Hi, We are planning to get Engineered Hardwood in our home (Family and bedrooms). I was wondering if glue or nails is the way to go. Both areas have sub floors. I have read that Engg Hardwood floors may be more noisy. How can we prevent that.Thank you
float it. use a good underlayment
Before putting the floor down go over the sub floor and nail down any loose boards or anywhere it squeaks. There is a special padding that goes down then you install the new floor on top. You do not nail or glue it as it needs to float a bit.
engineered hard wood is a ply board with a top layer of the hard wood you want ( example oak) this is much cheaper than solid hard wood and has the same look and feel but with less warping and reaction to moisture it can be fixed down or used as a floating floor the fixings will depend on witch type of floor you ar laying nails ar a quick and cost effective way of fixing a floor provided you use the correct sort (use of a floor fixing tool) a floating floor (one that is not fixed to the sub floor ) can be nosier than a fixed floor but the use of a Quality underlay would stop this
Of course fix any sub floor squeaks first. This is the main cause of all floor noise. The absolute best is the nail ( actually a staple) on the thinner engineered floors such as 5/16 and 3/8 thick flooring and glue. But to do either or, do glue since most noise caused by wood floors is nails( staples) working loose over the years. Glue needs no under layment and you must install either a felt or red rosin paper according to manufacturers spec if you go the nail down route. Any questions you can e mail me through my avatar. GL
