Hardwood floor installation can be difficult for a novice. Read below to see the most commonly used techniques for hardwood flooring installation appropriate for products appearing on FloorMall.com.
Nail Down Hardwood Flooring Installation
This is most commonly used when installing ¾ inch solid wood floors. However there are adapters available for thinner floors as well. 2 inch nailing cleats are used with a wood flooring nailer and mallet to attach the hardwood flooring to the subfloor. Solid strip floors or plank floors can only be installed on wooden sub-floors on grade or above grade.
Staple Down Hardwood Flooring Installation
For this method, staples are used instead of nailing cleats to fasten the hardwood flooring to the wood subfloor. A pneumatic staple gun is used to drive the staples into the tongue of the wood planks and into the wood subfloor underneath. The staple down installation procedure is less complicated than the nail down for DIY installations. Be aware, not every hardwood flooring company recommends the same size staple or appropriate staple gun. Read the manufacturers installation manual to be sure you are using the right type of staple gun and right size staples for your hardwood flooring installation.
Glue Down Hardwood Flooring Installation
In this process, the hardwood flooring installer glues the wood planks directly to the subfloor. The recommended adhesive is spread onto the subfloor using an appropriate notched trowel. The flooring planks are then set into the adhesive. Glue down hardwood floor installation of engineered wood floors can be accomplished on sub-floors and dry, fully cured concrete slabs.
It is important that the installer use the manufacturer′s recommended adhesive with the appropriate notched trowel when gluing down a hardwood floor. You do not want to void any warranties you might have with your hardwood flooring product by not using the manufacturer′s recommended adhesive and trowel size.
Glueless Hardwood Flooring Installation
Recently hardwood flooring manufacturers including Kahrs, Award and Mohawk, have introduced engineered wood floors with a special glueless prefinished locking system, much like the clic laminate floors. These floors can be installed over a range of sub-floors such as wood, concrete slabs and even some types of existing floors. These are relatively simple to install and may offer the best option for a DIY installer.
Floating Hardwood Floor Installation
With the floating installation method the floor is not mechanically fastened to any part of the subfloor. There is a thin pad that is placed between the wood flooring and the subfloor. A recommended wood glue is applied in the tongue and groove of each plank to hold the planks together. The padding protects against moisture, reduces noise transmission and makes the floor softer under foot. Some engineered floors and all longstrip floors can be floated. This is a very fast, easy and clean method of installation. Please consult the manufacturer installation instructions to see if your flooring can be floated. Most glueless hardwood flooring installations can be floated.
is it best to glue OR nail down a wood floor that I want to put on a second story house that has a wood sub flooring.
nail or glue down ??? pros or cons.
Ken,
Thank you for your question.
Anytime you have the option to nail down a floor you should do so.
This is the best option for your second floor.
Hope this helps.
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