Hardwood flooring is one of the most desirable forms of flooring seen in many homes today. It brings elegance and a classic look to your home. This is what you get when you have a hardwood flooring installation done right. If there are mistakes in your hardwood floor installation, you will end up with a sagging floor and cracked wood planks. Installing hardwood flooring is an easy task and can be done yourself as long as you have the right knowledge and tools. If you have any doubts, even a slight one, you should call in the professionals and let them do the job, otherwise you will end up with a poorly installed hardwood floor.
Wood Floor Installation Basics
The first rule in the installation is to know where it will be installed. The environment where the floor will be installed will determine the type of hardwood that will be used. We all know that the environment and climate play a big role when it comes to hardwood floors due to moisture issues. There are many types of hardwood, including prefinished hardwood, solid hardwood, acrylic impregnated wood, and engineered wood, and each of these types of wood is perfect for a certain type of environment and climate. You need to choose the type of wood that is perfect for the climate you live in to ensure that you will enjoy your wood flooring for a long time.
The next rule in the installation is to know if there is a subfloor or not. You must first install a subfloor to protect the newly installed hardwood floor from moisture and also to make the area to be installed even and straight. Choosing the right subfloor is very important as it can directly influence the installation method required and the overall quality of your hardwood floor. There are three common subfloors, these are concrete/cement screed, plywood/particleboard, and joist/slat floors. After this, you can now decide or discuss with the contractor the method of installation to use.
There are three common methods in installation. These are floating installation, glue installation and nail installation. Each of these installation methods has its pros and cons and is perfect for the hardwood flooring material you’ve chosen. Floating installation is recommended for engineered hardwood. This type of installation is the easiest to do. The glue down method is perfect for solid wood when using any of the three types of subfloor and for engineered wood flooring when using concrete or plywood. The nail down method is recommended for solid floors when using concrete or plywood. In general, people find nailing to be very demanding and time consuming. It requires the use of specific tools and equipment, which can be difficult to find for a DIY job.
