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INSTALLING YOUR WOOD FLOORING - For the do-it-yourselfer, a typical locking floor can be installed complete in a weekend.

LAMINATE INSTALLATION - The most common way to install a laminate floor is by interlocking the planks. The flooring comes with a tongue and groove on each plank. You simply insert the tongue and an angle and then lock it into the groove. However, there are certain things to remember and procedures to follow.

All laminate floors require a padding underneath them. Some manufacturers attach the padding to the underneath of the planks, while others require you lay down a foam padding on the floor. The foam padding comes in 3' widths and is laid perpendicular to the floor. Do not use foam padding to build up a low spot in the floor as you will certainly have problems later on.

It is also important to allow your floor to breathe, or expand and contract as necessary. For this reason you will leave a gap around the perimeter of the room. Follow your manufacturer's specifications for gapping. You will cover this gap with a round shoe moulding after the installation is complete. Remember to never nail the shoe moulding to the floor. Nail it to the wall.

Start at the back wall, leaving a gap and then work your way across the room. You'll lay out a row, interlocking the edges first. Then slide the row of flooring at an angle into the previous row. Gravity will hold the joint together as you work your way down. When your entire length is interlocked, push down level. You can use a tapping block to lightly tap the sections in.

If the floor does not lock, do NOT keep smacking it with a hammer. Remove the section and see why it is not going in. Perhaps you have a small piece or chip of flooring in the joint.

Once you get in the groove (no pun intended), you'll find it goes quite easily.

ENGINEERED FLOORING - In may ways, the method for installing an engineered floor is the same as a laminate floor. Engineered floors come in a interlocking style, making installation a breeze. Using the interlocking method of installation, you would use a foam pad under the floor, just as with the laminate flooring.

Engineered flooring can also be installed using other methods. One common method is the staple down process. A small nailgun is used with a special plate that sits on the edge of the plank. This aligns the gun up properly so the staple goes right into the tongue. Unlike solid flooring, you do not have to hit the gun to activate it. You pull a trigger. The staple used is a crown staple and is installed about every 4 -6 inches.

Engineered flooring can also be glued down. This would be more common in an application where the floor is installed on concrete. While you cannot nail down a floor into concrete, the interlocking method is an option for concrete slabs. There are various types of glue for securing flooring. Choose the right type of glue for the conditions, such as the possibility of water coming in contact with the floor.

Because the engineered floor is actual wood, you must allow the floor to acclimate itself to the environment. Many manufacturers suggest 47 to 72 hours, especially if the flooring was stored in a location subject to extreme temperatures.

SOLID WOOD FLOORING - this type of flooring would probably be the least installed by a do-it-yourselfer. The main reason for this is the equipment required to install this type of floor.

Since solid flooring can be 3/4" thick, it's the toughest to cut. You're cutting through full thickness hardwood. Solid wood flooring is installed using a pneumatic nailer. There are actually two types of nailers that you can use. One is a manual nailer, where the force of the mallet striking the gun causes the nail to go in. A pneumatic nailer is powered by air. By striking the gun with a mallet, you are pushing the joint tight and the nail is sent into the tongue and into the sub-floor.

Solid wood flooring must be allowed to acclimate itself to the environment it's being installed in. Failure to do this will cause problems with the wood cupping and/or the seams opening up.

Back to: Types of Floors