I received approximately 300 sf of bamboo 2 days ago and sticker stacked it on the carpet in a room right next to where it is going to be installed. Its going on a second floor condo over a plywood and gypcrete substrate.. I'm in southern california..

I checked about 7-8 planks that were on the top of the stacks and noticed some about 4 of 8, have some bowing along the long end of the board. Not cupping. It been acclimating for about 2-3 days now.

I have pics but seems I can't attach here..

The MFR stated it is because i didn't leave a 4" gap below the bottom of the sticker stack and they will "undo" if I restack and leave the 4" gap. And they won't give me criteria on what is acceptable flatness or how much unflatness is unacceptable.

Opinions? How much bowing is too much? Maybe just take the different types into consideration while installing? Say sandwich one with a bow between 2 straighter ones?

These are 5" by 6' planks carbonized strand woven bamboo..

Thanks!!!

that sounds like a milling issue.

if they were on top what would a 6" space at the bottom have to do with anything?

regardless..if it nailed it will go start most likely..if glued they wont be good.

Is it engineered?( meaning have a veneer or is it a "solid" bamboo throughout?

note there are many known inherent manufacture issues coming from China.

know your source.

this is why its best to hire a pro.

you are now caught in the whirlwind of buyer beware homeowner do it yourself syndrome..
its dark and murky there..I hope you find your way out.

Thanks for the reply JamesTRD-

It is solid strand woven carbonized bamboo. I went through all the boards yesterday and separated them into 3 categories. Grades A to B, B+ to C and D.

Out of 17 (20 sf per box) boxes 65% A-B None to minimal bowing that wold most certainly lay flat once click locked together.

about 30% B+ to C, again, almost certainly lay flat once clicked into a group.

Roughly 3-5% D where it might affect the flatness once clicked with others.

Does this sound right? Or are most manufacturers "perfectly" flat.. I would think all mfrs have some that would not be perfectly straight..

Does the above grading constitute returning the material? Maybe just pay attention to the boards and ensure there are straight ones paralleling the slightly bowed ones?

It will be floated and has click lock on all sides except of course where sawed at the end before the expansion slot at the edges. I have hired an installer and will of course get his opinion but I was also hoping to get some opinions here..


Any other input appreciated.

Sounds like they are giving you a run around. I would make them take it back.
If I were you I would switch out to another product altogether. If you live in a dry climate in southern California you are going to have problems with that floor. Unless you have a good humidifier and a good humidistat and keep a close eye on it.
Here in Missouri a relatively damp area every winter it gets entirely to dry for those floors and people with whole house humidifiers still have problems with them shrinking and coming unclicked.
I don't put them in and most reputable hardwood flooring companies won't offer them either. Even carpet stores around here don't sell them anymore.

Maybe its different there but I would beware of them.

First I make certain the substrate is flat, and yeah, the four inches off only applies to the bottom planks, doh.

Then makes certain the rh is up there or they will bow as they dry out, to much drying is bad juju. Get a humidifier. And even though meters dont work well with that strand, it helps to have a good one. I compare ones that are in my office at a set rh to the ones coming out of the box. And my newer Ligno SDM has settings for all bamboo's.

Lastly I set extra boxed on top to help keep it all flat, or use some lumber with weights on it.

Hi,
Would that company be Cali Bamboo by chance? I'm having the same issue and they are telling me the same thing. I live in Hawaii and my floors have been acclimatizing for nearly a month. What happened with your floors? Did they ever straighten out?

Yes it is Cali Bamboo. And I do not believe the bowed ones ever will straighten out. I've since taken them off sticker stack and inspected each one for flatness and re-stacked them just in towers.

I have not installed it yet and am still determining if I will. I will make the final determination tomorrow when my installer takes a look at the planks with me (3/19).

I ordered: 17 boxes. Mocha Fossilized Wide Click

Basically 60% of them are straight to straight enough to install once click locked.

About 30% have some bowing that I believe will be unnoticeable once installed and click locked together. Or maybe they could be used as end pieces?

It seems the slightly bowed ones under the weight of the adjacent boards will keep them flat.

About 9 planks have only a useable section of the plank.

But I am not an expert and just using my logical intuition after feeling the planks and letting them sag with gravity etc..

If we reject them tmrw luckily I'm in Socal and I will rent a u-haul pick up truck and return them.. Or I will ask them for more boxes to compensate for the unusable ones.

I specifically asked them to define an unusable plank in detail with dimensions but of course they haven't come through with my request..



Please let me know in more detail your situation. Feel free to contact me at alexost@techemail.com if you would like to communicate in more detail. I'd be happy to send you my pics of the rejected boards.

