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Wood Flooring Installation Method
There are several different installation methods used for wood flooring. They include Nail Down / Stapled Installation, Glue Down Installation and Free Floating installation. It is important to understand the different installation methods. This understanding will help guide your overall flooring purchase decision.
Nailed or Stapled
The nail down method is used primarily when installing a solid wood floor. Due to the fact that solid wood floors are usually thicker, they need to be nailed down to ensure that they are securely in place. Solid wood flooring has a tendency to expand and contract a little more than engineered flooring does. As such glue down method is not recommended in case of a solid floor. Also the staple down method has grown in popularity over the recent years due to the advent of engineered wood floors. This installation method is mainly used for engineered plank or strip wood floors over a plywood or wood sub floor.
Glue Down Installation
When installing an engineered strip or plank wood floor over a concrete sub floor, the method most commonly used is the Glue Down Installation. Glue Down installation ensures a very stable and secure installation. It is important to make sure the sub floor is level to obtain best results from a Glue Down Installation.
Free Floating Installation
The free floating installation method is also very secure and stable. In this type of installation method the wood is not attached to the sub floor at all. Hence the name free floating. The free-float installation method is most common with engineered long strip wood floors and laminate floors. It is also sometimes more aesthetically pleasing because there are no gaps visible between the boards.
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