Thanks for the info...

When buying any home product do your homework.
Just because, it says "GREEN" don't believe it.
I looked at bamboo flooring, but it was to soft and high priced.

I was going to install bamboo, now I'm not enthused to do so. What about cork flooring? Any info on the sustainability of this product?

thanks

*** Ah yes cork! Stacy and I are seriously looking into this nifty product for a remodel project we're doing on our home in Montana. Stay tuned to this blog and I'll give you my best guess as to it's sustainable qualities. ****

Thanks for the input. It looks like a lot of people are going to be in for a shock sooner than they expected. Once agian don't be too quick to jump on a bandwagon until the facts come in.

Right on to be concerned. Had bamboo from Lumber Liquidators professionally installed .... looked great and right price BUT scratches so easily that I wished I'd opted for hardwood.

More poison from the East. Why am I not surprised?

Glad I saw this item - I was going to buy a laminated-bamboo cutting board; now I won't.

We used Bamboo in our new home and are now going for the "distressed bamboo look" . It dents scratches. We were told that the bamboo we got was of the highest oldest type and would be great. NOT. Have tried to warn others but no one wants to hear from me....perhaps now they will.

Oh, how about wood?

Nah, too easy.

As we say in the computer biz: "Never buy release 1.0 of anything".

I have about 1200 sf of bamboo flooring in my house's high-traffic areas in Florida. I have 4 kids, two dogs and a cat. One small dent from dropping a hammer, but no scratches after 3 1/2 years. I installed a 5/8" solid product that glue's down from a wholesale lady at about $2.50/sf. Please don't post racist and ill-informed advice (i.e. "More poison from the East") Do your research on the manufacter and the product and shop around. My wife and I couldn't be more pleased and we intend on installing it in Minnesota when we move.

It's along the same lines as the "Green" CFL's (Compact Fluorescent Lights). Very energy efficient, but no one is addressing the Mercury, a heavy metal, along with the fumes, that are contained in every bulb. It's a Heavy Metal and a Hazardous Waste! Look at the packaging. It says- Dispose of in accordance with local, state and federal laws. Those would be your HazMat Laws!

It'll cost you about $2000 to properly clean up a broken bulb. Please DO NOT use your vaccuum cleaner.

And by 2014 we'll have a federal law "outlawing" incandescent bulbs- and no one has a bill yet proposing guidelines or mandates for recycling CFLs...

Another Green idea gone Bad...

Google CFL and Mercury for more info...

Not to get sidetracked, but no one that makes the mercury argument regarding compact flourescent bulbs ever mentions this fact (or seems to know about it. The amount of mercury the coal burning power plants put out into the air we breath, water we drink, and fish we eat, to produce the electricity to power incandescent bulbs for the equivalent lifetime that a compact flourescent bulb has, far exceeds the amount of mercury in that bulb. Also, you can take the compact flourescent bulbs to the same disposal facilities as the ones that accept your dead batteries (also hazardous waste).

I have bamboo in my "entertainment room", and inside my front door. I got it at Lumber Liquidators. I did have some scratches, but I consider them my fault because I moved some furniture which should have had protectors on the feet. Immediatly by the entrance, I have an indoor/outdoor rug to protect the area. Elsewhere in the room, I haven't had any scratching and I've got teenagers that are pretty rough on everthing.

I'd like more info on cork. I love the unique looks that cork can give. A friend installed cork tiles in his wine shop (how appropriate). It looks great and so far is holding up well. How's the price compared to hardwood? It's supposed to be easy to install yourself, so I imagine that would make it moreaffordable.

Ruth K from Florida: Do you know the manufacturer of the flooring material that you used? We're building a new house on the Ches Bay and were planning on using a lot of bamboo flooring - now I'm not so sure???

we bought a high grade bamboo from costco and like most people have posted, it dents and scratches from the daily use of just my wife and I. I would recommend anyone wanting to use bamboo to get a single piece and try the high heel trick and your dogs toenails to see if it indeed is hard.

I wished I had seen this article only last week! I installed a bamboo floor for an owner who had bought it at Costco, and when we wheeled in the refigerator to the kitchen over cardboard we found railroad tracks left in the new floor. His wife was pissed. By the time all the appliances were installed, he concluded the floor was a waste of money and made my effort look fruitless. I actually felt guilty getting paid as they were not satisfied. The new cabinets have not even arrived yet and the floor looks beat. Terrific article by the HGTV Pros.