I'm hoping to find a cheap/easy/MacGuyver/Mickey-Mouse method of repair here - not typical for these forums I know. I had my basement finished 5 or 10 years ago, using a Lumber Liquidators floating bamboo floor. I was immediately disappointed in it as it is far too soft to be considered a "hard wood floor" and dents and grooves started to appear frequently. Whatever; it's the basement.

A year or so ago, my water heater failed (that's another story I've told here) and part of the floor flooded. A contractor proposed to replace the damaged part with ceramic tile (we all agree that it is unlikely that boards from a different lot would have lined up correctly). The tile job came out great, but he had issues where the tile meets the bamboo, and he told me he used Liquid Nails to stick the bamboo to the underlayment and the underlayment to the concrete floor. This was in late February/early March, and I should have known that summer humidity was going to cause a problem. Sure enough, this is my second summer of a buckled, wheezing floor.

I asked my new contractor if he had any ideas how to fix it, and he proposed tearing it all up and tiling. I'm unlikely to find the same Home Depot tile I bought back then, so I'd be either choosing a "complementary" tile or ripping up the year-old tile too. Neither idea appeals to me, though I don't fault a contractor for only wanting to do it properly. If I DIY it, those rules don't apply.

I don't think I've got five more years in this house so I'm loathe to spend extra money. Isn't there some way I can remove a bamboo board and trim/route it, maybe install a shoe of some kind for expansion?

Photos below; I never had an issue with the OTHER end of the floor, where the bamboo meets the bathroom threshold.

 

You will need to cut a section/strip off the bamboo at the point where it meets the tile. Then insert a section of t-molding to bridge the gap. The t-molding will float over the bamboo and allow for expansion and sit on top of the tile. I use a product called Chemrex which is designed to hold the carpet tack strips to a concrete floor so it has great strength. Use the Chemrex to hold the t-molding in place making sure to not get any on the bamboo. There should be sufficient room under the t-molding for he bamboo to expand without buckling.

 

Still working on this as that #@!%& Lumber Liquidators doesn't sell a T-Molding that'll accommodate the 5/8" thick flooring they sell. How much is "sufficient room" for expansion?

 

Sorry to barge in like that, but I'm curious about your floor. Is it strand bamboo or horizontal/vertical? Is it solid pressed material or does it have a layer of MDF/HDF under a small layer of bamboo?

The reason I'm asking is because I'm considering bamboo flooring myself (stranded, it seems tougher than hardwood).

 

That thread is a year old. If you need help please start a new thread.

 

Hey, I'm a big fan of recycling; why not recycle an old thread rather than just throw it away?? THIS is the floor I have, and I would not have recommended it to others even BEFORE it got flooded and swelled. Prior to that it was showing evidence that it was just too soft: grooved impressions and scratches, etc. There may be harder bamboo products out there, and I wish I had done better research, rather than relying on Lumber Liquidator's claims.

BTW, what's with the incessant Home Depot pop-ups on this forum lately? Beyond annoying.....

 

keeping my old thread alive as I'm finally about to try czizzi's fix. ordered THIS from HD, plus the 7/16" stranded version, in case that looks/fits better. the air is still very humid here (+/-95%) so I plan to leave minimal room for any additional expansion, lest the contraction in dead of winter expose a gap.....