How are Hardwood Floors Installed?
Nail Down or Staple Down – Typically used with the 3/4″ solid products. Solid Strip floors or Plank floors can only be installed on wooden subfloors or sleepers on or above grade. 1″ to 2″ inch staples or nailing cleats are used to attach the wood flooring to the subfloor. A pneumatic gun is used to drive the staple into the wood flooring and subfloor.
Glue Down – The recommended mastic or adhesive is spread on with the proper sized trowel to adhere the wood flooring to the subfloor. It is not recommended to glue down 3/4″ solid.
Engineered and Parquet Floors – Engineered wood floors can be glued, nailed or stapled; parquets can only be glued down. There are many types of adhesives on the market. We use the manufacturers recommended adhesive when installing their flooring.
Floating – With the floating installation method the floor is not mechanically fastened to any part of the subfloor. There is a 1/8 inch thick pad that is placed between the wood flooring and the subfloor. 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, softer under foot, and provides for some additional “R” value. Some Engineered floors and all Longstrip floors can be floated. This is a very fast, easy and clean method of installation.
