Engineered wood flooring is a modern, attractive and innovative type of flooring, that resembles solid wood flooring so closely only a professional can tell them apart. However, when it comes to laying such floors, many of the measures you will need to take follow the same commonsense approaches you should take with any kind of flooring. As long as these are carried out correctly, you will be able to get your new floor in place and not just looking good to start with, but set up to remain so.
One of the first actions you should take is to check the subfloor. Firstly, it should be even and if it is not, you need to take action. In some cases, a slight unevenness can be eased out by the right sort of flooring underlay, but usually remedial work will be needed on the underfloor itself. This can include getting a product from our accessories range to smooth out concrete floors in order to level them up. If you did not do this, the floor could be destabilised.
The type of underfloor is also important. If it is wood, a moisture-proof underlay may not be needed, whereas on a concrete one it will. However, the sort of underlay may also be dictated by the question of whether you have underfloor heating. If this is the case then you are undoubtedly choosing the right sort of floor due to the greater stability of engineered products. But we would also advise that you use the Tuplex underlay for this, as it does not use a simple barrier to keep out the damp and this also means it allows warm air to pass through, thus making sure you do not block off the warmth.
Engineered floors come with installation systems like tongue and groove or click-system assembly. The good news is that these are easy to put together, do not require a lot of experience or adhesive and can be accomplished simply by following the manufacturer's instructions.
As the floor is made of wood and is thus prone to expansion due to changes in heat and humidity, it is important at first to place the planks in the room where they will be laid, to allow the product to adjust to the immediate microclimate, which may differ from the storage area where it has been kept up to that point. When laying the floors, a 10 mm gap should also be left at the edges of the walls and the door to allow for this expansion. Without this the floor could cup, crown or buckle when it expands.
To finish off these edges and give it a neat, professional look, you can fit scotia, beading or skirting boards to the walls to cover over the gap, while at the doorway this can be hidden by the door profile. We sell plenty of such products that are suitable for engineered floors.
By following these measures, you should avoid the pitfalls involved in laying your engineered floor and be able to enjoy many years of good service from the product as a result.
