Faq Types of installation Care and Maintenance

Depending on the type of flooring, type of subfloor, location and other factors, flooring can be: 1. Nail/staple down - it can only be done when flooring is installed on a wood subfloor. each row of flooring is stapled or nailed on the tongue side(also caled blind nailing). Starter and finishing rows cannot be blind nailed, therefore will be face-nailed(on top). The direction of installation must be perpendicular(or at an angle) to that of the framing joists to avoid weaving over time. Solid and engineered floors can be installed using this method. (NOT laminate) 2.Glue down - flooring is glued to the subfloor using quality flooring adhesive. Mostly used on concrete subfloors. The direction of the flooring is not important using this type of installation. Subfloor must be free of any grease or oil-type of substances. Also, any low spots or dips in the subfloor must be leveled using leveling compounds. This procedure is not included in the regular installation price. Skipping this step might void the manufacturer's warranty . Some variation can be allowed as long as it does not influence the quality of the final product or the integrity of the installation. Solid and engineered floors can be installed using this method.(NOT laminate) 3. Floating - this method is used mostly for laminate flooring. The boards/planks are not attached in any way to the subfloor. An underlayment is layed between the flooring and the subfloor, to serve as a cushion and to act as a sound and moisture barrier. Additional moisture barriers(plastic or trowel-spread membrane) can be used for projects with higher risk of moisture problems. In recent years, manufacturers developed certain engineered hardwood that can also be floated(in addition to nail or glue methods). All floating floors present a specific type of tongue and groove system("Click" or "Snap"). For some types of flooring, glue must be applied in the groove of each row, so that the flooring is attached to itself rather than the subfloor. Laminate and some engineered floors can be installed using this method.(NOT solid)