Like unfinished hardwood floors the prefinished types typically have tongue and groove edges on all sides.
How to lay real wood click flooring.
Starting a 1 4 away from the wall will allow the wood to expand and contract.
Then place a 5 16 inch spacer against the wall that s furthest from the door to give the wood floor enough room to expand without cracking.
Installing click together flooring or click lock hardwood flooring is an easy way to get a wood look floor without forking out the big bucks.
Put the first board up against the mason s line with the groove side facing away from the walls.
While all wood floors expand and contract due to changes in temperature and humidity engineered hardwood is more stable than solid wood floors because of the way it s constructed.
They are available in 3 4 inch thickness as well as low profile styles that are 5 16 to 5 8 inch thick which are a good or installing over existing flooring.
Here s how to install click lock engineered hardwood flooring.
Solid wood floors should not be installed in basements or below grade.
Laying a solid hardwood strip floor is easier and faster if you choose a prefinished product to avoid the extra work of sanding staining and finishing.
As with so many other do it yourself jobs careful.
Engineered hardwood is made up of layers of real hardwood and high.
I talk more about why i chose engineered hardwood in this post.
Use 1 2 inch spacers to assist in maintaining the 1 2 inch expansion gap between the first row of flooring planks and the wall.
When you are laying a solid timber floor it is best to lay it using a fixed method as opposed to floating commonly used for engineered boards.
Install click flooring thanks to click together flooring it s easier than ever for homeowners to put engineered hardwood underfoot.
How to install veneer flooring carter oosterhouse shows how to install walnut veneer tongue and groove flooring.
Afterwards lay down your flooring and cut the last piece in the row to make it fit minus 5 16 of an inch to account for the spacer.
This is because solid wood flooring has a higher tendency towards movement and needs to be fixed to the subfloor to avoid problems in the future.