SimpleFloors.com Stained Bamboo
The Quick Answer
The bamboo floor is pretty good, especially for the price. The trim pieces should be avoided. The sales are always on, don't be fooled.
The Site & Sales Staff
The SimpleFloors.com is site better than many websites out there. Is easy to navigate, has a calculator and lets you zoom into images of most floors.
One thing that is annoying about them is their "sales". Every Friday for the last month their "sale" prices end. As each sale ends a new one starts.
I called their toll-free number on a Friday and was told they did not know when the next sale would be so I had to order that day or risk paying more in the future.
They will let you order and pay at the "sale" price and change the quantity later. Of course they will do that, it is the same price next week so it doesn't really matter at all.
Update on the sales: Their products were on "sale" the whole month of April, one week at at time. (April 27th, 2007)
Update on their "sales": Every Friday in May and the first half of June marked the end of a sale and the start of the next. ( June 10th, 2007)
Shipping
Shipping from CA to UT was under $250 for almost 1,200 sq ft. It was over $200 for curbside delivery so I decided to pick it up at the nearest Roadway terminal.
The Product
June 10th, 2007
What we have seen so far looks great. I'll update this when we install. The photo on this page is of eight pieces that we unpacked to see how it looked. The prices are great, I hope the product is too.
September 9th, 2007
We've put down between 800 and 900 sq ft of the Kona color bamboo. The floor is still a little dirty, but it looks pretty good.
December 1st, 2007
I'm finally getting around to updating this after using some of the stair nose pieces that we bought with the rest of the floor. The stair nose isn't finished the same as the regular floor pieces. It looks like they were stained and sealed with soemthing cheap, not the tought aluminum oxide finish that is on the regular floor boards. The stair nose scratches very easy and looks funny because the clear coat doesn't match. I'd avoid the trim pieces at all costs.
Pros:
- Price - under $2.50/sqft including shipping? If you are going to install yourself, this ends up as much as decent carpet.
- Fits together easily. A light tap with the mallet is enough to get the tongue and groove together.
Cons:
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The trim pieces, stair nose in my case, are not the same quality or color as the rest of the floor. I intended to put this wood on each step. I decided in the end to only use one piece where the wood floor meets a staircase that goes down. I'm glad I did, it has only been a month or so and it looks hammered. I'd avoid using any trim pieces.
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Some pieces were 'worn' on the ends of the board. The long boat ride from China must have worn the stain right off some of the pieces on the outside of the box. We threw them aside and used them when we needed to cut off an end, but it is a pain to watch for them.
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Some pieces aren't stained completely.
The bevel on the side isn't always stained. If you put that piece next to a good one, it will look like there is a gap because of the light colored bamboo that shows.
I asked about this before I ordered because my sample was this way. I was told it was a defect and that they would replace it. There are so many that it wouldn't be worth returning them.
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Is not as hard as anyone would like you to belive. I can't say I expected it to be any better than other wood for this price. I expected that it would dent, and it does. I'll post a picture after living in the hosue for a year.
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