Lumber Liquidators

Morning Star Bamboo: An Eco-Friendly Choice!

Bamboo is a popular flooring option that has minimal environmental impact. It’s highly renewable thanks to its extensive root system which allows it to re-grow spontaneously after mature stalks are harvested. It reaches full maturity after only four to six years!

Why choose Morning Star Bamboo at Lumber Liquidators?

Bamboo is the fastest growing plant on earth!

It's more durable than many traditional hardwoods and can actually cost less.

Only “old-growth” stalks are harvested, thereby increasing hardness to last in your home.

Bamboo generates more oxygen for the atmosphere than a growth of trees the same size.

No pesticides or chemicals are needed; bamboo thrives naturally.

 

Morning Star cares about the environment as much as Lumber Liquidators! 

"We're at an age where consumers are becoming more concerned about what they put in their bodies, and in their homes. At Lumber Liquidators we've recognized this and have strived to make eco-friendly products like bamboo and cork floors readily available to our consumers at a great price." -Tom Sullivan, founder and chairman of Lumber Liquidators

Will we see you using your coupon for 10% off all Morning Star Bamboo? Get here by Monday, April 15!

Featured Floor: Morning Star Strand Carbonized Bamboo

Morning Star Bamboo is one of the best bamboo floors on the market today. The reeds used to make it are at least four years old, giving it increased hardness and durability. Plus, they are ecologically friendly floors because bamboo is a grass that re-grows spontaneously after harvest. Morning Star Strand Carbonzied is one of the top selling, highest rated bamboo floors at Lumber Liquidators!

So, what’s in a name? You can tell a lot about a floor based on what it’s called.

Strand- Twice as hard as oak, strand bamboo is an optimal choice for busy homes. To make strand bamboo, shredded bamboo fibers are woven together and compressed under extreme heat and pressure which yields a harder and denser floor. In addition, the color permeates the entire plank, so scratches aren’t as visible.

Carbonized- This refers to the color of the floor. The bamboo is steamed or boiled, caramelizing the sugar within it. This causes the starch to become darker and richer in color that permeates the entire board.

 

Why do people love it?
- Real bamboo
- Eco-friendly
- Low emission adhesive
-Glue down or nail down
-30 year warranty

Hear from the experts about bamboo:

  

94% of those who reviewed this product on our website would recommend it to a friend. What have reviewers said about it?

Pros:

Attractive finish, durable, beautiful color, easy to clean, easy to install

Best Uses:

Dining room, living room, family room, bedroom, office

 
“The flooring contractor recommended by Lumber Liquidators installed the floor. The bamboo is very beautiful and has great variation in color. Not sure how they will hold up with scratches since they were just installed but they look great!”

“The product was excellent.”

 

“My son and I installed this floor last November and absolutely love it. You need a very strong Nailer though, or you will get dimpling on the next board. Just love the look, I have a German Shepherd and two cats. They haven't scratched it yet, Very durable.”

“Very nice product, little to no waste. Very hard material, make sure to predrill when face nailing. Boxes were very uniform in color. The floor looks great. Glad we went with this flooring and the guys at our LL store where great to work with.”

 

Get 10% off ALL Morning Star Bamboo with the coupon found on www.lumberliquidators.com until April 15, 2013!!

15 Ways to Use Your Old Carpet

You finally ditched your dirty carpet for new hardwood floors. Problem is, now you have a bunch of old carpet! You could just throw it away, but not only does bulky carpet take up a lot of space in a landfill…it could be there for 20,000 years! (Mannington Commercial)

It may have overstayed its welcome as flooring, but that’s no reason to toss your carpet in the dumpster! That’s why we’ve compiled a list of crafty ways to use your old carpet so it doesn’t spend the next 2,000 decades surrounded by trash (although that may be where yours belongs).

 1. Use strips as mats at every door. You want to protect your new hardwood, so to avoid tracking in dirt and mud, wipe your feet every time you enter the house!

