One of the perks of engineered hardwood flooring is the easy installation methods. In fact, many experienced DIYers can successfully put down their own wood flooring. There are a few installation methods you can try, including floating or gluing down the floor. Which method is best for your home? It depends on your home environment, what kind of subfloor you have, and what you need and want out of your engineered hardwood flooring. As with any other step of the decision-making process, you should consider both options carefully before choosing the one that’s right for you. Weigh the pros and cons of floating vs. glue-down engineered hardwood with this rundown.
Pros and Cons of Floating Wood Flooring
When you install floating wood flooring, you use the flooring’s tongue-and-groove system to click each plank into place. The individual floorboards connect to each other, but you don’t secure them directly to the floor. Instead, the weight of the planks keeps the floor firmly in place. Floating engineered hardwood floors are quick and easy to install, and you don’t have to deal with messy glues or inconvenient drying periods. However, floating floors aren’t always as stable as their glued counterparts. You might experience some shifting or hollow sounds as you walk across the floor, especially in areas with high traffic, such as entryways or living rooms.
Pros and Cons of Glue-Down Wood Flooring
When you use the glue-down method of installing wood flooring, you secure the wooden planks to your subfloor with a bonding agent. To do this, you simply have to spread a thin layer of the adhesive across your subfloor and along the edge of each plank and then slot the boards into place. Many installers and manufacturers prefer the glue-down method because of its superior stability. Gluing down your floor leads to less shifting and creaking, making the engineered hardwood feel and sound more secure. You can also glue down floors on any type of subfloor, even if it’s uneven. That said, gluing down wood flooring is messier and more time-consuming, and it requires a little more skill than installing floating wood floors does.
Comparing floating vs. glue-down engineered hardwood is just one of many details to consider when you’re picking out your new wood flooring. Make every decision the best choice for your home by shopping our collection of light to dark brown engineered wood flooring today at From the Forest.