Acclimation
All wood and/or Laminate flooring requires an "Acclimation" period prior to installation. This is a time during which the flooring materials will be placed in the building in which it is to be installed and allowed to adjust to the moisture level of the building. Acclimation periods normally range between 10 and 14 days, however longer time may be required for certain wood types. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Moisture / Vapor Barriers Moisture / vapor barriers are extremely important when installing any type of hardwood or laminate flooring. Types of moisture barriers include roofing felt, plastic, foam or other products manufactured specifically for this application. In some instances, a spreadable moisture barrier (MVP) may be required when installing a gluedown floor over concrete. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Naildown This installation method is most often used when installing solid wood flooring. Nailing may also be used to install some engineered flooring* During naildown, nails or staples are driven, at an angle, through the tongue portion of each individual board. In some cases, such as with characteristic / antique flooring, you may choose to have exposed "cut nails" driven directly through the face of the boards. * The tongue portion of the engineered flooring must be substantial enough to accept nails or staples. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Gluedown This method is generally used when installing an engineered floor over a concrete sub-floor. An adhesive, manufactured specifically for this type of installation, is spread over the sub-floor with a notched trowel, then the flooring is laid over the adhesive. Since solid wood flooring has a tendency to expand and contract, it is highly recommended that it NOT be installed using the gluedown method. If done correctly, the gluedown method is very stable, but problems may be encountered if there is unevenness in the sub-floor and/or if the sub-floor is not thoroughly cleaned. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Floating Floating installations are used in conjunction with Laminate and/or Engineered flooring, in which the flooring materials are not attached to the sub-floor by any means. An underlayment material (foam, plastic or other material) is placed over the sub-floor and then the Laminate pieces are installed by locking the individual pieces together with their specific mating methods. |