Q: We plan to install about 600 sq ft of engineered wood floor over in 5 areas, all interconnected.
Are we better off using a floating system, or nail down? We would like some advice prior to selecting our floor.
The rooms connected include: Entryway, kitchen, family room, bathroom, and hallway.
Thanks
Rick
A: The “best” choice here is going to be mostly dependent on you. If you want to ensure you have a continuous, flowing floor in your home, then you will want to nail-down the floor. You may want to use a t-mold in doors here and there, but it is not necessary as long as you leave a proper expansion gap around the edge of the floor, especially in halls and doorways. Nail-down will take a bit more work and some careful planning to ensure the floor flows smoothly from room to room and remains straight (use plenty of chalk lines to make sure).
A floating installation will be much easier from a planning and work stand point, but you will be required to put transitions in at each room transition or doorway. This ensures that proper expansion gaps are maintained as the floor changes dimensions from room to room.
My suggestion here would be to take the time and do a good nail-down installation. Take the time to plan out the floor, dry fit boards in place to ensure everything will be straight and that your cuts are proper before anchoring planks in place. Also keep in mind that since this is an engineered floor you will most likely need to use staples rather than nails, but the methodology and techniques are exactly the same.
