Clean bamboo floors with a bucket of warm water and just a few drops of dish soap. Don’t use oil-based cleaners, like oil soaps, since these will cause residue buildup. You can, however, use a specialized bamboo cleaner if you want to make your floors shine. Leaky water pipes, drains, or supply lines (like the water supply line to your fridge’s ice maker) can quickly warp bamboo flooring. Check regularly for leaks and make immediate repairs as needed.
Cupping, when the edges of a bamboo plank curl upward, usually happens when there’s higher humidity under the floor than above it. Warping, when the center humps upward or becomes wavy, typically occurs when the opposite is true.
Expansion gaps are especially important for “floating” floors—that is, interlocking floor planks that aren’t attached to the subfloor with glue or nails. But any type of installed bamboo floor should have expansion gaps.
Replacing a hardwood floor (such as bamboo) is a potential DIY task, but hiring a trained and experienced professional to do the job may improve your odds of avoiding a repeat of the warping issue.
If the humidity readings are consistent, are both in the range of between 35% and 50%, and are within less than 10% of each other (for instance, 43% and 38%), then another issue is probably causing your warping problem. [7] X Research source The more exposed the underside of the bamboo flooring is to the space below it, the more impact that space’s humidity level will have. For instance, if the subfloor beneath your bamboo flooring is uninsulated and exposed to your basement, the higher humidity level in your basement can have a big effect.
Work slowly and carefully if you want to preserve the baseboard and reinstall it.
It’s okay to mark out a slightly larger expansion gap if you wish, so long as the baseboard you plan to install will cover it.
Option 1: Use a power drill to make a series of side-by-side pilot holes through the bamboo flooring (but not through the subfloor) along the cut line. Then set the blade of a wood chisel on the line and tap it with a hammer to cut through the flooring. Repeat the process along the cut line. Option 2: Cut through the flooring (but not into the subfloor) with the blade of a power rotary tool (such as the brand Dremel).
Be sure not to attach the baseboard or any added trim pieces to the flooring itself. Otherwise, the bamboo won’t be able to expand and contract freely along the expansion gap.
Alternatively, cut through the plank along the line with a rotary tool or a circular saw. Just be careful not to cut down through the subfloor, especially in the case of the circular saw.
To “borrow” planks from under an oven, for instance, sacrifice one plank by cutting it out, then carefully pry up the others you need. Replace the removed planks with strips of a cheaper material like plywood. Cut the replacement planks to length with a circular saw. If the replacement planks weren’t already installed in the room, leave them to acclimate to the humidity conditions in the room for 72 hours before installing them.
Secure the plank upside-down and use your cutting tool to carefully remove the lower lip without damaging the upper one.
If you prefer to use glue, apply a zig-zag bead of construction adhesive to the bottom of the plank, slip the plank’s tongue into the groove of the adjacent installed plank, then press down firmly to set the plank in place.