 2. You know how quickly that spill absorbed? “…old carpets make great oil and grime catchers for cars and gardening equipment that may have a nasty habit of dripping oil onto your garage floor. The drip may seem like a small problem but it can cause a lot of damage by permanently staining your garage floor.” (Oxi Fresh) 

 3. Protect your car doors from dings and scratches by attaching a strip of carpet to the wall of your garage (This Old House)

 4. Your pets loved to use it before you ripped it up, so why not line a dog house to keep it warm and cozy, or make a scratching post for your cat! (This Old House)

 5. To clean window screens, “Dip a clean piece of carpet into warm, sudsy water, and rub the pile side onto screens to get rid of gunk, dust, and buildup.” (This Old House)

 6. While you’re painting or patching, wipe your brushes, scrapers and putty knives on carpet scrapes to keep tools clean and efficient! (This Old House)

 7. Place a strip of carpet between your washer and dryer. When you drop a sock, you can simply pull the piece out and the sock will come with it! (Reader's Digest)

 8. If you keep live plants indoors, place a small piece of carpet underneath the pots to absorb overflowing water (Reader's Digest)

 9. When gardening, cushion your knees by rolling up a scrap of carpet and kneeling on it when spreading mulch, planting flowers, or weeding. (This Old House)

 10. Keep pieces of carpet for exercise! Make your own yoga mat or exercise pad for stretching or working out at home. (Ezine)

11. Cover the floor of your attic or crawl space for insulation. (Ezine)

12. For the holidays, one Pinner uses cut up carpet and glitter to make Santa foot prints her daughters love! What other fun projects could you do? (Pinterest)

 13. Cut a piece to fit the bottom rung of your ladder and secure it well. You can wipe your shoes before climbing to reduce the risk of slipping! (Yahoo)

 14. Convert carpet squares into coasters. (Pinterest)

15. Finally, if it really is that bad, (we’ve read your Carpet Catastrophes so it’s understandable…) RECYCLE IT!

Top 3: Strand Bamboo

Strand bamboo is twice as hard as oak, making it a favorable choice for busy homes with high foot traffic, active children and even pets. As your learned in Wednesday’s post, strand bamboo is created by compressing pieces of bamboo into boards under extreme heat and pressure, greatly increasing the strength of the material.

Morning Star Bamboo is one of the best bamboo floors available today. All Morning Star strand bamboos are finished with a premium coating, supported by a 30 year warranty, made with real bamboo, and are a beautiful and ecologically friendly choice to make your home a luxurious place!

Here are our three highest customer-rated and most popular strand bamboos!

Morning Star Golden Zebra Strand Bamboo
4.8 stars
100% would recommend to a friend

 

Pros: beautiful color, attractive finish, durable, easy to clean, easy to install

Customer Photos

“This floor turned out gorgeous! ...The pieces come together with ease and our large dog and 3 kids have yet to leave a single mark in it. It is different than any other strand bamboo i could find with regards to shading and i have absolutely no regrets with this product!”

 

“...Great colors. Out of 36 cases I had only 4-6 boards that had minor defects. All sizes are precise.”

“It looks great !! Beautiful....”

More Reviews of Golden Zebra Strand

 

Morning Star Strand Natural Bamboo
4.7 stars
99% would recommend to a friend

Pros: attractive finish, durable, easy to clean, beautiful color, easy to install

Customer Photos

“My husband and father installed 500 sq feet of this flooring in our living room and kitchen. Not one bad board in the whole bunch. We had LL come out to do the measuring, well worth it. Only ended up with 2 extra boxes.”

 

“Extremly durable flooring...Out of 43 boxes of flooring purchased only one bad board! Absolutely no warpage whatsoever. Good stuff.”

 

“...The floor looks great. The picture of the flooring on the website does not do it justice. The variation in the color and the grain adds a warmth to our rooms that was never there with the old carpet. Definitely go with the strand bamboo. It may be more expensive than regular bamboo but it is worth it..." 

 

“Love the Floor -- easy to install”

 

More reviews of Strand Natural 

 

Morning Star Strand Carbonized Bamboo
4.4 stars
96% would recommend to a friend

Pros: attractive finish, durable, beautiful color, easy to clean, easy to install

Customer Photos

“The bamboo is very beautiful and has great variation in color...”

 

“The product was excellent."

 

“I liked the product on the first floor so I went ahead and did the stairs and second floor as well...”

 

“We purchased 850 ft^2 for our Foyer, Dining room & Living room. We found exactly what we wanted at LL in this product...”

More reviews of Strand Carbonized

All About Bamboo: Style, Color and Maintenance

Bamboo is a grass, making it an environmentally sustainable flooring choice. When it is cut down, more grows back! Bamboo reaches full hardness after three to six years, and Lumber Liquidators’ Morning Star is aged around 4 years. There are so many style and color options, making a decision can be confusing. This post will give you some things to consider, show you different style options, and teach you the difference between types of bamboo so when you’re ready to purchase you’ll know exactly what you’re getting!

