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How To Buy Discount Bamboo Flooring
By Marcus Peterson, Fri Dec 9th
Bamboo flooring is a relatively new alternative to standardhardwood floors. It offers similar and perhaps superiorqualities of strength, hardness, and appearance. Using bamboo(which is actually a grass, not a tree), and modern processing,beautiful hardwood floors can be made that offer the added bonusof saving many of the exotic trees and forests that are cut downfor standard hardwood floors. Typical bamboo flooring can costaround $6.25 per square foot, plus installation and preparationcharges. The range is usually between $4 and $8 per square footbut there are wholesale bamboo flooring companies offering it aslow as $2 or less per square foot. When buying discount, you need to make sure that you are notgetting a product of inferior quality. This is true ofeverything including discount bamboo flooring. Though not alwaysthe case, some discount bamboo flooring is sold cheaply becauseit has a defect in the finish or the moisture content is high.Here are some things to look for in quality bamboo flooring: Raw Material Bamboo flooring mills may try to cut costs bybuying immature bamboo stalks and do not take the time to drythem properly. This results in moldy, high-moisture bamboo thatwill not last. Drying Many bamboo mills will not dry the bamboo sufficiently,which will cause problems in dry climates or places withseasonal
humidity fluctuations. Properly dried bamboo shouldhave a moisture content of less than 10%.Adhesives Adhesives made in many discount bamboo flooring millsare of inferior quality and will off-gas in the home. Finish It is important that the finish be of high quality sothat scratches won’t be a problem. Inferior finishing is one ofthe most common problems in discount bamboo flooring.
Shopping online for discount bamboo flooring is a good idea;online
dealers can sell at a lower price because they havelittle overhead.
Make sure to read the fine print, however, andbe sure your new flooring
is guaranteed for at least a year. Ingeneral, businesses want referrals
and repeat business, so theywill want to make you happy no matter
what they are selling.There are always a few bad apples though. A
good gauge is tocheck how long the business has been around. Businesses
thatmake their customers happy have staying power. If you find agreat
deal online, check the shipping costs. Some dealers willtry to deceive
consumers by posting cheap deals and thencharging almost double the
required shipping costs, thereforecanceling out any discount.
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