I am having the hardest time choosing the right floor for my home. The reason is due to reviews that I have read on the internet. There are so many contrary opinions. I went to Lumber Liquidators and they pointed me towards Morning Star Bamboo, which happens to be on sale for $2.99 a sq.F....I researched and found that many have had issues with the smell. I put the sample into a jar and after 10 minutes the smell was horrible that came from it. Is this a sign? The installer says that any sample put into a jar is going to give off a horrible odor. Also: when he smelled the opened jar, he didn't even flinch at all. The smell was really bad and he claims to have smelled nothing. That worries me.

Concluding,
1. I really need help in deciding which to buy, Bamboo or Hardwood. I have no children or dogs.
2. Can anyone recommend an HONEST installer in the Philadelphia area?
3. What do I need to look for in the Installation Contract? In the store, the installer said that he was familiar with my home and guess-estimated the job to be 400 sq.F at $2.25. When he got here it was suddenly $125.00 to do each step. I also have a few staples on the floor. DO they need to be removed?

Any help would be much appreciated! I am so happy that I have found this site!!!

I heard that bamboo with no formaldehyde has isocyanate's thats bad for them poor people over seas that make it. Isocyanate's do not gas off. So your going to have make a choice if you really want bamboo. Why not a nice American made white oak floor?

Steps take a lot of time and patience, try one sometime.

As a matter of fact, I purchased some oak today. I wll not go with the Bamboo. Bamboo was too tricky. I wan't sure if the price for the steps was good or not. Like I said, I know nothing about this process.

Anything else I should know about the istallation?

Thanks for your help

Good idea especially if your in a dry zone and don't want to babysit the rh all the time.

There's probably a million other things about a hardwood floor installation to worry about but................no need to overwhelm the consumer!

Aw, that's not nice.
Now you have me worried.
Could you share a few thousand of the other million of worries.

What would you say are the most important issues to worry about?

Thanks

Not well enough informed about your substrate and your local to offer much more than this. Wood moves because of moisture and the more stable your interior/crawlspace/basement rh and temp is the better off you and the floor will be in the long term.

I made up a rhyme one day. Straight is great! A perfectly straight floor has an overall great appearance. Sometimes the flooring installer is in a rush and starts a bit wavey. The overall look just isnt great but you have no idea why because you cant see the waves as a homeowner.