Upon discovering the problem with this product, a return to the place of purchase revealed that the sample of the flooring in the store was severely cupped. That, to me is distressing. Also, it just does not sit well with me that the situation and the conditions and the preferences and requirements for performance were discussed in depth with the sales person. This product has not performed.....pure and simple. I might also add that of the 68 units in the condo complex, nobody has had a similar problem with any flooring they have installed including some hardwood flooring installations. Most of the units are vacant a good part of the year. Temperature is set at 60 degrees when the units are empty.......Heat is not forced air but is the ambient heat in the walls. I don't mind taking the responsibility on the back end, but this product does perform at any level. Incidentally, it scratches more easily than any flooring I have ever seen.

Sorry, all, I meant to say DOES NOT perform at any level in my last post.

I find it funny that you call the guys in the flooring department at Lowe's experts. Lets face it you bought the product there because of the price. As someone stated in one of the first responses the better products like Teragren would most likely have held up better. I have Teragren installed in my own house in New England where the humidity this past winter was as low as 12 % and right now it is at 59% and there is no cupping. I am getting fed up with people buying products based on price and then complaining. You get what you pay for both with material as well as labor.

Rant over.

Allow me to add my name to Jeff's rant.

Whoops............My internet timed out. Hmmmmm. I am going to start over on the reply.It's my turn to rant. Sorry if it is duplicative. We've gotten way off the subject here. My concern is that a big company is not standing behind a product it sells. And..........if you are implying that I deserve what I get because "I shopped for price", nothing could be further from the truth. That also leads me to the unfriendly, overbearing "licensed, independent" flooring inspector who is supporting the position of the manufacturer when we all know we are dealing with an inferior product. I quit.....guys. This flooring is inferior.........period, exclamation point. Our condo is not in Santa Fe or Taos........It is in a remote little village where choices are fewer and the fact is that the product should never have been recommended for this purpose.....pure and simple. We don't have the choice of fancy flooring places in this location. In my home north of Dallas, I did have lots of choices. I repeat that I think it is presumptive of you to assume we shopped for price and deserve what we get. That is not true nor does that have anyting to do with the fact that a company sells an inferior product and sticks it to the consuer. I do appreciate the time you all have given to the subject.

It isn't that the manufacturer isn't standing behind their product. Their product is not at fault here. They are not in control of their product gaining moisture content, since the day it was installed.

Your looking to blame the bamboo makers, but everything is saying different.

That is just bull. How do you explain the SEVERE cupping of the sample on the floor after we detected our problem?

No one is saying the floor is not inferior. The majority of floors sold at big box stores are, why do you think they are cheaper then the ones you get from a normal flooring retailer. The fact is if the humidity was maintained within the standards set by the manufacturer then you probably wouldn't have such severe cupping. If Lowe's installed it then they are at least partially responsible for not taking certain conditions into account. If you installed it yourself then it is your fault (sorry). They can't be responsible for every product they sell if the customer doesn't
doesn't use it properly. If you really feel the inspector was bias then hire an independent on your own. If he finds the material defective then Lowe's or the manufacturer should be responsible for reimbursing you. As I said in my first post I have had bamboo in my house for the past 6.5 years with no cupping, and it looked brand new until we got a crazy dog 3 years ago. It held up great under normal use but even the hardest wood floor is not indestructible.

Get another opinion dude. And then sue that other inspector if his report is different. lol

The same way I explain yours...
The installers had no clue what acclimation really means,
They didn't keep humidity levels after the installation, as low as they were when the floor was acclimated and installed,
or they too have a wet substrate, and a moisture barrier was not used.


The floor has gained moisture. That is not something a manufacturer can control after it leaves the kiln and the milling room.

Propblem is Perry, most of those manufactures say NOT to open the box to accliamate. All they are interested in is temp accliamation.

Teragren specifically states to open the cartons and spread the boards out. So does Plyboo. I believe the stuff LL sells even explains acclimation. The only thing I have seen that says to not open the plastic, is some of those thick sawn faced engineereds, where they are worried about "shear" Delamination.

If they want you to have exact interior acclimation and controls, then you better do that. Only a stupid installer, would not verify the moisture content of the Bamboo, even if it did say no acclimation is needed, or do not cut open plastic. I want to know what is going on so I can document it, at the time I start installing it.

Many say not to open the box, but also stipulate that the moisture content of the substrate and floorcovering must be tested before installation to insure they are within an acceptable variance of each other. So, they don't actually set an acclimation period, but they're still going to hold the installer responsible if the product goes in over a wet(ter) substrate.