Comments on: The bamboo floor saga

By: Samantha

Samantha — Fri, 03 Jan 2014 15:17:55 +0000

I just did a quick check to verify and saw that while natural bamboo darkens in the sun, caramelized bamboo lightens in the sun.

By: Samantha

Samantha — Fri, 03 Jan 2014 15:11:44 +0000

Put the new bamboo out in the sun and it should darken – just be sure to check it often when it is getting close to the color of your existing floor. UV that is filtered through windows will still darken the bamboo, but much more slowly than direct sunlight.

By: max

max — Tue, 09 Jul 2013 18:28:06 +0000

I have a problem with our bamboo floor that was blond but turned much darker aver 4 years. We also had some water damage that turned the floor along the water leak wall black. I had damged area removed and new planks installed but it is obvious in the difference of the light new floor and old floor. As an experiment I tried to stain some spare light bamboo after removing the clear finish but bamboo does not absorb the stain well. I tried various brands of stains but had the same result.
Anyone with same problem please let me know how you resolved your different floor colour. I don’t really want to sand 1100 sq ft of floor and go through the mess that sanding creates.

By: Mike D.

Mike D. — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 01:29:33 +0000

Alisha,

I would just call around and find someone who has stained bamboo floors before. Make sure they have actually *done* it… not that they *will* do it. If you find someone who has done it before and is willing to do it again, you should be fine.

As I said, ours turned out great… just took two tries.

By: Alisha

Alisha — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 22:04:23 +0000

My husband and I are hopefully purchasing our first home and it has bamboo flooring in a light honey color and we really prefer a dark walnut color. Researching on whether or not we can just stain them I came across your website. Would you suggest not to bother and just buy new flooring. The floors are in great condition they are just not our taste.

By: Q&A with A House By The Park

Q&A with A House By The Park — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 17:37:09 +0000

[…] plenty more food for thought in Mike’s blog such as his post about induction cooking or that whole bamboo issue. You’ll also find a complete cost breakdown and timelapse video of the construction (pretty […]

By: Josh

Josh — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 16:26:05 +0000

Thanks Mike, we are looking into Low VOC stains and cannot find too many that are dark. Love the article, btw! Josh.

By: Mike D.

Mike D. — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 16:18:45 +0000

Josh: Don’t know what the actual stain was. It’s teak/walnut colored and technically it’s a swedish finish. Don’t use that aluminum oxide stuff because it scratches white.

By: Josh

Josh — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 15:48:40 +0000

Bamboo is such a pain! What stain did you end up using on the floor? We are going through this problem on a current project and I cannot find a dark stain.

Thanks.

Josh.

By: archaalto

archaalto — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 19:14:08 +0000

Ah! so it is… I must have missed that in the specs.

I assume another advantage is being able to sand and re-finish after a few years of wear and tear.

The installed floor looks beautiful in the photos above…this post has prompted me to look into the site finished bamboo flooring alternatives.

Thanks.