The ARCH Architectural Finishes, Flooring and More

After some 7 years of planning, saving and researching below was our experience. We started with our order about Feb 18, 2011 and ended April 5th with our installer's last bit of work. We had no real delay; the installer corrected the 'glue' problem and solved kickboard and threshold problems. -Bamboo flooring needs an experienced installer: Once again, we replaced all our outdated and worn carpet, parquet tile and linoleum flooring with EcoTimber 'engineered' bamboo planking. This type of bamboo material is very hard, splinters and requires expertise in installation; from our research online, this is not a job for the amateur. We employed Marvin Ashburn of Ashburn's Custom Floors for the install. He was one of the experienced bamboo installers that Cathy Silver, of The Arch, knew was familiar with the EcoTimber product. We are very handy around the house and with wood (just made a corner cabinet) but we were very glad we had a professional do this job. -Ripout: Our installer did the removal and floor leveling work. Despite the tarps...dust everywhere -No coordinating EcoTimber stair treads available: Our stair rail and stairway was not to current code so we elected to have them replaced during the flooring install. Unfortunately, Ecotimber does not make stair treads; we had to use oak ones instead. Although the oak wood grain differs from the bamboo, Marvin stained and finished the stairs so they closely resemble the surrounding bamboo...very pleased with the result. Because we had such a small section of stair rail, we were able to by the spindles and newels at salvage companies and saved quite a bit of money. -Assistance to move flooring boxes needed after delivery: The boxes will need to be placed in area where they can acclimate to the environment where the flooring is to be laid. (The bamboo needs shrink or expand / adjust to home's humidity/heat.) The boxes weigh 75+ pounds, and need to be distributed around room(s) and opened/exposed to air. -Install: We had to remove plywood to make underlayment all level between linoleumed kitchen and adjacent carpeted family room. We opted to replace all baseboard moulding with new ones rather than repaint original (1983), caked and cracked ones. Lowes offers bundled, primed bulk packs at a reasonable cost. Our floors were nailed throughout except for a small 2 X 4 basement stair landing where it was 'floated'. Some glue oozed from the perimeter boards and got onto the main areas. Our installer removed the glue but the damage to the surface shine was evident. He remedied the situation with two coats of the Bona Kemi "Traffic" which duplicated the manufacturers coating. It is a highly rated, durable finish = water based, no post-application air toxicity and dries within hours of application -Customizing: Marvin Ashburn used the leftover flooring to mount as kickboard for under my kitchen cabinets...it not only looks nice but it is easily cleaned with the floor. He also custom made the thresholds for all doorways from the EcoTimber. -Scratches; We have gotten a few scratches...again we have 68 pound and 76 pound dogs. We initially had the white nylon feet attached to the kitchen chairs...do NOT use these = they left scratches! Only use the felt pads on any movable furniture feet ( they annoyingly move out of place). Cathy has advised us that EcoTimber makes a scratch remover product. -Cleaning: Again after much research, it seems that the Sh-Mop (bought only online; I used FlorStor =best $), is great for cleaning wood floors. It is. Its washable terri covers make the job almost (?) enjoyable. Our installer recommended varying the cleaners, (like your shampoo), so not to build up film. This was a major undertaking for us...7 years in the planning stage. We were in residence the entire renovation. It involved dust, major furniture moving /relocation, dust, rip-outs, dust, dirt, dust, lifestyle changes and did I mention dust (!) for several weeks. We wanted to avoid redoing this again for another decade, at least. We are so very pleased with the subsequent results thanks to EcoTimber, Cathy @ The Arch and our artisan installer, Marvin Ashburn. We sincerely recommend all three and only regret not doing this project sooner when we were alot younger.