Things to Consider

 1. Technically bamboo is a grass, not a wood.

2. Radiant flooring can be used under bamboo if surface temperatures do not exceed 85 degrees.

3. Many manufacturers bind planks with glue containing urea formaldehyde (UF) which contains chemicals. Carefully research the chemicals used in any flooring product to determine what is best for your home. With that said, our Morning Star bamboo is constructed using the best European glues available, creating a beautiful AND safe floor!

4. It is twice as hard as oak!

 

 Bamboo, like all wood floorings, can show signs of denting and surface scratching which is not covered by any manufacturer’s warranty. Like a new car, floor maintenance and the prevention of surface scratching and denting is an ongoing process!

 

Styles

Three common constructions of bamboo are horizontal, vertical and strand woven.

Horizontal- Pieces are arranged and laminated side by side flatways.

 

Vertical- Pieces are stood upright on edge and then laminated.

 

Strand/Woven- Created from waste strips of horizontal or vertical cuts, coated with resinous glues and compressed into boards with heat. This process significantly increases the overall strength of the material compared to other bamboo styles.

 

 

Colors

Bamboo flooring was originally available in only natural and carbonized colors. These colors come from the manufacturing process.

Carbonized bamboo is boiled for long periods of time until the material darkens.

Morning Star Strand Carbonized Bamboo

Natural (non-carbonized) bamboo is boiled just enough to remove the starch and sugar, so it keeps its blonde color.

Morning Star Strand Natural Bamboo

 Now, there are other color options, such as black or red. 

 

Maintenance

Sweep or vacuum regularly. Dust and dirt can scratch the finish of the floor.

Place mats with non-rubber backs at every entrance of your home to keep dirt out.

Clean up spills immediately to keep liquid from permanently staining the floor.

Check your warranty to see if a specific cleaner needs to be used.

Use chair and furniture pads to protect the floor. We recommend fabric or felt.

Rotate furniture and rugs periodically to produce a more even color and keep bamboo from fading in sunlight.

High heeled shoes and dragging heavy furniture can permanently damage bamboo with dents.

 

Have a question about bamboo that wasn't answered? Ask us here! Save up to 40% on select bamboos until January 7! 

New Eco Friendly Underlayments

Here at Lumber Liquidators, we always are trying to come out with new and innovative products that are great for your home.  There are two new products that we have recently released that have so many great qualities about them.  First, they are green products.  Second, they are great for homes for people who are chemically sensitive.

Silicone Vapor Shield

This underlayment is  great alternative to some of the other products on the market today.  One of the best features of this product is that it protects the home environment by not relasing any toxic fumes after installation as some asphalt based products do.  Besides being good for you, it's good for the environment because it is 100% recylced and 100% recyclable.

It also doesn't fall apart underath the floor after intallation. As well, it protects hardwood flooring from moisturand helps planks slide easily for continuous moisture protection.

One of it's most unique features, however, is that it is the only underlayment paper that can be used over radiant heat. 

Definitely a product you should check into, and it can be found here for a great price.

Eco Silent Sound HD^TM

Some products really stand out, and Eco Silent is one of them.  It is made with 100% post consumer recycled granulated rubber tires and a high-density polyurethan foam.  Not only is it created with recycled product, it is also 100% recyclable.  This is a great "green" product for those looking to leave less of a carbon footprint.

It also reduces floor noise by providing excellent sound absiorption.  For those who worry about mold, it contains Ultra-Fresh^TM which is anti-microbial treatment to resist mold and mildew.

Eco Silent can be used with floating, glue down, and nail down wood, laminate, LVT and vinyl plank flooring.  It will also eliminate minor subfloor imperfections as well as provide cushioning under laminates. Plus, it can be used with radiant heat. 

Definitely a great product at a great value, and can be found here.

If you are planning on installing a new floor, make sure you consider what you put UNDER your floor as well.  It will help you have a better experience and can provide your family with a fantastic floor for years to come.

A Little Background About Cork

Recently, cork has become a much more popular product for flooring.  Most people, when they hear cork, they either envision the stopper that is between them and a nice bottle of Shiraz or a bulletin board with pushpins and "To-Do" lists.  However, cork comes in different colors and designs and can create a very interesting feel in a room.

We have had many people ask what the pros and cons of cork are.  I will post about that another day, but before that, I wanted to give a little bit more information on cork.

