subject: Four Choices Of Hardwood Floor Installation [print this page] Four Choices Of Hardwood Floor Installation
A hardwood flooring installation is completed with one of four approaches typically. Often, the firm who sold the floor has a professional installer put it down for an additional fee. Installation could be included in the total price though. Others hire professionals. Sometimes, an experienced renovator will do the job themselves. The goal is to have a floor that feels solid that looks good when the job is done.Generally, the four usual methods of attaching the hardwood to the sub flooring are nailing, stapling, gluing or floating. They require different skill levels and produce somewhat different results. Knowing your own limitations, understanding what each method involves and considering your priorities can help you make the choice that is best for you.Nailing planks to the sub floor is the most traditional way to install your floor. One nail is hammered in ever six to eight inches or so. This takes a strong back, as well as strong arms. A pneumatic nail gun can be used for the harder species of wood planks. Typically, nailing hardwoods is a big job and a choice best left to professional installers.Pneumatic staplers are a recent renovation. They appeared in the past twenty years and sometimes they attach the floor so securely that homeowners later mention the floors squeak. One important point to consider when weighing nailing as an option is the shape the sub flooring is in. If it isn't good, then the staples may work themselves out over time.The third method is gluing. Generally, hardwoods are glued on concrete flooring when the building does not have a basement. This is the messiest type of installation and the most prone to failure. Reasons that gluing may not take include improper adhesive choice, incorrect amount of adhesive or insufficient preparation of the floor. For these reasons, it might be a good idea to leave gluing hardwood flooring to professional installers. Though when done correctly, glued down hardwoods will feel solid, quite like genuine plank flooring.Floating is the easiest method of installing hardwoods. They do not attach to the sub flooring in any way, but are attached to each other instead and laid across the space. Some planks are designed to snapped together. Other types of boards require adhesive. A mat will often be laid over the sub flooring before the floated floor to add insulation and reduce noise.One possible complaint about floating the hardwood floor is that homeowner does not get a solid feeling beneath their feet when walking on it. This is reduced when floors are glued down. Great nailing or stapling jobs create a very solid feeling underfoot. Gluing typically has the highest level of satisfaction.The more complicated pattern of flooring chosen, with selections like herringbone or parquet for example, the more difficult it is to install. Wide boards are quicker than narrow planks, which makes sense if you think about it. The more boards, the more work involved. These are all points to consider when deciding on your hardwood floor installation.
