It looks like hardwood, and is available in traditional . tongue-and-groove form and in laminate planks. But bamboo is not wood. It's really a grass—and one of the most popular flooring materials today.
Bamboo flooring is made by shredding stalks of the raw material, then pressing them together with a resin that holds the shreds in their finished shape. Not only is bamboo a fast-growing and renewable crop, the companies that make bamboo flooring use binders with low emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The result is tough, economical, and ecologically friendly. In other words, it's just about perfect for flooring.
If you choose tongue-and-groove bamboo, the installation techniques are the same as for hardwoods. Bamboo is also available as a snap-fit laminate for use in floating floors. In this project we show Teragren Synergy Strand in Java (see Resources): thin, durable planks that are glued to the underlayment.

Tips for a Successful Installation:

 Bamboo plank flooring should be one of the last items installed on any new construction or remodeling project. All work involving water or moisture should be completed before floor installation. Room temperature and humidity of installation area should be consistent with normal, year-round living conditions for at least a week before installation. Room temperature of 60 to 70°F and humidity range of 40 to 60% is recommended. About Radiant heat: The subfloor should never exceed 85°F. Check the manufacturer's suggested guidelines for correct water temperature inside heating pipes. Switch on the heating unit three days before flooring installation. Room temperature should not vary more than 15°F year-round. For glue-down installations, leave the heating unit on for three days following installation.

How to Install Bamboo Planks

 Give the bamboo time to adjust to installation conditions. Store it for at least 72 hours in or near the room where it will be installed. Open the packages for inspection, but do not store the planks on concrete or near outside walls.

Even though thin-plank bamboo is an engineered material, it can vary in appearance. Buy all planks from the same lot and batch number. Then visually inspect the planks to make sure they match. Use the same lighting as you will have in the finished room.

Inspect the underlayment. Bamboo planks can be installed on plywood or oriented strand board at least % inch thick. The underlayment must be structurally sound; wood surfaces should have no more than 12 percent moisture.

Make sure the underlayment is level. It should not change by more than % inch over 10 feet. If necessary, apply a floor leveler to fill any low places, and sand down any high spots. Prevent squeaks by driving screws every 6 inches into the subfloor below.

Sweep, vacuum, and damp-mop the surface, then measure all room dimensions, if the longest facing walls are parallel, begin installing the planks on one side of the room. For irregular shapes and uneven walls, establish a straight starting I line next to one long wall and work from there.

The planks should be perpendicular to the floor joists below. Adjust your starting point if necessary. Snap a chalk line next to the longest wall. The distance from the wall should be the same at both ends, leaving V2 inch for expansion.

Lay the first course of planks with the tongue edge toward the wall. Align the planks with the chalk line. Hold the edge course in place with wedges, or by nailing through the tongue edge. This row will anchor the others, so make sure it stays securely in place.

Once the starter row is in place, install the planks using a premium wood flooring adhesive. Be sure to follow the manufacturer's instructions. Begin at the chalk line and apply enough adhesive to lay down one or two rows of planks. Spread the adhesive with a V-notched trowel at a 45-degree angle. Let the adhesive sit for the specified time.

When the adhesive is tacky and ready to use, lay the first section of bamboo planks. Set each plank in the adhesive by placing a clean piece of scrap lumber on top and tapping it down with a rubber mallet. Check the edge of each section to make sure it keeps a straight line.

After you finish the first section, cover the next area with adhesive and give it time to become tacky. This slows down the project, but it prevents you from using more adhesive than you can use—and it allows the section you just finished to set up.

When the adhesive is ready, lay down the next section of planks. Fit the new planks tightly against the previous section, taking care not to knock the finished section out of alignment. If the planks have tongue-and-groove edges, fit them carefully into place.

Continue applying adhesive and installing planks, one section at a time, to cover the entire floor. When adhesive gets on the flooring surface, wipe it off quickly.

At the edges and around any fixed objects, such as doorways or plumbing pipes, leave a 1/2-inch gap for expansion. Use shims to maintain the gaps if needed. These spaces can b covered with baseboards, base shoe, and escutcheons.

As you finish each section, walk across it a few times to maximize contact between the planks and the adhesive. When all the planks are in place, clean the surface and use a clean weighted roller. Push the roller in several directions, covering the entire surface many times.

In places that are difficult to reach with a roller, such as the edges of the room, lay down a sheet of protective material, such as butcher paper, and stack weights on the paper to press down on the planks.

Let the finished floor sit for at least 24 hours, then clean the surface carefully and remove any spacers from the expansion gaps. Finally, install the finishing trim.