| 1. Is bamboo floor installation similar to the installation of hardwood / laminate floor? |
 In essence, the process of installation is very similar to that of a hardwood/laminate floor. The tongue and groove system is common in both bamboo and hardwood/laminate flooring products. This ensures that installation is fairly easy; the panels simply slot into place much like a jigsaw puzzle. The click-lock system-a intervention makes matters even easier. This system is similar to the tongue and groove method, the difference being that the individual panels actually lock securely into each other. The click-lock system really makes DIY installation a reality. We recommend that an underlay is put down prior to installation of your new floor.
More advanced installation techniques for solid bamboo flooring include nail down on joists and glue down installation (glue down methods may also be employed for engineered bamboo floor varieties) These methods are not recommended for novices and we suggest that you employ our skills to service these requirements.
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| 2. What is an underlay? |
An underlay is simply a rubber foam layer. It is simple to put down and it provides a few advantages. It acts as a shock absorbent layer to ensure that your floor is less prone to damage and that it is safer to any person who may accidentally fall on the surface. It also dampens sound and levels out the surface on which you lay the flooring. The underlay is also available as a separate product with self-adhesive qualities on each side of the layer. The self-adhesive underlay ensures that the floor expands and contracts without splitting at the joints or on the actual panel. It is not necessary to use glue if you pre-lay the self adhesive underlay as it holds the entire floor together as one unit. We highly recommend using an underlay-you may purchase these easilay products from Bamboolands at a relatively cheap price! (Note that a damp barrier must be layed prior to the underlay to prevent moisture damage to your floor)
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| 3. Why is our bamboo floor coated with the "UV coating system"? |
The strand woven bamboo and bamboo floor is coated with the abovementioned product because it presents a couple of advantages for the quality and maintenance of this product:
- It makes cleaning of the surface a whole lot easier.
- The floor is not influenced by changeable climates.
- It aids the prevention of slipping and/or any accident on the surface.
- It brings out the true beauty and brilliance of bamboo.
 The UV coating system has been developed especially for usage on bamboo flooring products and was developed by Bayern coating company in Germany. UV coating colour variations range from clear to brown, according to preference. It is a top class coating system and that is why it is used as a finish on our products. images of uv application process
We also custom finish our raw/unfinished bamboo floors using a product called Rubio monocoat. It is an embedded tone that initiates colour change of the actual material, thus making scratching/scuffing a thing of the past. This sealing product is available in a vast array of tones, so you can now fully customize your floor surface, making it exclusive to you as an individual!
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| 4. Does the floor turn brown when it gets old? |
The process of natural carbonization only occurs when the raw material has not had its sugar content removed from it. There are a few manufacturers who do not do this efficiently, therefore their floor products are prone to colour variation over time. The products sold by Bamboolands have undergone sugar extraction during the primary stages and we can assure you that colour variation will be minimal/non-existent in our range of products.
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| 5. Is bamboo really a renewable resource? |
 Cutting bamboo stalks actually promotes faster growth in the plant. Unlike hardwood cultivation, the bamboo stumps are left behind and can then be harvested again in a future season. The plant is not totally destroyed as in hardwood harvesting. Bamboo matures after 4 to 6 years, unlike hardwoods that may take decades. Furthermore, Mao bamboo is not the species eaten by pandas (but it is the species used to manufacture our flooring), so you can be sure that you are not contributing to the ruin of their natural habitat.
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| 6. Is bamboo flooring suitable to install over an underfloor heating system? |
Bamboo flooring solid and engineered varieties are absolutely compatible with underfloor heating systems. Bamboo as a material is more stable than wood. This means that it expands/contracts efficiently and at a lesser rate than conventional wooden flooring materials. What is to be taken into consideration is the type of underlay that you use between the heating mat and your floor. An EPE construction underlay is advised as it contains micro pores. This makes it permeable to heat-the heat is able to escape through these pores and so it doesn’t get trapped between the underlay and subfloor. Furthermore, an EPE construction underlay doesn’t break down over time when exposed to heat.
It is recommended that you turn on your heating system over a series of 7 days, increasing the heat temperature by 5* C each day. This to ensure that your floor has ample time to expand and adjust to the increase in temperature. Increase the temperature too quickly and your flooring surface may jump! Do the same when turning off your heating system in summertime. It is suggested that you don’t exceed a maximum temperature of 35* C.
All Easilay products are fully compatible with underfloor heating systems and we suggest this product when putting your bamboo floor/wooden floor on top of an underfloor heating system.
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