When you think of a wood floor, you’re thinking of the finished result – and so you should. If you are thinking about them at all, you’re holding a warm, organic, naturally decorative surface in your mind. There is a reason that wood floors have something of a timeless appeal. There is something about them that fundamentally hits our interior design pleasure center, so to speak.
But, before that timeless look can be achieved, it’s important to figure out not only who is going to install your wood floor (maybe it’s you, maybe it’s a professional depending on your experience), but what that process will entail. What kind of wood flooring installation have you got ahead of you? Well, like many important questions, the answer is ‘it depends’. On what?, you ask.
It depends on the kind of wood floor you’ve got in mind. If you want a solid hardwood floor, you’re going to have to nail it directly to your subfloor. You say that your space is a concrete slab? Well, you’ll have to strike solid hardwood off your list. But, then again, there’s always engineered hardwood floors. Those can be floated (meaning that they’re installed over the subfloor but aren’t attached), or even glued down in some cases.
Speaking of floating and gluing down, bamboo flooring can be installed this way. Some choices in bamboo can be stapled down as well. Laminates are strictly floating floors, which makes them pretty versatile. They also generally feature glueless click systems, although some installers like to apply glue to the tongue and groove edges for extra hold. This is true of bamboo and engineered floors too.
So to review:
- Nail down – solid hardwood (requires a wood subfloor)
- Glue-down – bamboo and engineered floors
- staple-down – bamboo
- floating – engineered and laminate(sometimes with a glued-edge for extra hold).
The great thing about wood floors is that regardless of how you install them, you still get that great look you’ve held in your mind when you first had the idea of putting them into your space. And these days, there are many choices that help you get the look you want, no matter what kind of subfloor you have.
Cheers,
Rob.
Related posts:
What can you tell me about wood floors over a radiant floor system? Are there limitations?
Hi Meredith!
Yes, there are some limitations when it comes to radiant heat. Generally speaking, a solid wood floor tends to dry out and then shrink when installed over radiant heat. This can cause warping and cupping, which is obviously not an ideal situation. However, there are some kinds of engineered wood flooring that are specifically designed for this purpose, with core layers that expand and contract without showing the effects on the surface, or in the stability of the board.
When you’re shopping for engineered flooring, it should be one of the first questions you ask, since not ALL engineered floors are designed with this in mind. Feel free to contact one of our product experts if you have any other questions, either by email (sales@builddirect.com) or by phone at 1 877 631 2845.
Thanks for reading, and for comments!
Sometimes, it is hard to choose the certain type of floor installation type, if you don’t know enough information about it, the article helped to get the main ideas. Thank you.
nice, that’s like a smoked finished narra wood…
well, that’s a good way to put it up a notch, nice insights, works well in clientele explanation and information resource option.
hardwood flooring installation
Hi Rob,
I was reading your post and found that you refer to the traditional method of nails and glues for various surfaces. However, there are companies out there who are launching new innovative products with new wood floor installation methods that allow you to install any type, thickness and width of hardwood flooring over virtually any floor surface in any room including basements AND on bamboo or engineered floors without any glues or nails. Do you have an opinion in regards to these new technologies?
The given example above is really beautiful. Maintaining a flawless looking floor takes patience and dedication if you really want to make it last long. This shows that you value cleanliness.