FLOOR INSTALLATION

Hardwood floors are the center piece of any room whether it is commercial or residential choosing wood over any other floor covering will enhance your final project. No matter what your lifestyle wood floors add value and comfort to any décor, but with all of the choices how do you know what wood flooring will be right for you. Below are the four major factors that need to be considered when purchasing a wood floor and also some misconceptions about certain formats in which wood flooring is available.

The four main divisions of the hardwood flooring industry are solid wood flooring, engineered wood flooring, prefinished wood flooring and onsite finished wood flooring. It is greatly misconceived that engineered wood flooring is better than solid, or that engineered flooring is not even a real wood floor. The bottom line is that each individual project has different requirements or limitations that dictate or at least should be considered when choosing which type of floor best suites your needs.

Below are descriptions of the most common hardwood flooring products and their recommended applications:

Solid Wood Flooring

...is the oldest and most traditional application for a wood floor, the term "solid wood" implies a board 3/4" thick that is to be nailed down to a wooden sub-floor. The installation system is as follows, moisture barrier either over the concrete or joists, 3/4" CDX plywood over concrete or 1" T&G decking over joists, moisture barrier again followed by the solid wood flooring of choice "blind nailed" or nailed through the tongue at a 45 degree angle so the fastener is hidden. There are several manufactures of adhesives today that will warrant the installation of 3/4" solid wood directly glued to the concrete as long as the appropriate steps are taken during the installation process. After the installation of the wood floor a standard acclimation period is recommended (differently by each manufacturer) prior to the sanding and finishing process. This process requires the most time and is traditionally the most expensive of all applications available today.

Engineered Wood Flooring

...is defined by a veneer of hardwood laminated to a substrate, it is difficult to define substrate because every manufacturer is different but generally speaking the substrate most widely used today is Birch which is a fast growth and rapidly renewable tree. Engineered flooring was developed for two purposes one the remodel market where the project could not with stand the installation of 3/4" plywood sub-floor due to height restrictions (this was prior to the invention of glues to allow for gluing down 3/4" solids) and two where stability is an issue due to below grade applications or woods that are naturally not stable. One of the most important things to consider when purchasing an engineered floor is the thickness of the veneer otherwise know as the wear layer, this determines how many times the floor can be sanded through out its life.

Pre-Finished Flooring

...this means that the wood floor is coated with some sort of coating in a factory rather than on site pre-finished flooring has now become more than 70% of all the wood floors installed in the US. The benefits of pre-finished flooring are many including no acclimation time needed, no sanding and finishing time or mess, in general a better look as most modern day finishes consist of at least 7 coats and with that said a more durable finish than what can be applied on site. Modern day aluminum oxide polyurethane finishes are the hardest finishes available for wood flooring and are very difficult to duplicate in site.

For detailed information regarding installation instructions, types of finishes or any technical flooring question please visit:

National Wood Flooring Association