Engineered Hardwood Floors
Longstrip hardwood floors are wide and long, and every plank has 2 to 3 bars of thin hardwood. These planks can float, stapled and glued-down. The floors can be installed in all parts of the home and are made up of numerous wood plies that are glued together, using a tongue and groove connection made from soft core. The core is sandwiched between a hardwood finish layer on the top and soft wood ply below.
Different types of wood can be used for the finish layer. The layer consists of separate and small solid wood pieces (usually 17 to 18) arranged in three rows. Longstrip planks could be as long as 86 inches. The maximum width is 7 1/2 inches. Floating installation makes them suitable for different subfloors and below or above ground level. The longstrip and engineered planks are good for concrete slabs and basements. In job sites where moisture exceeds the normal level, these glued planks can be used easily as gluing enhances dimensional stability.
The erected hardwood floors, on the other hand, - forest planks, done from a numerous forest piles which are glued and stratified. The high-quality erected hardwood floors can be extinguished above the different types of subfloors as for example fully-cured concrete and dry plates from higher dimensional stability.
Pre-finished erected forest floors more protracted, than hard forest floors. Pre-finished erected forest floors offered in many hardwood varieties and styles, and can be set in all rooms in a house. The floor width varies between 2 1/4 inch and 7 inch and thickness between 1/4 inch and 9/16 inch.
Length ranges from 12 inches to 60 inches. Mostly, the top finish layer is made up of exotic or local hardwood and is factory pre-finished using polyurethane finish.
Hardwood floors can be secured using various installation methods such as floating, glue-down, nail-down, and staple-down. The 3/4 inch solid floors can be nailed down. Adapters are used for thin flooring. The hardwood flooring can be stapled down over wood subfloor. The staple-down method is simpler than nail-down.
Before securing hardwood floors, read the installation instructions provided by manufacturer for the right tools and methods. In glue down installation, the hardwood floor is glued onto the subfloor or cured and dry concrete slabs. Staple-down and nail-down methods are best for solid wood plank floors and solid wood strip floors. Parquet and engineered wood floors can be secured with glue.
Floating is a quick and easy method of floor installation, in which hardwood floors float over different sub floors. The floor is not tied to the subfloor. A slim pad is inserted between subfloor and wood floor. The pad cuts noise level, and protects from moisture. Only groove and tongue of planks are glued together. Floating is used to install longstrip floors.
The flooring should be acclimated in the room where it will be installed. If you are installing during the damp season, keep the wood indoors for minimum of three days. In summers, flooring can be stored in a garage.
Hardwood floors can be installed using four different methods, such as glue-down, nail-down, staple-down and floating. You are advised to read installation instruction carefully.