Cork is harvested from the outer bark of the cork oak tree found in the Mediterranean region of the world. Cork has natural sound isolating and thermal insulating properties. AKA, it makes a room sound quieter and your feet won't freeze in the winter!  It is considered a green product because the same tree can be harvested numerous times without tree destruction. As a natural product, color and shade variations can be expected.  Cork can usually be harvested every 9-12 years and it doesn't harm the tree at all!  Typically it is harvested by hand, similar to the way it has been harvested since people first discovered the many uses of cork. 

While the look of cork isn't for everyone, it definitely can make a statement.  And it doesn't need to look like you have a giant cork board on your floor.  We offer many varieties of cork to fit your home and decor.  

If you are interested in cork for your flooring, make sure you speak with your salesperson about the benefits of cork (if you decide to buy before my next article on the subject!).

What WOOD You Like to Hear About?

Hello out there in the blog-o-sphere.  This post is for you.  Actually, all of these posts are for you, that's why I'm here!!!  This blog has been around for a few weeks now and I've had a lot of fun deciding on topics and posts.  However, I want to know what YOU want to hear about.  Leave some comments and let me know what you'd like to get out of this blog.  Want to hear about products? Installation techniques? Happenings around the Lumber Liquidators offices?  Customer Interviews?  The recipe for my world famous Texas Sheet Cake (well, it's my aunt's and it's not world famous...yet)?  I really am here for you and I will try to respond to suggestions and incorporate them into the blog over time.  And please be nice, we do moderate the comments that come in so don't put anything that is spam, profane, or nonconstructive. 

And in case you love the blog the way it is, here are some fun sites that I love that you may enjoy too!

http://www.lumberliquidators.com/ (<--You knew this would be at the top of the list!)

http://www.hgtv.com/

http://www.diynetwork.com/

http://www.foodnetwork.com/ 

http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/  (My dad watched this show when I was a kid and I find myself watching too!)

Going Green? Try Bamboo Flooring!

Many people are moving towards using green products in their homes, such as energy efficient appliances, CFL light bulbs (you know, the funny looking curly ones), and more efficient windows to keep energy costs low.  You can go green with your flooring options also.  A very popular trend in the past few years has been bamboo.  While bamboo is a grass, not a wood, it is stable and strong and a good alternative to actual hardwood floors.  Bamboo is fast growing and has an extensive root system that creates new bamboo shoots and requires no replanting!

Before you run out and choose bamboo because it is green (not the color, but we do have a Blue Ash if you’re looking to make a statement), take a look at the different types and what may be best suited to your lifestyle.  Similar to hardwood, bamboo can still scratch and dent.  The more mature a bamboo is, the harder it is.  When looking at a brand, check the age of the bamboo.  Different brands have different harvesting schedules.  Specification sheets should give you this information.

Below are some terms you should understand before purchasing your bamboo.  These can help you choose the floor that is best for your needs. 

Horizontal – Horizontal bamboo describes the direction of each of the bamboo pieces used in making the flooring.  The pieces of bamboo are arranged in a horizontal direction, lying on their widest edge, and joined side by side with adjacent pieces.  Horizontal bamboo is considered to be slightly harder than Red Oak.

Vertical – Vertical bamboo has the pieces of bamboo arranged in a vertical direction, standing on their narrow edge and then pressed together with other pieces.  Vertical bamboo is also slightly harder than Red Oak.

Strand – Strand bamboo is neither vertical nor horizontal, but woven pieces of fibrous bamboo strips.  These strips undergo high-pressure heat pressing that produce a heavier bamboo product.  Strand bamboo is significantly harder than horizontal and vertical bamboo.

Natural – Natural bamboo is just that, natural looking. Nothing has been done to the grass itself so it is a lighter, brighter color.  Most natural bamboo will be pretty consistent in color.

Carbonized – Carbonized bamboo is not a stained bamboo but rather it has gone through a process where the bamboo is steamed or boiled in a giant bath, heating up the sugars.  The sugars turn a darker, richer color that permeates the entire board throughout.  Carbonized bamboo can vary slightly in color depending on how long the bamboo was treated and how much sugar the bamboo has in it.  If you choose carbonized bamboo, you or your installer may want to work out of several boxes at a time in case there are any color variations between boxes.

Tiger Strand – Tiger Strand bamboo is strand bamboo that has pressed natural and carbonized bamboo together, creating stripes similar to that of a tiger’s, hence the name.  

There are also stained options if you are looking for a lighter or darker option compared to the natural or carbonized variety.  Bamboo is a unique and green flooring option that can really make a statement in a room.  Beautiful, green, unique, what more do you need in a floor?