How to Install Engineered Flooring Over Particle Board
Engineered flooring comes in tongue-and-groove planks that are a composite wood topped with hardwood veneer. They're generally thinner and straighter than traditional hardwood planks and can be more easily installed using the glue-down method (as opposed to nailing them down). Gluing a floor is the only option when you have an underlayment that won't adequately hold nails, such as particle board or concrete. Make sure the flooring that you get specifies on the packaging that it can be glued down. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Wall spacers for flooring (3/8 inch)
- Floor glue
- Notched trowel
- Engineered tongue-and-groove flooring
- Miter saw
- Hammer
- Floor trim
- Trim nailer
Instructions
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1
Set your wall spacers in place around the perimeter of the floor, every 2 feet or so. This will keep a 3/8 inch gap between the floorboards and the walls. (The gap will be covered by floor trim.)
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2
Spread glue over about 2 feet of the floor along the wall furthest from the doorway, using your notched trowel. Spread it over the whole length of the floor along the wall.
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3
Set your first pieces of flooring in the glue along the wall, end to end with the ends locking together. Position them so the grooved side of the board is facing the wall. Cut the piece at the end on a miter saw to fit.
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4
Lay the second course by tapping the grooved side of the board onto the tongue side of the preceding course. Set a small cutoff piece of flooring against the second board and tap the cutoff with a hammer to knock to two pieces together.
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5
Lay subsequent courses the same way, spreading more glue as your work your way across the floor, cutting the end pieces on your miter saw. Continue until you run out of room to work (because of the opposite wall). Let the glue set for 24 hours.
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6
Resume gluing and laying floor, working from the previously glued section and doing the rest of the floor. Install floor trim around the perimeter with your trim nailer to cover the gaps at the edges.
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Tips & Warnings
Wear eye protection while using power saws and power nailers.
