How to Install Bamboo Floors

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Last Updated: October 10, 2022

Bamboo is a natural, environmentally-friendly flooring material that can add beauty and elegance to any room. Read these instructions carefully to avoid damaging your floorboards, and to make sure a bamboo floor is suitable for your situation.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Preparing to Install

For best results, finish other installations and building projects before you install the floor to avoid damaging it. Bamboo planks may expand or warp if exposed to excessive moisture, so this is especially important for "wet" work involving cement or plaster.
Move furniture out now while you still have the old floor to walk across. You will need to store this furniture elsewhere for at least 24 hours. If you are pouring a new concrete subfloor, which is not necessary for a typical floor installation, you may need to wait 60 days before you can put the floor in place and return the furniture.
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Remove the old carpeting, baseboard, and flooring. Remove any carpeting or rugs in the room, and detach the baseboard around the floor if present. If you have old flooring in place, remove it to expose the wooden or concrete subfloor underneath. Be aware that vinyl or asphalt flooring may contain asbestos, and if it crumbles at the touch, you should remove it with protective equipment and procedures to protect your health and safety.
- See also How to Remove Linoleum and How to Remove Floor Tile.
- If you are careful while removing the baseboard, it may be possible to install it again after the new floor is in.
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Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Evaluating Your Subfloor

1
Use a moisture test kit to test the moisture content of the subfloor. If the result is above 12% in a wooden subfloor or 75% in a concrete subfloor, the subfloor is not suitable for bamboo flooring.^{[1]
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Research source} Consider installing a more moisture-tolerant floor material instead. Moisture tolerances for flooring material should be listed by the manufacture.
- New concrete subfloors should be left to dry and cure for 60 days after they were poured. You may not get
2
Check for areas of poor drainage. If the subfloor and surrounding areas are not dry year round, the moisture could eventually cause decay in the bamboo or in the adhesive attaching it. If there is a large amount of mold present, or if you suspect the ductwork is faulty, consider hiring a professional.^{[2]
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- If there are crawlspaces beneath your house with exposed earth, you could reduce moisture by covering the earth with a vapor barrier such as 6 mil (0.15mm) polyethylene sheets.
Vacuum or sweep your subfloor so it is clear of dust. If you are installing your bamboo floor with an adhesive, cleaning stains and spills off the subfloor is recommended so the adhesive sticks properly. Sand down paint or other coatings in this scenario as well, then vacuum up the dust it creates.
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Make sure the subfloor is level. Use a long level, or a level attached to a long string, to measure the floor in several directions and places. If any reading reveals a height difference greater than 3/16" over 10 ft. (approximately 5mm over 3m), you may have to alter the subfloor to make sure the bamboo flooring doesn't squeak or bend.^{[3]
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- Wooden subfloors can have high spots sanded down, but low spots should be cut out and replaced.
- Concrete subfloors can be leveled using a rented concrete sander to sand down high spots, and using a concrete repair mix to build up low spots.
Use a tape measure to measure the dimensions of the floor and calculate the square footage (or square meterage) you will need. This measurement will be used to determine the amount of bamboo flooring you need to purchase.
6
Close all doors and windows. Once the room is free of dust created by the cleaning and preparation process, close the doors and windows so the room can reach a consistent temperature. Once the room temperature is stable after a day or two, it is time to purchase the bamboo.
- The ideal temperature for bamboo flooring is between 60 and 70ºF (16–21ºC), while the ideal humidity is between 40 and 60%. These measurements don't have to be perfect, but if the typical conditions in your room vary greatly from these numbers, bamboo flooring is not recommended.
7
Purchase slightly more bamboo flooring than you need. If the flooring is sold by number of planks, you'll have to calculate how many you need by dividing the total room area by the area of one plank. It's a good idea to purchase 5% more flooring by area than you think you need, since you may need to cut some of the planks to fit your space.
- Be aware of additional difficulties with concrete subfloors (see Nailing Down the Floor). The bamboo flooring salesman should be able to advise you on solutions that match your specific situation.
8
Store the bamboo in the room for at least 24 hours. Bring the planks inside and remove the wrapping. Wait for at least one day, and up to three, for the bamboo planks to adjust to the room's temperature. They may expand or shrink slightly as they do so, and the floor will fit better if you let the planks do this before you install them, rather than after.
- Avoid storing the planks directly on concrete or against outside walls, as this may affect their moisture content or temperature. Consider bringing a table inside and placing the planks on top of it.
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Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Nailing Down the Floor

