4 Tips For Using Engineered Hardwood Flooring In Your Home

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Tips Engineered Hardwood Flooring
4 Tips For Using Engineered Hardwood Flooring In Your Home

Engineered hardwood is a popular material for flooring in commercial and residential buildings. It has that classic look that solid hardwood can give you; it’s elegant and durable, too. Solid hardwood may be considered by some as the most desirable material for floors, but engineered hardwood is virtually indistinguishable from solid hardwood. What’s more, it’s a breeze to use and less susceptible to damages caused by moisture. Read out 4 Tips For Using Engineered Hardwood Flooring In Your Home.

The material is assembled with a laminate construction, which means several layers of wood material are glued together using heat and pressure, forming lightweight but rigid planks and tiles. This makes the material more stable than solid wood flooring. Engineered hardwood floors are also more resistant to moisture. The material’s laminated construction also resists the effects caused by humidity and temperature, such as expansion and shrinkage.

The top layer of engineered hardwood can be any kind of hardwood—maple, oak, walnut, or any other popular hardwoods—but it’s just a veneer skin. Beneath are other more thin but high-quality layers of plywood or other synthetic materials. Since the material’s invention in the 60s, engineered hardwoods have improved in quality and appearance. Today, this gorgeous-looking material accounts for 30% of wood flooring material used in the US.

4 Tips For Using Engineered Hardwood Flooring In Your Home

Using Engineered Hardwood Floors In Your Home

There aren’t really many disadvantages to using this material.And, although there are claims that this is highly resistant to moisture and, thus, can be installed in homes located in areas with high humidity, professional installers warn against using this material in laundry rooms and bathrooms. There are other materials better suited for those rooms.

One of the advantages of using engineered hardwoods is their easeof use. It’s so easy that people don’t have to hire professionals;they can do their own flooring project.If you’re not averse to some DIY and feel that you can tackle this task, below are a few tips on using engineered hardwood flooring in your home. That is, after you’ve visited stores like Hardwood Planet for your engineered hardwood flooring needs.

  1. Prepare The Subfloor

Whichever way you decided to use your engineered hardwood floor, the first thing you should do is to prepare your subfloor.Make sure that your subfloor is undamaged, clean and free of dirt or any debris.Also, see to it that any nail or loose staple from the previous flooring is removed. Moreover, you should ensure that there aren’t any loose or damaged boards as you need your floor to have a solid foundation.

You also have to choose whether to use tar paper or another material for the padding between the flooring and your subfloor.You can begin laying down your engineered hardwood planks after cleaning and making sure your subfloor is dry.

  1. Use Glue

If you’re using glue for your flooring, make sure to leave room between the walls and the boards for the material’s expansion. You could use a trowel to make sure that the glue is evenly distributed across the subfloor.

Try to work in smaller, more manageable areas to make it easier to focus on two or maybe three rows at a time. This way, you can avoid drying the glue or making too much of a mess.

Furthermore, you’d want to create a more stable surface, so what you should do is spread out the ends (just by a few inches) of each board.If you see any glue squeezing through the boards, clean it up by using wipes or cleaner.

  1. Use Staples Or Nails

The process of stapling and nailing your engineered hardwood planks is the same. As you’re laying down the first row, you’d want to make sure that there’s a space between the boards and the wall for expansion, and that the plank’s tongue is facing the wall. Placing it this way means that for the first row, you’ll notbe able to use your nail or staple gun. However, you can go to town with your nail gun or pneumatic staple for the subsequent rows.

Position your nail or staple gun at a 45° angle over the board’s tongue when punching in nails or staples.Make sure that your staple or nail gun doesn’t leave behind dimples or some sort of damage to the flooring surface.

  1. Floating

If you choose the floating method in installing an engineered hardwood floor, you should glue the first row of the planks to the wall, and not on the subfloor. After each plank is snapped into place, tap it using a tapping block, making sure the planks are securely in place against the subfloor.

Also, don’t forget to leave a bit of space between the planks to give them enough room to expand. Having space for expansion would prevent noise or buckling issues after your engineered hardwood floor has settled.

Conclusion

Engineered hardwood flooring is virtually identical to solid wood flooring. This material is also easier to use in your home, not to mention cheaper. It’s easy enough to use in your home that you can do the installation yourself without hiring a professional. The few tips listed here show that all you need are a few tools and materials, a little DIY skill, anda bit of elbow grease.

 

 

 

 

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