# Stranded Bamboo Shop Floor



## Doe (Aug 26, 2010)

I want to use bamboo in my shop with a "QuietWalk" underlayment. Does anyone know how this works with the heavy shop tools? The guy in the store showed us how hard the stranded stuff is but I'd like to know how 200+ pounds of equipment will affect it. Does anyone have any ideas?


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## RussellAP (Feb 21, 2012)

It's suppose to be the hardest wood flooring available.


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## shampeon (Jun 3, 2012)

I have bamboo floors in my house, and quite frankly they suck. I know it's supposed to be hard, but it dents and scratches very easily.


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## BillWhite (Jul 23, 2007)

My only question would be about how "soft" would the underlayment be? Would the weights transfer into the flooring?
Bill


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## Doe (Aug 26, 2010)

Thanks for the replies. Shampeon, the guy in the store said the the stranded stuff is a lot harder than the layered planks, and it's got 7 layers of finish on it. He showed examples of both and was whacking them to show how hard the stranded is. Mind you, it's twice the price. Bill, good point; we're going for the best underlayment and I'll ask about compression, just to be sure.

Thanks again,
Doe


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## Charlie5791 (Feb 21, 2012)

A good strand woven bamboo will be somewhere around 2300 to 2600 on the janka scale. It's basically the waste from the manufacture of vertical and horizontal flooring. That said, it's still grass which is why the flooring scratches easily. I have bamboo cooking utensils that regularly get heated, steamed, beat on, used as cutting boards, etc, and I've had most of them for YEARS.

BUT… (and it's a big butt) if you put a wood floor of any type in a workshop and expect it to stay looking pretty, you're going to be extremely disappointed. ALSO, in terms of "soft step" or "quiet step" or whatever…. that's usually a layer of compressible material. If you combine a heavy machine with compressible material, I think you'll see separations and chipping at seams where equipment gets rolled over it or sits stationary.


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## BentheViking (May 19, 2011)

The stranded bamboo is a perfectly fine product, but I am far more concerned with the fact that you said your using QuietWalk. QuietWalk is a sound deadening and insulating padding to put under FLOATING FLOORS. If the salesman was trying to sell you this then he either is selling you a floating floor which is supposed to float over the sub floor and the weight of your heavy machines will act as anchors and prevent your floor from moving as a unit and may eventually bucklet. If it is a naildown floor then he is recommending an incorrect underlayment. QuietWalk's naildown complement is Insulayment, but there are other types out there (Bellawood Premium, Eco Silent Sound HD). I think of all of them I'd recommend the Eco Silent Sound HD. It is the thinnest and as you nail down the floor it will compress more and really shouldn't provide instability. If your still concerned go with a simple vapor barrier paper such as Silpaper, which is a modern version of rosin paper (disentergrates in time) and Felt/Tar paper (gives of some chemical fumes/vapors). Again all of this presumes your doing a naildown floor and are going over a plywood subfloor. If not let me know and I'll let you know how you can handle it with a glue down floor.


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## Doe (Aug 26, 2010)

Charlie, I don't expect the floor to stay pristine for long (maybe 15 minutes-- if I'm lucky). I've never heard of the janka scale; that was an interesting read and handy to know for other things. Now I have more to muddle over . . .

Thanks very much,
Doe


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## RussellAP (Feb 21, 2012)

What do you plan to lay this over? Wood or concrete?


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## Doe (Aug 26, 2010)

Russell, it'll be over concrete.


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## Doe (Aug 26, 2010)

Ben, yes it's a floating floor over concrete. Thanks


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## RussellAP (Feb 21, 2012)

And why do you want to put something over that, too cold, look nicer…?


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## toddc (Mar 6, 2007)

I am 100% behind BentheViking's comments.


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## RussellAP (Feb 21, 2012)

Any wood on concrete needs a barrier which will add some sponge to it. Heavy tools will cause problems. The concrete needs to be sealed and a product like a thin 1/4 styrofoam goes down next. If the floor isn't level you'll need to address that as well.


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## Charlie5791 (Feb 21, 2012)

Yeah the wood movement thing could bite you. Bamboo moves a LOT. They ship bamboo plywood sealed in plastic for a reason. If you get a load of it in and take it out of the plastic because you're going to be using it the next morning, and you stand it in your vertical rack, and you pack it in there pretty tight because the rest of the rack is full and there's nowhere else to put it…. you'll need to use a come-along to get the first piece out in the morning because it all swelled over night…. in the shop…. NOT on a particularly humid night.

Can you tell this happened to someone?


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## TeamTurpin (Oct 3, 2012)

I've got bamboo flooring for my shop's countertops. So far, I like it. But, countertop use doesn't have to meet the demands of a shop's floor. I chose it because it was about a third the price of maple.


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## Doe (Aug 26, 2010)

Russell, the floor is cold and there's a room outside the shop that will have a finished floor, so it all started with the transition problem and ended up with a comfortable shop. The house is 12 years old and the concrete in the basement is in good shape.

Charlie, YIKES! I'll ask the contractor about that.

TeamTurpin, that's a great idea for the leftovers - that and making boxes . . .

Thanks everyone, for all the information

Doe


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## Manitario (Jul 4, 2010)

Just a question: why spend the money on putting in bamboo flooring in the shop when it will fairly quickly get beat up from normal shop use? Would be a lot cheaper to screw down a layer of 3/4 ply and if you ever move homes replace it with bamboo flooring then…


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## Doe (Aug 26, 2010)

Rob, that would be the sensible thing to do. I'm thinking that may be the way to go. Thanks.


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## BentheViking (May 19, 2011)

This floor needs to be glued down. Bamboo is the solid product that we sell that can be glued down without any issue. Despite what Charlie's experience was, stranded bamboo is actually a very stable product. Typically we'd recommend using a moisture barrier and glue all in one, such as the Eco 995. If your flooring is cold, then you could use either the Bellawood or Eco Silent Sound HD products that I linked before by glueing them down and then gluing your floor to the pad, but again your hitting your issue of too much cushion.

Also the correct janka ratings on stranded natural bamboo is 3000 or almost 2800 on stranded carbonized (spice, carmelized, etc.). It certainly is a great choice for a better than concrete shop floor, it just has to be the proper installation or your throwing your money away. 
PS. by looking at my links you can guess where I work and know that what I'm saying actually is correct. Good luck


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