About Hardwood Installation

One of the other factors to consider when purchasing a floor is the installation method. This can potentially affect cost, since some types of installation are best left to people with experience. If you are not experienced, you may have to hire someone who is, which can cost a lot in both money and time. Other forms of installation are much more friendly for those who have little experience installing hardwood floors. First, for nearly all solid hardwood flooring, using nails to attach each board to the subfloor is the only option. This usually requires a professional nail gun, nails, and a lot of other special tools and experience. Solid floors should be installed by a qualified hardwood professional experienced in installation. For engineered floors, there are usually more options. Many engineered floors are far too thin to be nailed to the subfloor, but they often can be installed using a stapler and special staples. Usually this type of installation must be done on a wood or plywood substrate, but can be an excellent choice for many hardwood floors and is much more friendly to amateurs than the nail-down method. However, it still requires skill with a staple gun to do properly. Another option for engineered floors is to use glue to attach the boards to the subfloor. It is the only method for installing an engineered floor over concrete, but can be preferable to staple-down installation on a wood or plywood subfloor as well, since it thoroughly attaches each piece to the substrate. This can be relatively simple to do, but if you have an uneven subfloor, it may not be the best method to do yourself. In other words, attempting to glue down an engineered floor on an uneven surface without the proper equipment and knowledge can severely reduce the life of your floor. If you don't have both of those things, hire a professional. But by far the easiest installation type is the "floating" method. This is most often found on engineered longstrip floors, but can also be found in some planked floors, and even some thinner, specially designed solid floors. This installation method is very simple and can be used over any subfloor, so if you don't want to pay the money to hire an installer but lack the experience to use glue or staples, this is your best bet. In fact, even those with plenty of experience prefer a floating floor simply because it saves so much on time and equipment. This type of installation will require you to use an approved underlayment, a tool resembling a crowbar called a tapping block, some small pieces of plastic called spacers, and unless it is advertised as a "glueless" installation, will require a small amount of glue on the edges to hold the boards together. It may also be a bit more expensive than other engineered floors. But compared to the cost and risk of a do-it-yourself staple-down or glue-down installation, it is by far the better choice for non-professionals. The final consideration to use when deciding between floors is the warranty. Warranties are different for every product, so be sure to check with the manufacturer for your specific product to see terms and conditions. In general, though, you'll find the same basic warranties for hardwood products: The most common of hardwood warranties, this warranty states that your floor won't wear down from everyday traffic. This warranty can be anywhere from 1 year to a lifetime, but usually, they'll range between 10 and 25 years. Typically, this warranty only covers wear caused by normal household foot traffic, and won't cover damage from improper care and maintenance, damage from installation or manufacturing defects, any damage from external problems like insects, a pet's nails, moving heavy objects without proper protection, fading from exposure to the sun, damage from heels or spiked shoes, water damage, etc. It also requires that you follow the manufacturer's maintenance instructions, and will likely be voided by using a vacuum without brush or wand attachment, cleaning the floor with soap and water, oil or ammonia based cleaning products, or mopping with water. This warranty usually warrants against severe structural damage that shouldn't occur under recommended conditions, like warping, buckling, cupping, or other damage. Another guarantee only provided for engineered hardwood states that the plies that form the core of the product won't separate under normal humidity and usage. This will probably be voided if you don't follow the installation instructions provided by the manufacturer or if your floor is poorly installed. Make sure you know the humidity level limitations and ensure that the area installed stays within those limits. If you don't fully protect the floor against subfloor moisture damage, the warranty will likely be voided as well. Sometimes called a Pre-Installation warranty, this warrants against any strongly noticeable defects in the appearance of the floor. The first thing you need to remember is that once this floor is installed, this warranty will usually be voided, so be sure to check your flooring thoroughly for any problems before proceeding with the installation. Relatively minor differences in grain or color won't be covered, since they naturally occur in any wood floor. Guarantees engineered floors installed using a glue-down installation won't lose their bond with the subfloor when all installation instructions are followed. This means that your subfloor must have been thoroughly dry without any history of moisture problems and that you used the proper adhesive specified by the manufacturer. Guarantees that glue-down engineered flooring will not experience structural damage from moisture eminating from the subfloor. This is dependent upon following all installation instructions to the letter and upon the subfloor having met all requirements set by the manufacturer. Guarantees that floating floors installed over heated subfloors won't experience severe structural damage when properly installed. Doesn't protect against cracking from seasonal changes, gaps that develop between boards or delamination. Guarantees that your floor can be resanded a specified number of times without wearing through when done properly. Most often applicable to solid floors.