Bamboo Flooring @ Costco

[SHADOWFOX]

Me and my wife picked up 30 boxes of these Golden Arowana Bamboo flooring today at Costco.. They had an excellent price of 1.98 per sq ft. The board dimensions are 19/32 by 3 3/4 by 37 3/4" (15MM x 96MM x 960MM)

Anybody ever purchased and installed these? I am currently debating wether to rent or buy a floor nailer. HD is asking $35.00 a day to rent one.. So I am leaning towards buying one and selling it after I am done installing the floors in the house.

Would the bostitch pneumatic nailer work okay with these boards? I heard that 19/32" or 15MM hardwood floor thickness requires special nailer.

Would greatly appreciate any info.

Thank you!

[DaveS]

Of course, the first thing you should do is read the manufacturers recommendation regarding the nailer.

The Bostitch is the one most flooring installers use around here. Keep in mind that the "default" kit comes set up for 3/4" flooring - and you need to get a different "shoe" that is used for 5/8" flooring. I think you also are supposed to use shorter staples (1.5" vs the normal 2" version).

Some of these "engineered" floors require the use of a special nailer that looks like a normal 16 gauge finish nailer with a small angled "shoe" on it.

I know a few people on the board here have used the flooring stapler from Harbor Freight with success.

So, it sounds like you are putting in like 600 square feet? If it is just one big square, then renting for one day seems reasonable if you have a couple extra guys over to help.

If you are planning on doing it yourself - unless you are used to this kind of exercise, it will be hard to get it done in one day. Plus, if you try to do it in two days - it is likely that when you wake up the morning of the second day you will not be able to do the whole second day (DAMHIKT).

Ibuprofen is your friend.

[JR]

I thought the Costco stuff was click together, floating stuff. Did you look at the box? did I dream this up?

JR

[dkerfoot]

Bamboo

I am currently installing about 900 sq ft of strand woven engineered bamboo flooring. In fact, it was the project that finally justified buying my new Craftsman 21829!

The dimensions you give are very different from mine - My boards are 9/16" x 7 1/2 x 72" I am going with a "floating" installation. Don't know if your's is designed for it or not, but so far I am very happy with how the project is going.

There is a lot of great information available on the internet, but do start with the manufacturer's directions.

[SHADOWFOX]

I have not opened the package but I will check it out when I get home from work.

I have never used pnuematic floor nailers before. The last time I installed hardwood flooring was when me and my step dad installed an unfinished hardwood in their living room and hammed all the nails manually.. Not with a manual floor nailer but with hammer and nails.

[radhak]

I am currently installing about 900 sq ft of strand woven engineered bamboo flooring. In fact, it was the project that finally justified buying my new Craftsman 21829!

The dimensions you give are very different from mine - My boards are 9/16" x 7 1/2 x 72" I am going with a "floating" installation. Don't know if your's is designed for it or not, but so far I am very happy with how the project is going.

There is a lot of great information available on the internet, but do start with the manufacturer's directions.

where did you get your bamboo?

the Costco stuff is 3 3/4 wide, hence unsuitable for floating (that goes for anything less than 5" wide).

JR, Costco does sell 'click together, floating stuff', but only in laminates. I visited a couple of Costco branches for the wider bamboo, but in vain.

[Holbren]

Here are the instructions if you didn't get them. This should be the company that made your flooring.

http://www.bamboofloorings.com/bambo...tion/index.htm

[atgcpaul]

Shadowfox, how did your install go? We just got 100sqft Bamboo from Costco
for my wife's office. It's pretty much a square room so I think I can do the
install in one day with a rented nailer.

Paul