Bamboo floors?

Sophia · 07-15-2005, 07:01 PM

Does anyone have bamboo floors? DH has suggested we get them for our living & dining rooms. I'm worried they might look too informal. Pix appreciated.

**lml41981** · 07-15-2005, 07:11 PM

I have them. I love the way they look (and how environmentally friendly they are), but they are incredibly soft and scratch very easily. If your kids (can't remember their ages) drop hard toys or if you have dogs that run around and slide a lot, they might get damaged pretty quickly.

I'll try to take a better picture that showcases the floor instead of my dog, but in the meantime, here's my dog (and the floor).

Sophia · 07-15-2005, 07:24 PM

Very look really nice.

My kids are 10 and almost 13. If they're that soft, I'd be worried about my dogs scratching them.

I do like that they're "green."

Hmmmm

**lml41981** · 07-15-2005, 07:37 PM

They make soft-paws for dogs' claws that supposedly help. I didn't know about them before we got our dogs, otherwise I probably would have tried them. You've got little dogs, though, right? They may not damage it as much as mine. Are your dogs nutcases who run a lot and stuff, like mine?

Sophia · 07-15-2005, 07:48 PM

They're all small, but they're hyper little psychos, and Milo in particular has long nails because he freaks when we try to trim them. I guess I could try those soft claws things, but I'd be so worried about gouges and stuff from furniture. We seem to be hard on floors in our house.

I'd really prefer stone, but DH is poo-pooing that idea.

**lml41981** · 07-15-2005, 08:10 PM

We put felt pads on our furniture and use area rugs where we can.

I think stone would be beautiful! We have 18-inch ceramic tile in the entryway and kitchen made to look like slate and I think it would have been pretty on all the floors, especially if it were put on the diagonal.

(ot...Hurricane Emily is set to hit you, isn't it? If so, hope you all stay safe!)

eta: the tile is so much easier to take care of...you have to be so careful with wood or bamboo not to let any liquid sit on it...so if a dog has an accident or a glass of water gets spilled, it could warp the bamboo floor, but the tile would be fine.

Sophia · 07-15-2005, 08:17 PM

That's exactly what I'm thinking about the tile or stone. I'd love slate.

Yeah, all the projected paths have Emily crossing right over us. And the best part is that DH is leaving for a conference in Dallas on Tueday morning--Emily is supposed to make landfall Tuesday night or Wednesday morning.

**Tanya** · 07-18-2005, 09:37 AM

We had bamboo floors put in in our townhouse, here's the best pic I can find:

I totally agree that they are much softer than I expected. We had some lady come through with stilettos when we had the house for sale and left deep gouges all over. So unless you're willing to ask all your guests to remove their shoes, then it might be hard to keep looking nice. They are beautiful, though. We got the darker color, which I understand has to be steamed to get the color added. The natural color is probably stronger, but "they" won't tell you that.

We were told bamboo's rating was harder than maple and softer than oak, but it seemed worse. Our 20lb doggy would leave scratches if she took off running, but if she just ran right through, it seemed fine. Could be the company we got it from, though. The kind they are now selling at HD seems much more durable (but more expensive). Get them to let you take home a sample and have your dogs run over it and see what it looks like.

Sophia · 07-18-2005, 11:37 AM

Tanya, thanks for the info. They look so pretty, but there's no way we can use bamboo if they're so soft.

I'm now looking into travertine.

**Kristen78** · 07-19-2005, 01:03 PM

I would think twice before usng a stone or tile in your living and dining areas. Stone is incredibly hard on your feet. We have ceramic tile in our kitchen and although I love it, I wouldn't want it in other rooms (besides bathrooms) or our house. Its very cold and hard to walk on.