I have heard that bamboo floors fade terribly from the sun so that might be something to consider.

I considered bamboo because it's so great environmentally, but ended up going with reclaimed oak, because I've also heard bamboo scratches. I've seen bamboo that was installed 5 years ago and it looked pretty awful compared with oak flooring of the same vintage (which would look the same as when installed, basically).

Cost-wise, reclaimed wood is more, but I think it's probably worth it.

The lighter color thing is a red herring because lighter oak would be problematic, too-- and bamboo comes in darker shades. I am housesitting now for a house with really light pine floors and they are driving me crazy. They are very durable, but show every little thing and basically are terrifying with kids.

What I've been hearing is that while the standard bamboo flooring is pretty soft,
the bamboo strand is quite hard.

Teragren calls their strand product "Synergy"

I've seen it in person, and I like it quite a bit, but it may not be for everyone...

Here is a link that might be useful: http://www.teragren.com/gallery.html

We have friends who just installed dark bamboo, it looks gorgeous!You aren't allowed to wear heels in theur house, bc they are worried about heels denting/scrathcing the floor.

Thanks for all the replies. She is really struggling with this decision. Even though she has her heart set on the bamboo, I would hate for her to get it and it look horrible in a few years. It's a huge room and any imperfections in the flooring will probably show.

So far, I haven't heard from anyone that has personally installed it in their house..... ANYONE?

We re installing strand bamboo in our house right now! It is already down in the bedroom. This is what we learned...hopefully (for our sake) it is correct...

regular bamboo is soft, shows dings etc. Our DD begged and begged for a "sambuca" bamboo floor (a dark dark brown, almost black) which is NOT "strand" and we caved and I do already see where we will have to be very careful on it. The strand bamboo, however has held up wonderfully (granted, we have only had it about 2 months.)

I, personally, wanted an oak that we found reasonably priced...it was not engineered, it was solid plank and handscraped and just gorgeous. My DH was adamant that the bamboo was the best choice. He could hold both samples in his hands and feel the denseness of the bamboo vs. the wood. We took all sorts of things and banged them on the samples and the strand bamboo held up the best. I believe bamboo is also better with water...and we have a swimming pool in this new house and we know kids will be leaving wet towels laying around, dripping on it, spilling drinks, etc.

I will say that because it is so hard, it does seem a little more like tile under my feet...there is no "give" whereas that is one of the nice things about wood, I think it is easier to stand on.

Good luck to your friend! Hope this helps!

Thanks martini! I'll pass along this information to her. The bamboo that she is considering is sold at Lowes, so I'll tell her to check and see if it is "strand" bamboo.

I got the medium shade...the brand is "morningstar" and I got it at lumber liquidators. :)

Thanks martini. Sounds like you really did your homework. She really wants the light, light natural shade... which makes me nervous! From what I've heard, the light shows every ding, scratch, speck of dirt.

I think it really depends on the brand you choose.

My GC has bamboo in his house and he HATES it - swears he'll never use it again and will advise his clients the same. When I told him my cousin was considering it for their beach house, he had pretty strong opinions. He said that the first time he had a party at his house, his floors were totally destroyed the next day b/c of the women wearing high heels. Personally, I would not want to have to tell my guests, esp. at a party, to remove their shoes.

He also said that besides the issue with the heels, it scratches VERY easily, and that the scratches are a different color than the finish, so they are VERY noticeable.

So my cousin tried abusing his samples - he had one that was considered "commercial grade" and while that one did hold up better than the residential, it still scratched kind of easily. And the scratches were a different color. He decided to go with it, since theirs is a beach house and bamboo IS great w/moisture, plus they are in the habit of removing their shoes at home anyway. it's being installed now. I'm worried about it for them though, as they keep their primary residence meticulously won't be happy if the floors end up living up to their reputation. Plus they plan to rent it, and you can't dictate your tenants also remove their shoes. We'll see...

Here are some links that may help

http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rls=SUNA,SUNA:2006-37,SUNA:en&q=problems+with+bamboo+flooring

Thanks kpaquette.... that's the problem!! You hear of people that LOVE it and then you hear a horror story!

just wondering how your friend made out with her Calibamboo flooring from Lowes?? did she go with that? if so how is it after all this time as this is what I am considering. Thank you in advance for responding