Engineered hardwood typically consists of three or more core layers of hardwood, plywood, or HDF that have been laminated together with high-pressure bonding. This gives the flooring more stability and minimizes the risk of moisture and heat damage. Then a veneer of hardwood is glued on top of this core surface. This is what differentiates engineered hardwood flooring from laminates. The veneer of engineered hardwood contains the natural characteristics of your choice of hardwood.
Do you have questions about installing flooring in your basement? Are you wondering if engineered hardwood flooring is right for your home?
Contact us today to find out more! If you skip this important step, you could face problems later if you need to replace even a single board. Engineered hardwood is sturdier than traditional plank — but surface preparation still matters. For any flooring installation over concrete, you should anticipate potential problems with moisture levels.
Like any wood product, engineered hardwood expands and contracts because of changes in moisture. For that reason, the adhesive you choose depends on the environment and the conditions during installation. You need to be aware of any concrete substrate that has known moisture problems, and remember that new slabs will be high in moisture. If installed with the proper trowel, they both provide the necessary moisture barrier. If you encounter suspected concrete moisture, or you have tested it to confirm moisture, these two products are ideal solutions.
For excessive moisture vapor emission rates, you can choose to use a moisture mitigation system like LiquiDam or LiquiDam EZ prior to installation. Fill any voids or deflections in your substrate with a cementitious patch, like TEC Fast-Set Deep Patch , or a self-leveling underlayment.
Often no fixes are available. Rain water that seeps through the foundation etc. With solid hardwood being ruled out because of the adverse effect it has with high moisture content, a safer alternative is an engineered strip floor that can be glued to the concrete, providing all concerns with moisture are addressed.
Another alternative would be an unfinished engineered that can be sanded and finished on site. Floating floors are probably best suited for installations in basements, providing proper moisture barriers are used.
Damage incurred in basements with moisture problems are generally from moisture seeping in from below the subfloor or through walls. If any glue squeezes out of the seams, allow it to dry for 10 to 15 minutes and then lightly scrape it away with a plastic scraper or putty knife, any glue left can be cleaned with a damp cloth.
Apply glue on the spline and insert it into the groove. After letting it dry, then you can proceed gluing the rest of the floor boards in the opposition direction to the wall in exactly the same way as before!
The install goes very fast until you get to obstructions like the drain pipe in the laundry room and around the stairs. Hubs used a square to measure and mark the board so we could cut a circle out for the pipe. It can save time and materials in the end. This picture also reminds me just how hard Hubs worked on our basement.
He dropped so much weight throughout the construction, he practically disappears behind the board!!! We extended the spline once again into the next room so we could again lay the floor towards the walls in both the mancave and stairs in opposite directions. When it was time to do the stairs, there was a lot of measuring and back and forth, to and from the chop saw. The finishes on engineered floors are so durable these days. I can roll my dress form right over them without worrying about scratches.
It was so exciting to finally load in the furniture and make the rooms functional. This is the view from my sewing room looking into the craft studio. The finished mancave :. And finally, the laundry room :. See what happened when we sprang a leak here.
Thanks Kim! We have also put down the same kind of flooring in kitchen, dinning room and just finished the Livingroom floor, love, love, love it! What also caught my eye is the old sewing machine iron frame. Thanks for sharing. But your instructions are so easy to follow, we may just have to rethink getting us some. Engineered wood is a great product; it looks as beautiful as real wood because it is!
You might also consider luxury vinyl. These days LVT looks almost as good as the real thing. If the technology and selection was as good then as it is now, we would have chosen that instead!
Thank you Anita! What a difference!
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