Solid Wood or Bamboo flooring?

[brandysoakedbitch]

I am going to do the downstairs of our new house in some sort of wooden flooring - it is a big 30's house with the classic layout with big hall and stairs. Currently there is light laminate or solid wood flooring in the hall, a beige carpet in the living room, a blue carpet in the dining room (which is going to be the playroom and lino (mmmmmm) in the dining room bit of the kitchen diner and nasty cheap ceramic tiles in the kitchen - frankly it is gopping and needs sorting. We have a lot of children and a small dog and wooden flooring of some sort is the answer. Neither Dh and I are fond of very pale (limed oak) or yellow type, not a fan of 'antiqued pine' etc wood and a bit darker would be better and wondered if any of your lovely MN people could recommend something you had bought or had seen which you thought would be good value and look nice.

I like some of the bamboo finishes but worried that it would not be as hard wearing? dunno, anyway, any experiences you have had and advice you have to offer would be gratefully received.

we had bamboo in our old house and loved it. If anything, it was a bit too hard wearing as we had it in a conservatory and I generally stopped worrying about mopping up after plant watering, leaving pools of water on the floor.

We did have one scratch on it, where a sharp pebble got jammed beneath a door, and I forced the door open... Probably would have damaged any kind of floor.

Thanks GrendelsMum - it is nice to know that because it is in a seriously high wear area and financially a big undertaking but really really has to be done (along with the artex and the woodchip!)

We have bamboo flooring in the hall - not sure what type of finish it is - it is dark and highly polished. To be honest, if you look closely you can see that it is scratched but it still looks great. I probably wouldn't have exactly the same again, I'd look for a more scratch resistant variety.

My Bamboo is lovely everyone mistakes it for real Oak. I have insane cats (2) and dog and so far them and the child have failed despite strenuous efforts have failed to damage it. Plus our fitter (many 100s of floors) said it was the 'truest' product he had ever fitter and made his job much easier.
I bought from Simply Bamboo who will send you free samples - they are really helpful. The first sample I got was just not what I thought it would be so I phoned and told them the effect I was looking for light, waxed oak and they sent me a new sample just what I wanted.

I'm not keen on the look of the fibres of bamboo, but it is more water resistant than other laminates or wood toppings, and is solid pressed, so there is no weak layer in or under it.

We have bamboo throughout our downstairs. It looks beautiful, and seems to be wearing well.

I have bamboo on my kitchen floor. If you search in this topic you'll see me wax on about it. It's the solid strand woven natural sort and very scratch resistant. You can alos get 'carbonised' in strand woven which is darker, but as Lizcat says you can get samples and see what you like. I used the Bamboo Flooring Company on a fellow MNetter's recommendation and was veryu pleased, but I dare say they're all much of a muchness.

Thank you all so much - I do need a recommendation and will follow up with these companies - lots of the b and q type sites have appalling reviews re. wood floors and scratching - I just cannot think of any type of flooring that is more appropriate for the whole downstairs with so many children and a little doggy too - it is so hideous at the mo. and this really helps to have your opinions and recommendations. It is such a big investment and I want it to look lovely..... the problem is with it all being much of a muchness I have no idea where to start so this has helped very much indeed

I don't like not having carpet in the living room though. It makes for a cold room.

I would agree with you actually, it is not something I would have planned a few years ago but we dohave a spectacular rug or two - I also want to make it easy to clean with so many children. The thing is with a playroom and a kitchen diner I reckon a big rug or two in the living room is worth it for the practicality of a hard floor. I want it to look uniform iykwim because from the hall you can see all the rooms so it would look a bit bitty if all the rooms had different floors (like they are now)