Refinishing Bamboo

Q: Is is possible to refinish a solid bamboo floor? If so, would you use the same techniques as refinishing any hardwood floor?
Thanks,
Mike
A: Solid Bamboo floors can be refinished and you do the same process as refinishing a hardwood floor, but before you go ahead with refinishing let’s go over a few important bits of information for bamboo floors.
As with most floors which can be refinished, typically all that is necessary is to screen the floor and apply new coats of finish to remove scratches or dull appearance. This can be the case just as commonly with bamboo floors, but a note of caution is important here. Many bamboo floors have aluminum oxide finishes and when aluminum oxide finishes cure it becomes very difficult to get new finishes to adhere over the top of them. The good news is, Bona has brought out a product they call Prep that reactivates the finish, giving you a window to apply new finish which will adhere more effectively, even aluminum oxide finishes.
If your problem is solely at the finish level, so scratches, lack of gloss level, scuffing or marks, then you will want to screen the floor with a 220 grit paper, then add new layers of finish. If your problem actually does to the bamboo itself, such as dents or gouges, then a full refinish is in order. You will want to go through the standard process of refinishing wood floors, keeping in mind to sand in the direction of the grain.