Wood flooring alone is a multi-billion dollar industry, showing how much people value things like an engineered hardwood floor for their homes.
Installing wood floors can transform any property, but few homeowners know about the process. If you do know, you can save both time and money while making your home more attractive.
To help you, we’ll go over all the main info you should know about floor installation so you can start at any time.
Here’s how to install an engineered hardwood floor.
Acquire Materials
When it comes to installing an engineered hardwood floor, the first thing you must do is acquire the necessary materials. Fortunately, installing one of these floors doesn’t require much.
The main things you’ll need are wood, tape, and glue. You should also wear eye protection to avoid any issues when laying the planks.
If your local hardware store sells planks in open boxes, be sure to get them from several. This will help you avoid patches of color when installing the planks as their color varies in each batch.
Aside from that, consider getting a waterproof sealer to protect your floor from water damage. This will help you save a ton of money if you don’t have insurance. You can use a flood insurance cost calculator to help you get a better idea of how much you’d need to spend.
Install the First Row
After getting the materials, the next thing to do is install the first row of planks. Wood floors are simple to install in that all you must do is keep the tongue facing the center.
Before placing the planks, put painter’s tape on your baseboards. From there, you can apply wood glue to the ends of the planks to make a stable foundation for other rows.
If your planks have a click-lock design, you won’t need to use glue. However, many wood floors are tongue-and-groove, which require much more attention to detail. Because of this, you should get click-lock engineered wood if you’d like to get through the process as quickly as possible.
Place Additional Rows and Transitions
When you’ve placed the first row, you can begin adding the other rows by applying wood glue to their seams. Carefully connect the pieces, tapping them together and to the subfloor. As soon as you see glue squeeze through the boards, wipe it away to avoid stains.
When installing the planks across different rooms, use transition pieces to avoid leaving large gaps. These transition pieces will make your floors look much nicer, especially if your hardwood flooring is next to carpet.
Now You’re Ready to Install an Engineered Hardwood Floor
As you can see, floor replacement is simple to understand when you know which steps to go through. Now that you have this info, consider installing an engineered hardwood floor to drastically change the way your home looks.
Keep in mind that you should start the process by gathering the right materials. Be sure to choose between click-lock and tongue-and-groove planks, then you’ll have no problem getting the right products.
For more floor installation advice, take a look at our other articles.
