General

Please read these installation instructions carefully. By following these instructions, Completely Bamboo flooring will provide you with many years of satisfaction.
Completely Bamboo pre-finished flooring is best applied by nailing or gluing the planks to a wood sub floor. In addition, Completely Bamboo flooring can be floated, glued directly to a dry concrete slab or applied over radiant floor heating systems. Note: Installing bamboo flooring as a floating installation is not as stable as nail or glue down. Any movement however slight can cause the joint to fail and re-installation will be necessary.
Bamboo flooring is very stable (it has very low expansion and contraction) but like virtually any flooring material, wood or otherwise, must not be installed in anything other than dry conditions. Please take similar precautions with regards to moisture as you would with a solid wood floor. Do not install Completely Bamboo flooring in damp basements.
Because bamboo is a natural fibre, variations in colour naturally occur. Each box should be inspected for differences in colour and staggered throughout the floor. It is the responsibility of the installer/owner to determine if the job site sub floor and job site conditions are acceptable for the installation of the bamboo. Completely Bamboo declines any responsibility for failure resulting from or connected with sub floor, sub-surface, or job site damage, or deficiencies after flooring has been installed.
Note: Completely Bamboo makes no warranty or guarantee of the quality of the chosen installer's work or of a particular installation performed by them. Completely Bamboo disclaims all liability for any errors or improprieties in the installation of its products by an installer.

Jobsite Conditions

Flooring should be allowed to acclimatize on site a minimum of three (3) days. Open each box, and remove the shrink-wrap to expose the floor boards to the existing conditions. The acclimation period should also be at expected normal room temperature and humidity levels before and after installation. Damp or cold conditions before installation should be avoided.
A moisture meter should be used to check the sub-floor and the bamboo flooring before installation begins. Do not install the floor until there is less than 3% difference in moisture levels between the two.

Subfloors

Wood sub-flooring surfaces must be clean, dry, and if gluing the flooring, free of contaminants that would interfere with an adhesive bond. Sub-floor or underlayment nailing surface also must be level and smooth prior to installation of flooring. We recommend 3/4” CDX grade Plywood subfloor/underlayment or Oriented Strand Board (OSB) equivalent as a nailing substrate when installing on an uneven concrete floor. When this type of installation is performed on a concrete sub-floor, it is recommended that a polythene membrane be placed beneath the plywood as a precaution against dampness. Please note: particleboard is not considered an adequate subfloor material. The preferred floating subfloor system should have 2 layers of 1/2” CDX grade Plywood.
Concrete subfloors must be tested using a standard moisture meter for vapor retardancy. Flooring must not be installed if vapor pressure exceeds 3 lbs. per 1000 square feet in 24 hours. Prior to installation, the concrete subfloor should be checked for flatness and any low spots and/or voids filled. Tolerance should be flat to within 3/16” in a 10’ radius or 1/8” in a 6’ radius. Surface must be smooth and free of debris, oils, grease and solvents. Generally, concrete slabs younger than 60 days are too wet for flooring installations and are not recommended.

Nail Down

Flooring should be square with the space and parallel to its longest dimension. Always leave a 1/2-inch expansion gap from the wall. Starter rows should be held firmly in place by wedging, blind nailing or using adhesive. Once starter rows are secure, additional rows should be blind nailed directly above the tongue at a 45-50 degree angle to the face. Fasteners should be spaced at 10 to 12 inch intervals per plank with a minimum of two fasteners per plank. Nails or cleats should not be placed closer than 6 inches from the end of planks to prevent splitting.

Equipment

• Powernailer 445 pneumatic nail gun with 1-1/2 to 1-1/4 inch “L” or “T” type nails • HighPRO AS-4090 staple gun with 1-1/2 to 1-1/4 inch 18 gauge narrow crown staples • It is not recommended you use a 15.5 gauge staple. • Unless an experienced installer is performing the installation, it is not recommended that a manual nail gun is used. A pneumatic gun will provide more consistent results. • To prevent accidentally stepping on your tools and damaging the floor, keep tools out of the way or place nearby on a piece of carpet for example, with the soft side facing down.

Glue Down

If the glue down application is the method chosen, we recommend using an ms polymer wood flooring adhesive such as “Proflex”. Flooring should be square with the space and parallel to its longest dimension. Starter rows should be held firmly in place by wedging or blind nailing. Always leave a 1/2-inch expansion gap from the wall.
Staining bamboo floors on-site
Bamboo may be stained any colour. However, the staining does not assure a solid colour but will be lighter or darker as determined by the various colourizations of the bamboo strips.
Floating
As previously stated this type of installation is not as stable as glue down or secret nail. The flooring should be laid on to a pre-foam underlay, ideally one which includes a moisture barrier such as ‘’ Quick step combi-underlay ‘’. Again a ½ inch expansion should be left around the edge of the room. The tongues and grooves of the planks should glued using a PVA adhesive. Any excess adhesive should be immediately removed.