Bamboo Floor Underlayment
One of the thinks that a person needs to look out for when installing a bamboo floor is to check the subfloor beneath the layer of bamboo wood. This bamboo floor underlayment needs to be cleared of debris, be in the same plane, and also structurally stable. For a wooden subfloor, it needs to be extremely dry, the same thing for a concrete subfloor. This is because bamboo is a wood that expands and contracts very easily due to change in moisture. Another thing to install on the bamboo floor underlayment is some asphalt felt paper to level it out. We will talk about the bamboo floor underlayment and why it needs to be dry and level.
The first thing to make sure of before installing a bamboo floor is that the subfloor is completely clear of debris. A bamboo floor must be as level as possible. This is because a bamboo floor, while durable, works best when it is clean and level. In order to make sure that the floor is level, the bamboo floor underlayment must be checked to see if it is level. If it were not, then a maximum difference of 3/16ths of an inch in elevation is allowed within a ten-food radius for the best bamboo floor level.
Whether the bamboo floor underlayment is wooden or concrete, it still needs to be as dry as possible. Bamboo is a wood that expands and contracts rapidly if there is a moisture difference. This can cause the floor to become unstable or cracked. If the subfloor is wooden, then a max of 12% moisture content is recommended. Concrete subfloors need to be cured and dried out thoroughly and a vapor retarder needs to be put in place.
Asphalt felt paper should be installed to help minimize or get rid of squeaking between the bamboo flooring and the subfloor. Putting in asphalt shingles to fill in low spots in the subfloor to help level it out. These asphalt shingles do not wear out over time as well, unlike other floor leveling compounds.
For a proper bamboo flooring, the subfloor must be carefully leveled and dried out. Vaper retardants are recommended or required to help keep moisture out of the bamboo flooring itself. Asphalt felt paper should be used to eliminate squeaking between the bamboo flooring and the subfloor. Properly maintaining a bamboo floor underlayment is a long process, but it is recommended to keep your bamboo floor in top shape.