will look after our Grand Daughters tomorrow & start painting Friday . My aim is to get the walls that the large wall units go against painted before the removalists bring the furniture back Monday morning . Tuesday will be spent making the house liveable & we will come home Wednesday . I spent the day cleaning out the fridge / freezer , patching some plaster on the walls & washing the blinds & cleaning windows.
We will then unpack all the storage boxes at our leisure & hopefully have a cull at the same time . My wife has a lot of crockery in the big wall units that was her Mothers , Grand mothers & Great Grand Mothers . We also have some 200 year old antique furniture that does not match the French theme my wife is going with now , so some of that will get painted with chalk paint & some we will sell I hope . But knowing my wife we will be storing it for ever.[bigwhistle]
Not a good time to be doing this it is like February weather at the moment.:firedevil:

[DoubleChevron]

Well lots of progress today. the layers are putting the last two floor boards in now & are getting the skirting boards ready to be refitted . So will be finished this afternoon two days early. I will look after our Grand Daughters tomorrow & start painting Friday . My aim is to get the walls that the large wall units go against painted before the removalists bring the furniture back Monday morning . Tuesday will be spent making the house liveable & we will come home Wednesday . I spent the day cleaning out the fridge / freezer , patching some plaster on the walls & washing the blinds & cleaning windows.
We will then unpack all the storage boxes at our leisure & hopefully have a cull at the same time . My wife has a lot of crockery in the big wall units that was her Mothers , Grand mothers & Great Grand Mothers . We also have some 200 year old antique furniture that does not match the French theme my wife is going with now , so some of that will get painted with chalk paint & some we will sell I hope . But knowing my wife we will be storing it for ever.[bigwhistle]
Not a good time to be doing this it is like February weather at the moment.:firedevil:

It could be worse ......... It could be 5degrees and pouring rain everyday like it was when we did it last year ............................

[1950landy]

Coupe of photo's afterthe floor guyshad finished. 145425145426145427145428
I think it must be my Samsung phone that keeps turning the photo's on there side when I down load them It never did it with my camera. Just easier to take the photo's with the phone & put them on desk top.
Painting starts tomorrow.

[Homestar]

Looking good. [smilebigeye]

Your front corridor is almost bigger than my house. [biggrin]

[1950landy]

If you are talking about the 1st photo that is the formal dining room & lounge, it's about 10m x 25m , the ceiling in the middle is about 16m high , I need a scaffold tower to paint it ,the dark area to the left is the entry.

[1950landy]

Last lot of photo's after furniture returned. 145646145647145648 this is 1/2 of to boxed we need to unpack 145649 Our lounge suit is sitting in the front pergola at the moment while we decide what to do about it , we bought it 36 years ago from Myers & it has served us well bit the fabric has started to tare . we recon that it will have a good solid frame but are not sure whether we should have it re upholstered or just buy a new lounge . I think buying a new lounge will be cheaper but the frames seam to be made out of packing cases these days so may not be cheaper in the long run. Our other lounge in the TV room has removable covers so we think we will have new covers made for them as they can use the old covers as templates, the fabric is getting quite dirty from me coming in from working on the cars & sitting on them with my work cloths, this lounge is 8 years old but the foam in the seat is starting to collapse . I think we will be better off just buying a new cheap lounge & just throw it away in 5 years .[bighmmm]

Any way thanks for the advice in helping us to decide which way to go with the floor & we are very happy with the result .:BigThumb:

[1950landy]

A bit more progress today , the cabinet maker turned up with the two new cupboards & panels for each side of the fridge. 145844 ( still keeps inverting the photo's when I upload them, Grrrrrrrrrrrr )
I also did a bit more painting & put study back together 145845 145846 ( you have to remember these photo's are taken down under so are up side down)
Our builder said he would be here today some time to fit new corneous above the cupboards . I am not holding my breath though . Bit of luck he will have it finished tomorrow so I can get the kitchen/dining room / TV room painted Friday then I will only have the two bathrooms & laundry to paint & after we have the carpet in the master bedroom cleaned I will paint it as well.

[1950landy]

145872 I too a photo wit my camera today while I am waiting for the builder & a good result with photo up the correct way . I will be off to phone shop to find out why the photo's keep turning when I up load them .
145874145873145875 These are three of study taken with the camera today so problem has to be problem with phone.

[RobMichelle]

I read on here somewhere if you take the photo holding phone length ways, when you up load it the phone knows which way to put it.
Not sure if that helps any, some of mine on here are upside down to.

[1950landy]

Doesn't matter which way I hold the phone when I take the photo's off the phone & put them on my desk top they are the correct way up but then when I put them on here they turn . I have tryed turning them on my desk top to compersate but they always come out the same way . I never had a problem with my old phone or camera it is just the photo's I take with my new Samsung GalaxyS7.

[1950landy]

We were told by flooring co to buy a microfiber spray mop to clean our floorl from Bunnings. Haha went & bought the only brand they had on the shelf but when I went through the check out the girl asked me if I wanted a docket & stupid me said no. Decided to go back today to buy new covers for it , NO we don' sell covers for that brand & the other covers they stock bon't fit. & they don't sell that brand of mop. I took the guy to the mops & showed him they do sell that brand. "O" that must be a pormotion product we don't have to keep service products for it. I said I will go home & bring the mop back . I am then told with out a docket NO REFUND.
I hate Bunnings more than I hate Ikea. I had 15 items on my list to buy I came home with nothing. I need to find a decent hardwear store, in Brisbane Mitre 10 are like hens teeth & nearest is 1hr drive away. BRING BACK MASTERS.

[Homestar]

Bunnings always replace and refund - with a docket... I keep mine all stuffed in the back of the drivers seat in the car so i know where they are. Yes, i'd like our local Mitre 10 back but that ain't gunna happen - Bunnings have a monopoly now and are unchallenged by anyone... ☹️

[1950landy]

I normally keep all Bunnings dockets because 2 out of 3 things I buy from them is no good & has to be returned, but was asked if I wanted a docket but after the problems we had at the checkout I wasn't thinking.
When I got to the check out that had only one person being served the operator told me to go to the other checkout that had 6 people waiting to be served . by the time I got to the head of the que I was told I had to wait while they did the till taking the excess money out, that took 5 minutes. I don't use self serve they are designed to put people out of work. O local Bunnings got rid of most of the staff when Masters closed . you can walk from one end of the shop to the other & not see one person in a red shirt. If you are lucky you will see a customer with what you are looking for & ask them were they found it. At least Bunnings got there just deserve in the UK & went the same way as Masters did here.[bigsmile1]
I have decides to use the mop until it is worn out & there is a company near our workshop who sell all products that has anything to do with cleaning ( brooms , mops. cleaning products) & I will buy one from them that way I will be able to buy service parts. May cost a bit more but at least I am not giving my money to Bunnings.