Before: It’s decent and doesn’t look too bad from a distance…

Change in Progress:

We opted for no DIY other than the demo.  For installation, we’ve hired a professional.  We have a contractor installing our floors. We just weren’t comfortable to DIY in this case. In areas where a project becomes a major investment, we’re a little less confident and a little less risky. Strand bamboo floors are HARD and strong.  However, you know how much home improvement fascinates me.  I promise I wasn’t in the way, but I did hang out from this vantage point a lot of the time watching the process:

Don’t worry – I resisted the temptation to crawl inside that truck to have a look around at all of those tools!

It’s advised that you never hire a contractor without reading reviews/researching the company. For that reason, we’re adding our experience with our contractor in the event a Google search helps introduce someone locally to our favorite contractor.  Meet: Gary Stone.  A word of mouth recommendation from a friend is the best compliment/review. Our experience has been extremely satisfactory.  We were so impressed with his knowledge and understanding of so many projects, his friendly service and his patience in describing/teaching steps and tips, providing education- should we attempt the bamboo flooring installation ourselves throughout the rest of the house (although we’ve had a very positive experience working with Gary and look forward to working with him again on future projects if needed). We enjoyed hearing his suggestions and professional advice for changing small things for the best results. We love the quality work and would highly recommend him to anyone local looking for professional contractor services.

Gary’s Tip for bamboo flooring installation for DIY readers:  Using nails like these ones from Maze make the “drive” of the nail easier as they’re double hot dipped zinc. They also come in a variety of colors.

• Hardwood trim nails
• Made from high-carbon steel to ensure good driving into oak, birch, walnut, and other hardwoods
• Many more nails per pound than ordinary finish nails
• Made in the USA
• Fewer wood splits

I tried to convince him to do a guest blog post.  He has so many helpful/useful DIY tips he’s learned from years in the home improvement field. Maybe he’ll consider it when he has a slow schedule or start his own website/blog with handy tips.

When we moved in, we removed the carpet and refinished original pine floors. It was an improvement but there were bad patch jobs throughout the house.  The pine had gaps that pinched Mr. DIY’s feet in certain areas.

Then during the kitchen remodel, we removed the vinyl and plywood base and exposed the original pinewood.  Part of the kitchen floor is 1927 (pine) and the other half is 1999 (plywood) and was covered with another layer of plywood covered with vinyl.  That’s all gone:

But the floors are uneven and don’t quite match up.  Mr. DIY has laid Pergo floors in a previous home but when it comes to the bamboo and condition of the floor underneath, we just felt safer having a professional do these three areas:  kitchen, dining room, future open pantry/hall.  Once we have the money to do the rest of the first floor with the bamboo we chose, we may give it a DIY shot…now that we’ve had a few priceless tips  from a professional.  

  

Our reasons for choosing this bamboo:

So, just a sneak peek, a description of our experience and products. Reveal coming soon!  I’ll be out-of-town tomorrow (more about that soon!) so when I return – the floor will be completed!  I can’t wait to see it!

Disclaimer:  We were not compensated by our contractor, Maze or Cali Bamboo. This is our own unpaid review of our opinions and experience with the products we used.