Anyone have bamboo flooring? Pet owners especially please!

[Johns_Gal]

We really want to replace the stained carpets before fall. We're looking at bamboo... a friend has it with little kids and an indoor/outdoor cat and says she loves it.

However :shifty after That Time We Tried Laminate, I need more experiences. :lol We'd be going with 5/8ths thick natural color from Lowe's if that factors into your advice.

We have DS, and there will be a baby by Halloween. Two cats and a tiny dog, all indoors and everyone sheds, less when someone finds time to take the brush to them. I'm mostly concerned about liquid damaging it if someone spills and we don't catch it right away.

Yay? Nay? Caveats? How do you/would you care for it? Does it seem to hold onto hair and dirt, or is it easy clean?

[3boysforme]

I don't have personal experience with it, but I know people who have it and love it. It is supposedly very durable :yes

[Lady TS]

If it scratches as easily as my bamboo cutting board, I don't think I would get it... but that's all I have to go by. No real experience w/bamboo flooring, just my bamboo cutting board...and clarinet reeds, lol. :) Both of which can get splintery...

[FaithnPraise]

I know someone...I'll try to get her to come respond. :poke

[Auroras mom]

My neighbors have it (multiple neighbors/houses), and they do not like it. The on guys says he and his wife make jokes about "oh! we just added more character to the floor" whenever they do something like drop their keys. Our builder who installed their bamboo flooring has since ceased using it.

[ShangriLewis]

I knew someone who had it. It is very pretty but soft. I think a dog would destroy it.

[Johns_Gal]

Yeah, I'm not sure. The dog is tiny and old and would keep to the area rugs anyway... but I need to research more.

I think lots of it depends on the thickness of the bamboo. :think

[Domina]

We just looked at it, but decided against after the sales guy allowed us to scratch up the sample with our keys. :giggle

We are going with hickory instead.

[Johns_Gal]

We just looked at it, but decided against after the sales guy allowed us to scratch up the sample with our keys. :giggle

We are going with hickory instead.

*blink* I have samples, somewhere. And I have keys.

I think I'm going to go whack at them with toy cars and keys and get the dog to paw at them. :shifty I never thought to try abusing them, I was just going to lay a few out to see how they looked. :lol

[Domina]

*blink* I have samples, somewhere. And I have keys.

I think I'm going to go whack at them with toy cars and keys and get the dog to paw at them. :shifty I never thought to try abusing them, I was just going to lay a few out to see how they looked. :lol

Hahahaha! Remember, we got permission! :giggle

[Johns_Gal]

Oh, we paid for these suckers. I'm going to go all impulsive two year old on them and see how they hold up. :lol

[Domina]

Oh, we paid for these suckers. I'm going to go all impulsive two year old on them and see how they hold up. :lol

Oh, then yes! Beat the heck out of them! Walk on them in high heels. Slam a kleen kanteen down a few million times. Toy cars, dogs, the works!

[ShangriLewis]

Good idea!

[ShangriLewis]

Have the dog pee on one and leave it overnight :p.

And do a blog post on it.

[Johns_Gal]

I feel totally dumb I didn't think of it before this. :lol

You people. I am supposed to be starting chicken and going to Target. Not doing stress tests on bamboo samples. Eesh.

[SillyMommy]

We've had ours for 4 years now and I LOVE them! Do they scratch? Yes, but I don't really care. There aren't any big gashes or anything, it's just small scratches - and if it becomes an issue we can easily buff them.

Once you SEE all the dirt that was hidden in your carpet you'll never go back! LOL

[canadiyank]

We have bamboo in the girls' rooms. We got it on clearance from Costco. We must have some super-durable stuff or something b/c it is indestructible (!) (especially compared to our solid oak that was 8x as expensive...). Anyway, I would unreservedly recommend it, we have loved it and had no problems whatsoever. The only thing I would have liked is it be a darker colour (it was take it or leave it as far as the colour) but it's grown on me, too.

http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f145/canadiyank/House%20pics/IMG_0877.jpg (http://s46.photobucket.com/user/canadiyank/media/House%20pics/IMG_0877.jpg.html)

[Johns_Gal]

We've had ours for 4 years now and I LOVE them! Do they scratch? Yes, but I don't really care. There aren't any big gashes or anything, it's just small scratches - and if it becomes an issue we can easily buff them.

Once you SEE all the dirt that was hidden in your carpet you'll never go back! LOL

That's what my friend who has it says. And her boy is *rough*, so.

This is my first time living with carpet in years. I already know it's gross. :lol It's going, but hardwood is so expensive and while we have installed tile before.... not an experience I would enjoy for the whole house.

Canadiyank, that looks great. I never even thought to check Costco. :think

I may have to see what ours has and drag DH out this weekend. I'll be beating up the current samples once I find them. :shifty

[canadiyank]

Yeah, my dad installed it (nail down over a felt barrier...they now have click-together I've seen there) and I think it looks/wears great. Easy to vacuum.

[Luciola]

Didn't read all the replies, and I don't know how helpful this is but we decided against Bamboo when we did our floors because the sample in the store scratched very easily, and I'm not totally sure of the details, but DH basically said it would be impossible to refinish the floors (something he will be able to do himself with the floors we chose).

---------- Post added at 01:01 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:00 PM ----------

Reading back, I feel I should mention DH is very particular about the floors and even small scratches really bother him.

[AugustMama]

We have bamboo floors. They do scratch really easily. But the scratches are hard to see unless you are up close. I like it more than laminate but less than good quality hardwood. :shrug3