OPERATION: BAMBOO FLOOR
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DINO |
BECKI |
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Loyal
brother and project mastermind |
Altruistic
friend and technical specialist |
Devoted
copilot, aesthetic specialist |
Faithful
roommate, reconnaissance expert |
Foolish
homeowner, complaints expert |
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Bamboo is a grass, not wood; therefore, flooring made of bamboo is resistant to the termites and mildew that can plague wood floors. Bamboo is stronger, harder,and more stable (resistant to warping) than oak wood. Bamboo is also a very renewable resource - some species can grow up to one foot per day - and produces more usable "wood" per acre than trees do. Thus, bamboo is an environmentally and economically sensible choice for hardwood flooring. Bamboo also looks sooo cool - much better than my nasty old Berber carpet. |
| A
bamboo grove |
Bamboo
flooring |
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In May 2002, my brother Victor and his friend Dino flew from Berkeley, CA to Boston just to install bamboo floors in my condo. We also drywalled over the exposed brick in my bedroom. So over Memorial Day weekend, Vic, Dino, Alex, and Becki (my former flatmate) toiled from dawn to dusk to finish the job before Vic and Dino had to leave. We came very close to finishing the floors. After Vic and Dino left, Alex singlehandedly finished the job and installed all the moulding. I am forever indebted to everyone involved! |
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L
to R: Victor, Wendy, and Dino. We covered the concrete subloor with
6 mil plastic sheeting and 0.5-inch plywood, to which we glued the pre-finished
bamboo planks. |
Alex
and Victor toil to make sure the planks fit tightly. |
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I
demonstrate my artful application of glue to the bamboo planks. |
Vic,
Wendy, and Alex survey the fruits of our labor. |
Becki
collapses from exhaustion after her room is finished. |
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Alex, Victor, and Dino during one of many attempts to dispose of the old carpet. Neither the city trash pickup nor our condo association's daily trash collection would take the whole load of carpet, even after we cut to 3' strips, rolled, and tied it. The carpet sat on my patio for weeks while I gradually took it out in installments of 2-3 rolls. I wonder exactly what my tax dollars and condo fees are paying for. |
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The new
floors! |
| bamboo floor | brick part I | brick part II | new door | the patio problem |
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