- 1). Remove any tile or other non-wood material from the floor, so you're starting with a wood subfloor. Clean it thoroughly with household cleanser. Let it dry for 24 hours.
- 2). Cover the subfloor in felt flooring underlayment, rolling it out in slightly overlapping courses and stapling it down.
- 3). Set the first bamboo floor board next to the starting wall, with the grooved side facing the wall and sitting 3/8 inches out from it (to allow room for movement of the floor with climate changes). Nail down the board with a floor nailer, shooting pairs of nails every foot.
- 4). Lay the rest of the first row of boards off the end of the first one, connecting them all at the ends by their tongue-and-groove fittings, spacing them all from the wall, and top-nailing them as before. Cut the final board on your miter saw, as needed, to fit against the side wall.
- 5). Install the second row of bamboo flooring alongside the first, locking the boards together by the tongue and groove fittings along their long sides. Secure the boards by shooting nails through the sides (instead of the top), angling the nails downward from just above the tongue. Put one nail every foot. Arrange the boards so the ends don't line up between courses. Also note the color variations on the boards, and make sure not to group colors together.
- 6). Work your way across the room, row by row, side-nailing the boards and cut the last board of each row as needed. Continue staggering the ends of the boards and keeping a varied mix of color tones.
- 7). Cut the boards of the final course on your table saw so they fit against the ending wall with a 3/8 inch gap there. Top-nail the final course as you did the first course. Floor trim will cover the gaps around the edges of the floor.
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