You cannot nail a floor onto concrete, so if you have a concrete subfloor, you may need to install a wooden underlay first. A more stable solution, though more expensive, may be to purchase floating floor materials. This includes a layer of foam or other material as an underlay, then click-together floorboards that do not require nails.
If there is a room below the floor you are installing, remove chandeliers, ceiling fans, and other fixtures while you are installing. The pressure of the pneumatic nail gun could shake them loose through the floor joists.
3
Lay the first bamboo floorboards row down. Leave a 1/2 inch (1.27 cm) space between the bamboo floorboards and the wall to allow for any slight expansion of the floorboards. Place them across the floor joists, and start against an outside wall if possible to establish your line. Fit each plank together using the tongues and grooves.
- Using spacers is recommended. These are simply thin or wedge-shaped objects placed between the floor and the wall to keep them separate.
Use a table saw or circular saw to cut the last floorboard to the correct length. Save the excess board to begin the next row.
5
Drill holes through the first row of boards. Drilling the holes before nailing reduces the chance of bending or breaking the board. Drill at a 45–50º angle from the side of the board, so the next row of planks will hide the nails. Make sure the holes you drill are smaller than the nails you are using.
- Each board should be drilled (and nailed) approximately every 10 inches (25 cm), and about 4 inches (10cm) from each end. Do not drill closer than 4 inches (10cm) from the end to avoid splitting the board.
- If your subfloor has raised floor joists, make sure your hole is over one of these so the board can be securely nailed.
6
Test your pneumatic nail gun's air pressure. Test on a piece of scrap or defective bamboo floorboard first to see if the gun and nails are appropriate for your wood. If it "dimples" with a raised or cracked mark, test again with a different air pressure.
- Warning: put on safety goggles before using a nail gun.
Nail the boards in place through the guide holes you drilled. A professional quality nail gun will minimize the chance of breaking your floorboards. The use of 18 gauge nails is recommended for securing bamboo floorboards.^{[4]
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8
Repeat the process with the second row of floorboards. The second row should be nailed in the same method as the first, drilling then nailing from the side to fasten it to the floor joists.
- Use a rubber mallet to tap the row into place before nailing.
Offset the floorboards by two to three times the width of the floorboards as you lay them for a uniform look. Work from several cartons of bamboo flooring at once, if you have more than one, so that color variations are evenly spread across the room, instead of clumped together.^{[5]
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10
As you lay each row, nail it above the tongue. Once the first two rows are laid down securely, you can fasten the other floorboards using only the tongues of the board. Drill a hole directly above the tongue of the board, at a 45º angle into the wood. Keep a careful eye on the nail penetration and adjust air pressure if necessary so the nail head only penetrated just deeply enough for the groove of the next board to fit over it.
- Tap boards together with a rubber mallet before nailing, as before.
Use a table saw or circular saw to cut the floorboards to the correct shape to fit the room. If there is a gap you need to fill that is less than half the width of a floorboard, pick up two or more floorboards and saw them to half their width or more so that, in total, they fit the space more closely. Sawing a single floorboard to less than half its width is likely to cause breaks when nailing.
12
Secure the last two rows in the same way you did the first two. Secure the last two rows with additional nails to ensure the floor is well fastened. Once these are in place, you may use the floor immediately.
- Remember to leave a 1/2 inch (1.25cm) gap between each wall to allow for expansion. This can be hidden by replacing the baseboard molding, and by applying additional shoe molding if necessary
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While it is possible to glue down bamboo floors instead of nailing them, there is greater risk of mistakes and they are harder to correct. Be aware that the nailing method described here does not leave any visible nails, and if you do decide to glue down your floor, make sure to use a urethane adhesive.^{[6]
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Color variations among bamboo floorboards are common because bamboo is a natural substance. Open all boxes of flooring before you begin installation to be sure that the shades of flooring are all within an acceptable range. Mix floorboards from among cartons during installation for a natural look throughout the area being covered.

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Use a high-quality floor nail gun to avoid cracking or splitting the bamboo floorboards during cutting.

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