strand bamboo floor 'cupping'-can we sand it out? Xpost

13 years ago

Do you know what cupping is? I had never heard of it, but apparently we did not let the strand bamboo "acclimate" before installing. My DH put a moisture barrier over our concrete slab floor, the put the starnd bamboo in using glue. He did not jut it right up to the wall, he left a bit of room at the edges for the bamboo to expand.

Unfortunately, now there are "waves" (peaks) at each joint. When the light hits it a certain way, it is VERY noticeable. It is also easy to feel under bare feet. We are very disappointed.

My DH thinks it can be sanded out? And restained? What are your opinions?

I said, "well, if we ever fall into a pot of money, maybe we can remove it and put something else in." He said removing a glued down floor would be a nightmare. Opinions on that, please?

I am cross posting this on the Home Decor board.

Thanks!

Comments (6)

brickeyee
13 years ago
Make sure it has actually reached equilibrium.

You may want to wait through a year of heating and cooling to see how it may change before sanding and refinishing.

It is going to keep changing throughout the heating and cooling seasons as the relative humidity varies.
It NEVER stops moving.
dirtymartini
Original Author
13 years ago
Thank you for the response!

It has been installed for about 18 months now. My goodness, if we sand it and it cups again, we will just freak out! Arrrgh!
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dirtymartini
Original Author
13 years ago
Thank you for the response!

It has been installed for about 18 months now. My goodness, if we sand it and it cups again, we will just freak out! Arrrgh!
dirtymartini
Original Author
13 years ago
anyone else have anything to add? Does sanding sound like a good idea? Someone told me the tongue in groove joints might get messed up with sanding. Thanks
dirtymartini
Original Author
13 years ago
Thank you for your response Prescott. I linked the exact make and model of what we purchased from lumber liquidators. Please tell me your opinions!

Here is a link that might be useful: strand carbonized bamboo
live_wire_oak
13 years ago
YOu need to figure out the source of your problem, not the bandaid for the symptom. Wood floors usually have gapping in the winter due to the lower humidity. Cupping usually occurs in the summer with the higher humidity. So, your home has some form of humidity issue that is causing this problem. Do you have a whole home humidifier hooked up? What is the home's relative humidty? What does a moisture probe tell you about the humidity of the wood? What about the humidity of the slab? When you say you put down a moisture barrier and then glued down the bamboo, exactly what products did you use and how did you use them? Does your plumbing run in slab in copper and have you looked for leaks? What about laundry, refrigerators, dishwashers, sinks, tubs? Have you checked around these for leaks?

You've got a lot of sleuthing ahead of you to fix the problem. Sanding down the cupping only addresses the symptom, and will not at all address what moisture issue your home is having.