How to Install Thomasville Engineered Hardwood

Engineered hardwood flooring is simple to install.

Thomasville 5G click engineered hardwood flooring has a tongue and groove locking edge which allows for floating installation without adhesives or fasteners over almost any level, smooth hard surface subfloor. Before installation, you will need to store the material in the space under normal climate conditions for 96 hours to allow it to acclimate to the surroundings. This will help to prevent warping and other complications. The installation process is similar to that of other modern hardwoods and laminate floors.

Things You'll Need

• Pry bar
• Locking pliers
• Vapor barrier
• Underlay
• 5G Thomasville engineered hardwood
• Tape measure
• Miter saw
• Wood glue
• Rubber mallet
• Hammer
• Finish nails
• Wood filler or painter's caulk

Instructions

1. Install a layer of plastic vapor barrier. Roll out the rows of plastic barrier and overlap them slightly for adequate coverage. Cover this with a layer of foam underlay. It helps to level the floor and prevent squeaks.

2. Remove the baseboard shoe or quarter round molding around the perimeter of the room at the bottom of the baseboard. Use a small pry-bar to lever the molding away from the wall carefully. Pull all of the nails through the back of the molding to avoid holes in the face of the molding.

3. Start the installation parallel to the longest wall in the room. Set your first row of boards, grooved side toward the wall, spaced ½ inch away from the wall with spacers available from your flooring dealer. Add the second board by applying a small amount of wood glue to the bottom of the end groove and fitting it over the tongue of the first piece by tapping it into position with a rubber mallet.

4. Continue laying out full length pieces as far as possible, applying a small amount of glue to the bottom of each end groove. Measure from the last full length piece to the wall and cut a piece to fit, minus ½ inch for the expansion joint. Save the piece you cut off and use it to start the second row of boards.

5. Apply glue to the bottom of the groove along the long edge of the cutoff piece and tap it into position against the first row. Add pieces end to end in the same manner as the first piece. Tap the board into place against the first row with a ½ inch gap between it and the end of the previous board. Tap the end of the board to drive it forward to snap the tongue into the groove of the previous board.

6. Continue laying out rows using full width boards. Measure the width of the space between the last full width row and the wall. Rip or cut floor boards to width on a table saw. Cut enough boards to fill the row. Apply glue to the groove and tap it into position.

References

• "Laminate Flooring 1, 2, 3": Benjamin W. Allen, Jeff Day; Meredith Books; 1999
• Thomasville Flooring: Thomasville Installation Booklet