We Can Help You With Your Engineered Hardwood Flooring Installation
When you’re choosing wood flooring for your home, you’ll find there are now a large variety of options. One of those options is engineered hardwood flooring. This type of flooring consists of a thin layer of real wood placed on top of a base that is made of plywood. Most engineered hardwood flooring comes prefinished, so you won’t have to worry about that step in the installation process. Homeowners usually choose engineered hardwood flooring because it is more stable than your standard solid wood flooring in areas that may have uncontrolled moisture, like on a concrete slab. If you decide to go with this option, we’ve come up with a few things you should know when installing engineered hardwood flooring in your home.
1. Clean & Prep Floor Before Installing Your Floors
You’re going to want to get your floor ready before you begin the installation process. The best way to do this is to clean and prep your floor. The subfloor should be free of dirt and debris. You can vacuum or sweep to make sure you get all the dust that may have accumulated. Make sure the subfloor is completely dry before moving on to installation.
2. Pick The Best Technique for Your Installation Project
There are three common ways to install an engineered floor, and the decision on which one to use should be based upon what is the best-suited for that particular project, as opposed to which installation method is the easiest or least expensive. Our goal here is for you to better understand your installation methods so you can choose which way is best for you.
3. The Nail Down Installation Method
The first, and most common, is nail (or staple) down. I like using nails (also called cleats) because it is the easiest and least expensive, but we cannot focus on that. Nope. Not us.
Nails and staples can only be used with a wood subfloor, unless you can find a tool rental place in your area that has one of those new concrete wood nailers. Good luck with that.
If you are doing a nail-down install it is a good idea to use a 15 lb felt paper underneath the flooring material, as this will help eliminate any squeaks that might develop later.
In my humble opinion, any floor that can be installed using nails should be. My second option is....
Wood Flors Installation Using Adhesive
Glue Down. Gluing down an engineered wood floor is your best option if you are installing over a concrete subfloor. While it may get a little (or a lot, if my cousin Kevin is involved) messy, and some adhesives can get downright pricey, a floor that is installed correctly using glue is a floor that will be down for a very long time. One advantage of a glued-down floor is that they are very quiet due to the fact that there are no dead spaces behind the flooring, as there is with a floating floor, and to a lesser extent, a nailed-down floor.
Adhesives are available with lots of great characteristics, like built-in moisture barrier, sound deadener, even crack fillers. Don't expect these glues to be budget-friendly though.
Secret tip....if you use a high-quality engineered floor like our 8 ply stuff from Somerset you can get by using a cheap glue. Why does that matter? Because a higher quality engineered floor is more stable, and less susceptible to movement. If you need a more resilient glue you will be paying more. Spend more money on a better floor, not a better glue.
The Floating Method To Install Engineered Hardwood Flooring
The third installation option is to float the floor. In this method you would apply glue to the groove side of a board then install it by laying the board flat on the subfloor and pushing it into the previously installed board. This type of installation is fairly easy. It does however require an underlayment. If you are installing over a wood subfloor your underlayment joints should not be taped together to form a moisture barrier, while over a concrete substrate you would.
Floated floors tend to be a bit more noisy that a nail- or glue-down, but they are great when you have a subfloor that is not suitable for other installation methods. Think about high or low spots in cement. A glue can't hold what it doesn't touch, so consider a floating floor over wavy substrates.
Another tip: if you are floating a floor, glue up the first 2 rows the evening before you plan to install your floor. When morning comes these rows will be glued and tight, and they won't come apart when you push against them. Using spacers will help with this as well.
Tip #2. Keep a container of water and a sponge with you at all times when floating a floor. The adhesive (any time of carpenter's glue will work) will squish out on top of the floor as you push the boards together. Wipe the wet glue off immediately rather than waiting until you get done. You will thank me later.
Tip #3. If you can use some ratchet straps to pull the first 10 feet together tightly and take your lunch break it will help make the floor more straight.
4. Add Some Finishing Touches
There are a few things you can do to add some finishing touches to your flooring. You can attach a baseboard to the bottom of the wall to hide the seams where the floor meets the wall. You’ll want to use a finish nailer for this job. It is best to paint or stain the baseboard before you attach it to the wall. Now, you can take a step back and see the amazing installation job you did! You’ll feel very accomplished once you see how your hard work paid off.
How ReallyCheapFloors.com Can Help
Installing engineered hardwood flooring is made easy when you buy an amazing product. At ReallyCheapFloors.com, we offer durable flooring for affordable prices. We are proud to say our products are all made in the USA. Check out our engineered hardwood flooring options to find the perfect fit for your next home improvement project. Want to know how to care for your enginnered hardwood? Visit our blog about maintaining engineered hardwood.