Bamboo Floor F.A.Q. - Cleaning and Maintenance

We recommend a bamboo flooring cleaner that is made specifically for bamboo.  Otherwise, you may use most standard floor cleaners approved for hardwood flooring finishes, such as Swiffer Wet Jet for Hardwood Floors, and Bona Hardwood Floor Care Kit.  For spot cleaning you can also use one cup of white vinegar mixed in with a half bucket of warm water, with a lightly damp mop, but do not use vinegar for regular cleaning as it can affect the ph in the finish and dull the luster over time. 

Never steam mop or wet mop bamboo/hardwood floors, and never use mineral spirits, turpentine or paint thinner on our floors.  If you have a cleaning solution you are not sure about, make sure to test it on an out of the way area or sacrificial plank prior to using it on your floor, to ensure it does not damage the finish. 
 

** Please note that different flooring finishes require different cleaning solutions and methods - read our maintenance guide carefully for your specific finish type.

For a micro-scratch on the surface (light white scratches) there are several products in the market that are commonly used to fix hardwood floor scratches, a few of those are below:

 

WearMax Scratch Concealer For Hardwood Flooring
Wood Floor Repair Markers
Zenith Tibet Almond Stick for floor and furniture scratches.

 

For a gouge that has penetrated the finish as well as the stain, you can just use a marker that matches the color to help hide the damage.  If you wish to fill the gouge there are several products in the market that you can find at local big box or hardware stores, including Mohawk Fil-Stiks, Picobello Floor Repair Kit, and Timbermate. Some products don't fully harden and thus shrink and expand with the floors, while others do harden may chip and break apart if walked on constantly so you'll want to avoid these products if the repair is in a high-traffic area.  You also might be able to find a wax filler pen at your local big box store.

To touch up problem spots where the finish may have worn through you can attempt to implement a light buffing to achieve the desired smoothness (with varying 80/12/150 screens) to and follow up with a matte-finish oil-based polyurethane for coating. Some installers have also reported success with Basic Coating's StreetShoe finish line. We strongly recommend buffing a sacrificial plank or area and applying the polyurethane to that test section first to ensure the buffing and new finish application achieves the desired results.  If you want to fully refinish your floor you can check out our guide How To Refinish Strand Bamboo Flooring.

 

**Important: Please note that the comments above are only recommendations and that each installer uses these tools and finishes differently; we strongly recommend that you test your process first on a sacrificial plank or out-of-the-way area before beginning to avoid problems with your floor.

To avoid damaging hardwood and bamboo floors it is always recommended that you use natural rubber or felt rug pads under all rugs.  If you’re looking for a simple, non-slip rug pad we recommend using a natural rubber based pad. Natural rubber has excellent gripping power, is a renewable resource, and won't damage your floors over time like a more typical, less expensive PVC (polyvinyl chloride) pad. Natural rubber rug pads have been on the market for over 30+ years and have a proven track record for performance and floor safety.    If you need a larger area covered you can also use a 100% felt rug pad.  They offer excellent cushioning and support for larger areas and are less prone to slipping. A felt rug pad is thicker and denser than traditional non-slip rubber rug pads and offer a dense buffer.  Whichever rug pad you choose, make sure it's breathable (perforated).

The standard requirement for all wood flooring (including bamboo) is that you maintain proper interior humidity levels between 40%-60%.  As long as your installer follows our installation instructions, and those interior humidity settings are maintained, you'll have a trouble-free and super durable floor for a long time. 

Once adhesive cures on a wood flooring surface it is very tough to remove and may leave behind a dulled effect/area on your finish, however you can try the following method:

    1. Pour a small amount of Bostik Urethane Adhesive Remover on the glue spot, or squeeze a small amount of remover from a Bostik Adhesive Remover Towel.

    2. Let it sit for about 15 minutes.

    3. Wipe the area clean.

    4. Apply adhesive remover again to the same spot.

    5. Let it sit for about a minute.

    6. Use a Mr. Clean® Magic Eraser® to remove cured glue.

    7. Clean the area well.

If the steps above fail, you can also attempt to wear the glue spots down using denatured alcohol, but make sure to test on a sacrificial plank first as overdoing it may also rub off some of the finish.

The answer is yes!  Check out this page to see step by step instructions on how to refinish bamboo flooring, along with some helpful pictures of a past Ambient floor that was refinished:  How To Refinish Bamboo Flooring