Hi Alexost,
Interesting. Have you tried clicking and locking them at all? Im interested to hear about how the installation goes. My floors acclimatized for nearly 3 weeks before we started installing and they didnt click and lock. I bought 41 boxes of the click and lock java fossilized strand woven bamboo. I hired a professional installer who has been doing this for over 30 years. Last week Tuesday he started and the floors didn't install. I sent photos and video and the customer service rep said it was an install problem and gave some advice but when i spoke with other professional installers they told me it shouldn't be a struggle. So back and forth I went with Cali Bamboo who kept promising they would call my installer and I back but never did. I had to get angry. We thought the problem was too much wax but i did notice some bowing. So finally the customer service rep calls today, a weeks later, and tells me that I just have to let it acclimatize longer. She promised that it would straighten out but couldn't tell me when is too long to wait.they want me to go through all 41 boxes (thats over 1000 sq ft of flooring!) and do what you did trying to find the ones i can use. Ill do a little bit, but i dont have time to do them all! it shouldnt be this much work. They advertised it as easy, "a snap", and then she tells me that its really not that easy. I have the email. Thursday will make it one month that those boards are acclimatizing. This has been a nightmare for me. Especially because Cali Bamboo has been so horrible with their service and doesn't want to admit that there could be a problem with the floor. They try to make it the installers fault or that I don't know about hardwoods flooring. Well, I've been doing research and more importantly talking with specialist Anne they dont think the boards will go flat like Cali Bamboo is saying. It seemed like a good company but things are not always as they seem. I'm sorry (but intrigued) to hear you are having the same issue and you live in SoCal. They are telling me it's because of the humidity here in hawaii and they don't normally have these problems. They never told me that when i called inquiring about the product in November. Wow. I dont think ive ever dealt with a company like his before. At least you can easily return them, but I've got a construction schedule and also live in hawaii. This really is going to cost me. Sorry to give so many details but I think potential buyers should know what they are getting themselves into. I didn't find much online about these floors when I was shopping around last year and it would have been nice to hear more experiences than those given by Cali Bamboo. I hope everything works out for you.

This interesting! This manufacturer has no written installation instructions?

Oops go to
http://www.calibamboo.com/bamboo-floor- ... ation.html
Interesting states its glueless click then states blue tape until glue sets but not longer than 12 hours. Very confusing. Read acclimation and conditions of flooring. Read Important notes. You will need a moisture meter, $600 to read bamboo to determine if their moisture requirements are met.
Forget it get a professional who reads the mfg instructions and knows how to follow them. Do not install if you believe bamboo to be defective.
Installation is acceptance no matter if it is crap.
Requirements for engineered wood must be measured with digital calipers to the thousands of an inch. If the bamboo is not nearly flat good luck clicking it together. Most installers don't have the moisture meters necessary so it stands to reason a diy might. Then you have to know what is acceptable before proceeding. Bamboo can only be measured the the scan method of a moisture meter capable of that method of install. Good luck is all I can say.
To me this is definitely not a diy project following their instructions you will spend more for the test equipment than what you would pay an installer who has these things.

Timely reply. I am just now getting to the install. This morning to be axact my installers came and started. I saw a little movement when they walked on it during install and brought it up.

They then proceeded to remove the about nine deep section just installed and remeasured flatness (before the install they put some vinyl shim in the "hollow") for that area.

Needless to say the second installer now said I need some self leveler in that area so they just did that and left.

The first installer came by a week ago and checked moisture and flatness for the floor and bamboo which he said was good.

Now the install day they pour and feather and trowel leveling compound in that hollow and there are still areas not completely flat.

This has been a real bad experience.

Oh man, I'm so sorry to hear that you are still having trouble with your flooring. I (my installer) couldn't install the boards so I had to return them and just got my new order of engineered amendoim today. Yay! I think it was a blessing in disguise as I found the cali bamboo samples I got in December and they had mold all over them. Not sure i already reported that to this forum, but ill say it again for those researching. I just hope there are no issues with these boards now! Mr. Decker gave good advice here. I also wish you good luck! Hopefully it will all be worth it when it's all said and done.

Not sure why they keep calling bamboo hardwood flooring but oh well. Here's how I acclimate all my bamboo.
http://www.calibamboo.com/how_to_acclim ... oring.html

But as I blurbed before, rh needs to be up there or it distorts the planks.
Distorted planks can be bowing or twisting. Distorted planks won't engage or lay flat. If gluing lay boxes and or heavy objects on the floor as you go and roll the floor continuiously with a 100lb roller. You will still get some hollow spots!

It seems the installation instructions are generic and for both glue and float.

My favorite bamboo is the engineered T&G long wide plank. It has a filleted core and I find it most stable. Glue, float or nail.