In a message dated 10/19/02 1:43:15 PM Eastern Daylight Time, [log in to unmask] writes:
I am looking at cork floors; I am also looking at bamboo floors ; I worry
about longevity and humidity
Mr. Pyrate, Sir:
I have friends who have a fairly high-style archt-designed 1950's house in nearby Short Hills, with a cork floor in most of it that seems to have held up pretty well. One of the McKim Mead & White cottages in Newport (I'm quite sure it's Kingscote) has cork on the dining room (and maybe other) ceiling, and perhaps din rm walls, too, although one could aregue there's less foot traffic on their walls and ceilings than there will be on your floors. I don't particularly like the SH house, hating 1950's stuff as a child of the early part of decade, but I can see that it's an interesting example and is worthy of TLC, but I don't think my friends the owners are likely to provide it, which will make for an interesting ethical quandary if they ever ask me to provide professional guidance....
I am not terribly familiar with bamboo flooring, but it's my impression that this is a newly-developed product; I first hear about it from some designer type, and am suspicious as I am of everything I've never heard of before. One of the things I DID hear about it is that there was a very bad installation somewhere that resulted from a too-long or too-short sea voyage over from China or wherever the hell it comes from, and the bamboo didn't have enough time to dry (or acclimate itself, or some such problem) and had to be ripped out and replaced about 5 minutes after it was laid.
Maybe the Chinese have used this stuff over there for 10,000 years, but I wouldn't count on it here, just yet. Then again, try it out: but keep us posted.