I know that I should not put solid hardwood on concrete. But what about 'solid' bamboo? I'm in love with one paricular bamboo product in a local store but it is solid, not engineered. The store says that it is OK to glue down this bamboo to concrete, because bamboo in nature is more stable than solid hardwood, since it is essentially strips glued toghether. Should I believe them?

Also they plan to use Dritac 7600 adhesive to glue it down. Since I have radiant heat underneath the concrete, they recommend using Dritac MCS 7000 (Concrete Moisture Control System) before the adhesive. Does this equivalent to Bostik MVP + BEST? It's apparent that the installers for the store are more familiar with Dritac than Bostik.

The bamboo I'm interested is: Avanti Bamboo Vertical Carbonized Matte: 3 5/8 x 5/8 x 36, Aluminum Oxide 7 Coatings.

Joanne

Well, if someone else (a contractor/installer) is going to do that, make sure you get a written installation warranty. I don't know if Dritac is the equivelant of Bostick's; who does? It probably is easier to use and less money for them. People do glue bamboo direct to concrete all the time. Do some of them have problems? You bet! Just make sure that you have everything in writing and that they warranty the installation.

I thought all bamboo flooring was laminated layers.

Don

Dritac is fine, a lot of people know them for there repair kits but they make MCU glues as well. Here is the FAQ on the stuff http://www.dritac.com/Product/FAQ/7600.htm#1 . Technically solid bamboo is an engineered product because it is assembled in layers but most people call the three ply stuff solid because it is made of 3 layers of bamboo. Don’t quote me on this but I believe only the cross-ply solid is rated to go over radiant heat you may want to check that out before it is installed.