Installation
Yes, you can install solid wood boards on a concrete slab. As 3/4” boards must be nailed and not glued, you must first install a wood subfloor (plywood or OSB panels).
Do not use particleboard as it does not hold fasteners well. Plywood or OSB panels are recommended for nail installations. If your subfloor is particleboard, it is recommended that you cover it with plywood panels at least 5/8″ thick.
No, construction paper makes it harder for moisture to penetrate between the floor and subfloor, but does not serve as a vapor barrier. However, using it between the floor and subfloor can reduce mechanical friction and help stop creaking.
Installing floorboards in the same direction as joists is not recommended as joist movement can cause spaces to form between boards. If boards cannot be installed perpendicular to joists, add 1/2” plywood panels to the existing subfloor, making sure you stagger the joints of the two subfloors.
Yes, you can install a 3/4” or 9/16” solid wood floor over a radiant heating system, provided you know how the latter works and how it may react to flooring. Solid wood floors installed over such a system must meet certain specifications and recommendations.
Both solid and engineered floors are made using real wood so it depends on where
you want to install it. Both are environmentally friendly.
Solid Wood Floor
A solid piece of wood from top to bottom. The thickness can vary, but generally ranges from 3/4” to 5/16”. Solid wood can be used in any room above ground. Solid wood flooring can be sanded and refinished many times which make them ideal in family/living rooms, dining rooms, bedrooms, and even kitchens and powder rooms.
Engineered Wood Flooring
Engineered wood floors are real wood floors that are manufactured using multiple layers of wood veneers. One benefit of engineered wood flooring is that the wood will expand and contract less than solid wood flooring during fluctuations in humidity and temperature.
Engineered floors can be nailed or stapled to a wood subfloor, or glued down to a wood subfloor or concrete slab. This makes engineered wood floors ideal for slab and basement installations, but they can be used in any room.
Both solid and engineered floors are made using real wood so it depends on where
you want to install it. Both are environmentally friendly.
Solid Wood Floor
A solid piece of wood from top to bottom. The thickness can vary, but generally ranges from 3/4” to 5/16”. Solid wood can be used in any room above ground. Solid wood flooring can be sanded and refinished many times which make them ideal in family/living rooms, dining rooms, bedrooms, and even kitchens and powder rooms.
Engineered Wood Flooring
Engineered wood floors are real wood floors that are manufactured using multiple layers of wood veneers. One benefit of engineered wood flooring is that the wood will expand and contract less than solid wood flooring during fluctuations in humidity and temperature.
Engineered floors can be nailed or stapled to a wood subfloor, or glued down to a wood subfloor or concrete slab. This makes engineered wood floors ideal for slab and basement installations, but they can be used in any room.
That depends. Site-finished floors will take longer to install than factory-finished floors since the finish needs to be applied, and dry, on site.
Depending on the type of finish used, you can expect that there will be multiple coats applied, and that each coat will need to be sanded before the next coat is applied, and also will need to dry thoroughly before the floor can be walked on. In addition, all wood flooring, whether job-site finished or factory-finished, will need to be delivered to the job site and allowed to acclimate for a period of time before the installation can
begin. This can take several days depending on the material being used.
This is a very important part of the installation process because the wood must reach equilibrium moisture content (EMC) with the job site conditions to ensure a long-lasting, high-quality installation.
Installing wood floors is a lot more complicated than painting your walls or replacing the hardware on your kitchen cabinets.
First of all, you will be spending several thousand dollars on material alone, so if you damage it, it’s not as easy as buying another $30 gallon of paint or $200 of hardware and starting over again. Plus, wood flooring requires special tools that you will likely have to rent and will have little experience using.
More importantly, however, you will need to make sure the room you’re working in is flat, that the subfloor material will work for wood flooring, and that no moisture issues are present that will damage the wood long-term. Testing for moisture requires special tools as well, and you must test both the subfloor and the flooring to ensure a successful installation.
In addition, you will need to know how to center the room, how much space should be left for expansion gaps, how to work around obstructions like closets, fireplaces, bay windows, staircases, and cabinets, and if you make cutting mistakes, you may end up running short on your material and not have enough to finish the job.
In some cases, you may not be able to exactly match the lot, much like running short of paint sometimes results in a slight color difference when mixing a new gallon.
The bottom line is that installing wood floors is not recommended as a DIY project. In the long run, you will save money and time by using a professional.