Engineered wood flooring is a really popular alternative to solid wood and is particularly adaptable thanks to its clever construction. Unlike solid wood, which is made from single planks of solid wood, engineered wood flooring is made up of a sandwich of layers of wood products which are bonded together to create an especially stable flooring board. Thanks to its construction, engineered wood flooring can be used in rooms in the home where solid wood wouldn’t normally be recommended. In rooms such as bathrooms and kitchens, where moisture and temperatures might fluctuate dramatically, engineered wood flooring can provide a great solution.
When it comes to laying engineered wood flooring there are several things to bear in mind:
1. Make sure you take the time to familiarise yourself with the manufacturer’s and supplier’s instructions. While the general fitting methods for engineered wood flooring are broadly similar, it is sometimes the case that certain manufacturers suggest a specific approach for their product and it’s important that you respect those guidelines in order to achieve the best possible result.
2. Make sure your flooring has been acclimatised before fitting. Engineered wood flooring is a natural product and should be allowed to adapt to its new environment before fitting.
3. Because engineered wood expands and contracts with changes in temperature and moisture, it is essential to leave a gap of at least 10mm around the perimeter of your room (for rooms of 6m long or wide or less). If your room is more than 6m long or wide, you should increase the expansion gap to at least 15mm. Leaving this space will protect your floor from the risk of cupping and bowing.
4. Prior to fitting your new floor, you must make sure that your sub-floor is dry. In order to ascertain the moisture content of your subfloor, you should take measurements in various locations. You’ll find more about measuring the moisture in your subfloor here.
5. If you are fitting your new, engineered wood floor over a concrete sub-floor, it’s essential that you make sure your floor is level. If you need to level your floor, you can use a self-leveling product. Equally, if you’re laying your new flooring over a wood sub-floor you need to make sure that the old flooring is level and solid enough to support the new floor. When laying new boards over old, it’s important to lay the new boards perpendicular (at a 90-degree angle) to the old boards. Alternatively, you could introduce a layer of ply.
6. If you are not using a glue-down method of installation for your engineered wood flooring, it’s important to use an appropriate underlay to make sure you get a good end result. Your flooring supplier will be able to guide you on the most appropriate for your project. You may also want to consider using soundproofing underlay if you’re hoping to reduce noise or need to respect the comfort of neighbours.
7. TOP TIPS:
a. When you’re tapping your boards into place, it’s best to use a tapping block and not a piece of wood, to avoid the risk of damage.
b. It’s important to wipe away any glue that leaks from joints with a damp cloth straight away to avoid staining.
c. If you’re planning the installation of a skirting board after fitting your floor, it’s important that the skirting is fixed to the wall only and not the floor to enable the floor to continue to expand and contract.
d. In order to protect your floor from the risk of damage in a renovation project, make sure it’s the last job you do.
