“Hey hey, ho ho, that builder carpet has got to go!” Paula Marshall, our Reader Projects, chanted while replacing her old, worn-out carpet.

After 14 years in their “new” home, Paula and her husband, Chris Glowacki, decided the carpet in their home office was in desperate need of being replaced, especially with two dogs and two cats.

Paula had been looking at bamboo flooring for some time, but wanted a bargain. She found a good price on a nice, light-tone bamboo laminate from a discounter. (With underlayment and trim, the cost was close to $500 for an 11x11-foot room.) While the instructions were minimal and those found on the discounter’s Web site weren’t completely clear, Paula has done a lot of home improvement projects so was able to fill in the blanks and install the flooring.

Paula has these tips to share with anyone removing carpet and installing floating bamboo planks:

• Spend the money for sound-deadening padding/underlayment that has a moistureproofing layer; it is worth it.
  
• Open the boxes and let the floorboards acclimate for a couple of days.
  
• Cut the existing carpet into 4-foot- wide strips that can be rolled up into a size eligible for curbside trash pick up.
• Enlist help as installing floorboards is a two-person job.
• Sort through all the boxes before you lay your first board in case some pieces are darker and need to be blended in with the rest; organize them accordingly.
• Use the correct adhesive. In Paula’s case, the manufacturer called for white school glue, not carpenter’s glue.
• Be prepared to use a rubber mallet or hammer against a small wood plank to tap boards in place.
• Consider using permanent pads under heavy pieces of furniture once the floorboards are in place. Bamboo is known to be sturdy, but protecting the floor is still a concern.

For office clutter taming tricks, click here