Since you have so promptly responded to my questions I have another one for you - nothing to do with my mitre saw. We have bamboo flooring - which to our understanding is supposed to be really tough. Ours must NOT have a zillion protective coats on it like some of the hardwood flooring I see advertised (with 7 coats or whatever). Anyway - our floor has a few chips and scratches - one particular area where the protective surface is literally peeling away (it cracked after my husband moved the fridge) - can I do a spot repair? Would I just buy some clear varathane - sand where it is peeeling and coat it a couple of times. I do not want to redo the floors yet - we have only had it in for a couple of years. Maybe part of the mistake was putting it in the kitchen (our main floor is open concept and the bamboo it throughout).Thanks - yet again
The problem you describe with your bamboo floors is very typical of bamboo floors. These came out several years ago, exclusively from Asia. They were touted as very durable and not as susceptible to the problems of hardwood. Turns out that's not the case. When I was going to have new hardwood floors installed a couple years ago, I considered getting bamboo. But, my friend who owns a flooring supply store said that he refused to let me buy them through his store, because of the problems people have been having with them. He even refused to install them for people any more. He said about 60% of the bamboo floor installations he had done over the last two years had to be replaced with something else. The problem is with the bamboo itself, as well as the shoddy manufacturing process. Bamboo is a grass, not a wood. So, it's more susceptible to moisture effects (swelling in humid conditions and shrinkage in dry conditions). The bamboo is also put together in layers, like plywood. So, it is susceptible to peeling. It also isn't as scratch-resistant as claimed and does not refinish well. So, do what you can to patch up your existing floor. But, when you're ready to replace the floor, use a real hardwood.
Water will destroy it (dishwasher overflow, moist spills, etc.), so use something that water won't injury which contain slate, tile or any organic stone. same reason you does no longer placed it on your bathing room!
Hire a professional to fix the floor AND to move appliances in the future.
