The Best Way to Install Thomasville Engineered Hardwood
Engineered hardwood floors come in two styles: a high-quality synthetic wood laminate affixed to fiberboard or a thin veneer of hardwood glued to a plywood base. Engineered floors hold several advantages over traditional hardwood flooring--they are more durable, easier to install, and come in more varieties than traditional hardwood. In most cases, engineered floors are also less expensive. On the downside, engineered floors are less forgiving; when they are damaged, your ability to repair them is limited. Often, replacement is the only option. Overall, engineered floors are an attractive alternative to the traditional oak hardwood floor. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Pry bar
- Pencil
- Saw
- Drill with screw bit (optional)
- Wood screws (optional)
- Foam padding
- Engineered floor planks
- Wood shims
- Flooring glue
- Hammer
- Scrap wood
- Circular or table saw
- Finishing nails
- Quarter-round molding
Instructions
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1
Remove the baseboards from around the end of the room with the pry bar. Number the boards to make replacing them easier, using a pencil. Use a plank of the engineered floor as a guide to cut any vertical trim around doorways that might need cutting.
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2
Remove the existing flooring, revealing the plywood subfloor. Silence any squeaks by using wood screws to fasten the plywood to the joists, using a drill with a screw bit.
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3
Unroll a layer of high-density foam padding parallel to the longest wall in the room. Use just one roll at a time. Put down the padding as you work your way across the room.
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4
Lay three or four rows of planks parallel to the longest wall to plan how the grain and seams of each row appear next to the adjacent rows. The seams of the planks must be staggered for the most attractive appearance. This requires you to cut some of the planks to irregular lengths, using a saw and miter box.
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5
Put wood shims between the wall and the first row of planks to make a gap that allows the floor to expand in humid conditions.
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6
Apply a bead of flooring glue to the groove of the first row of planks and slip the tongue of the second row into the groove. Tap the planks together, using a piece of scrap wood and a hammer. The shims will keep the first row from touching the wall.
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7
Apply glue to the groove side of the planks, inserting the tongue of the next plank into the groove and tapping it into place with the hammer and scrap wood until you are about 3 or 4 inches from the edge of the foam padding.
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8
Unroll another layer of foam padding next to the first row and fasten them together with carpet tape.
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9
Lay the planks and foam padding until you reach the last row. You may have to cut the last row of planks lengthwise to fit into place, using a table or circular saw.
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10
Replace the baseboards and cover the gaps with quarter-round molding.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit texture of wooden floor - can be used as background image by Elnur from Fotolia.com
