Hi all,
I got a killer deal on engineered hardwood at a Habitat for Humanity's Restore. However, it doesn't come with any kind of information, and I'm trying to figure out the best way to install. I've been told that because the planks are so narrow, it needs to be glued down and I've also been told that it can be installed as a floating floor and there won't be any problems.

The planks are 7mm (2 3/4") wide, and 90mm (35 1/2") long. The depth of the plank is about 1mm (1/4"). The planks don't 'click' together, but they do connect pretty tightly. The subfoor is concrete and level enough so that only minimal leveling compound would be needed. I have about 600 SF to install.

I'd rather do a floating install, since I hope to do the work myself and am not certain I could manage glueing it down. On the other hand, I don't want it coming up almost as soon as I get it down. I would appreciate any advice.

Thank you.
Dia

 

Welcome to the forums Dia!

I don't know much about those types of flooring but those who do will likely want to know what brand/line of flooring you bought.

 

Those are pretty narrow slats of engineered. I would test the click lock mechanism and see if it is reliable. If not, then a floating, glue to each other (not the floor) may be in order. Surely, you have at least a brand name that you can Google the recommended install options.

 

At 1/4", it isn't engineered flooring, but laminate. A picture of the flooring and other info as Marksr indicated would help us a lot.

 

Hi all,

Thanks for everyone's comments.

First, I don't have much information. The flooring came in boxes, and the boxes have "Pink Wash" and "AGrade" on them, along with what I assume are lot numbers or something. The people at Restore don't know what brand this floor is, or where it came from (they originally got around 10,000 SF). When I bought it, the store clerk told me that it needed to be glued down but a handyman/contractor type said it was a floating floor. When I asked the clerk about this, she said she didn't know but that they were telling people it needed to be glued down because the planks were so narrow. I've also taken a few slats to a local flooring store and was told it was a floating floor. This guy also identified it as laminate, though he did acknowledge the real wood on the top layer. Here's the ad for the flooring, including pics: http://www.habitatgv.ca/page.aspx?pageId=15 (8th item down the page)

I will post more detailed pics over the next couple of days.

Cizzi, when the planks connect, they seem pretty tight though I can't say they 'click', and also I've already noticed that some planks connect better than others. Are there any hints about how to adequately test them? Gluing between them had already occurred to me, too.

Chandler, the top layer is real wood so isn't that what engineered flooring is - laminate with a top layer of wood? The store expert also called it a laminate, though, so maybe there's something here that I'm missing.

It's a given that this flooring is pretty low-end, however I'm currently living on concrete with very little extra money so even if this flooring lasts only a few years, I'll be happy enough. Perhaps I should install as a floating floor regardless, since that would make replacement much easier. If I picked up an extra couple of boxes, I would also be able to replace any planks that might come up.

So much to consider!

Dia

 

Never seen real wood on top of laminate. It is usually MDF with a picture of wood coated with aluminum oxide. If it doesn't click lock, then to make it a floating floor, you will need to glue each tongue to the adjacent groove and wipe it clean. Very time consuming and nasty if you fail to clean it really good as you go. It will not stay together on it's own.

 

I think that you can say that it is "laminated" in that there are several different layers which is different from laminate which is a specific type of product. Obviously the floor is a hit if thousands of SF ended up at Habitat Restore. It means that many problems were likely and it was dumped to save the warranty issues. Given that, I would probably glue to each other and float over a sound deadening vapor barrier. As Larry mentioned, it is tedious, but if you take your time, you can get into a rhythm and it progresses steadily. Just clean as you go, don't over do it on the glue. Use Specific glue designed for laminate floors. Apply glue to the underside of the lock mechanism to prevent spread through to the top layer and tape the boards together as you go to give the glue time to set up (stretch blue tape across each of 5 rows at a time).