You'll need the following items:
- Hardwood Floor (of course)
- Spacers and Board Puller (May be purchased in a kit)
- Hardwood Floor Glue
- Hammer
- Jigsaw (with Finished Wood Blades)
- Measuring Tape
- Moisture Barrier
- T-Square
- Wet washcloth
- Tape
- Cutter
- Pencil
- OPTIONAL - Quarter Round or Cove Molding
When I set out to replace carpet in 4 rooms in my house with engineered hardwood floor I started seeking advice. Family, friends, and Home Depot were all I needed. But what I did have to do was sort out the conflicting advice I received. There's probably other ways to do this, but I've found this way to be the easiest and quickest while not sacrificing quality.
Preparation
Failure to prepare for this properly will result in flooring that simply fails. It will ruin too quickly, or never really work.
When you're preparing your floor for installation, you need to decide how you want your trim to look. If you like the flush look, you can (carefully) remove your trim and reinstall it. If you like, or don't otherwise mind the added on look, you can purchase and install additional molding (quarter round, cove, or whatever you like.) In your local home improvement store, Home Depot, Lowe's you will be able to see what the trim looks like installed.
I personally like the flush look so I used my board puller to remove my trim. Worked pretty well, only a couple of broken pieces - it can be repaired with wood glue.
There should be no nails or obstructions in your way. Make your concrete floor as clean as possible.
If you're installing on top of concrete, your biggest enemy is moisture. When I removed my trim and carpet, I was shocked to see that I had some moisture seepage that had even started to mold in some places. If this happens to you, you need to eliminate that moisture source before installation. If you don't - your wood will absorb that moisture - and eventually rot.
I noticed a crack outside of my home, which I filled with silicone caulk and painted with waterproofing paint.
Installation
You'll want to install a moisture barrier which will help keep your floor dry. I bought a “Two in One” roll that gives you padding, while blocking out moisture. It installs pretty easily.
Tape it on the wall! Seems strange, but you'll want to tape it about 4 inches up along the perimeter of the room. After you install your floor and trim, you'll trim it back with a knife. It does NOT install like carpet pad. Tape up your seams until the entire floor is covered in your foam.
We will be using the “floating floor” method. It means that your floor is never attached to the ground. The weight of the floor glued together and the trim holds it down. Install it in the direction of the longest wall in the room, it will save you cuts and it looks better.
Take a ¼” spacer and place it against the wall and start from a corner. Use the spacers along the wall to ensure you keep the right distance away. Wood contracts and expands, so that explains why you must keep a short space there. The trim will cover this space.
There's your first piece. That's the easiest by far. Take your next piece and glue where it meets with your first piece. Some glue may come up the seam; use a wet washcloth to wipe it. This process continues until you hit a wall.
Measure the distance - making sure to accommodate for your ¼” space and the interlocking nature of the boards. Don't make the cut just yet. You want to prepare for your next row. You don't want to have all your boards running parallel to each other, so you will need to cut a board in half. Measure, and mark and use the t-square to get a straight line to cut your half board. Take your half board and install it into the next row, using a spacer accordingly. You will need a bunch of these.
Go up your second row until you hit a wall. Use your hammer and board puller constantly to make sure the boards are pulled together tightly. Measure that distance and you will have both of the distances you will need. Make those cuts with your jigsaw and check them out to make sure they're the perfect length.
It's essentially rinse and repeat from there. Your jigsaw will help you get through the tricky spots, like closets and door jambs. My advice is to make as many cuts at a time as possible. This will greatly increase your installation speed.
Once your floor is installed, replace your trim and enjoy!
Here's some additional advice I picked up along the way:
- You cannot use a traditional mop on engineered hardwood. The water will cause the wood to rot.
- Water is the absolute enemy and must be cleaned up as quickly as possible - especially pet urine
- The floor has small seams and does not need to be waterproofed. It also will be destroyed if you attempt to with polyurethane or any other type.
- If you have any big seams, seal them with silicone and wipe away excess
