Solid Hardwood, Engineered and Laminate Flooring - Novice Needs Help!!! (Installation & Finishing)

I really need to start getting some work done. Do-It-Yourself projects can take a long time to start on when you don't know where to start. I feel I've wasted a lot of time.

I have two projects.

Project 1

From what i understand I don't have the technical experience to install a hardwood floor of my own with nails, staples or cleats. This is very hard and tedious work.

It has been advised that I install Finished snap together floating floor.

I have a plywood subfloor. I'm not sure how thick the plywood is.

Here are my questions:

1) The snap together floor, do i need glue? It is better to glue the floor together or just snap it together and be finished with it? I hear that glue is very messy. But i want something that will last.

2) Must the snap together floor be 3/8 inch? Can it be thicker?

3) Can i get real wood for this snap together floor or is laminate the only option?

I want real wood because all my floors are hardwood. Also, if i get scratches, i can in the future get them refinished. I have nothing against laminate however. I've been told that real wood is better and looks better than laminate.

On the other hand, i've been told taht 3/8 inch wood can't be refinished but once. Both finished wood and laminate will last me about 20 to 30 years. Which makes me want to consider laminate if it is cheaper.

Project 2

My second project involved my already hardwood floors. THEY ARE UNFINISHED.

1) Can a novice sand the floors himself or should i get a professional to do it?

2) Can a novice stain the floors himself or should I get a professional to do it?

3) When it comes to the final finish, should i do this myself or hire someone to do it?

I wanted to do some of the work myself. It cuts down on costs, but also just the idea of learning to work on your own house and NOT feeling handicap is an issue with me.

But i've heard that it can take some 10 days for the chemicals to settle after finishing a floor. So i would like to do what i can first and hire a professional to do the rest. BUt i want a nice floor. I don't want something that looks like a novice did it. It doesn't have to be perfect but nice.

I've had my house for 6 months and i'm having a hard time buying furniture because i haven't even finished my floors yet. They are really holding me up. I've been working on other things of course but getting straightforward information on this is very hard.

Thanks.

1. some manufacturers still require glue, but most have gone to locking designs. Read the directions on ones you are considering.
2. it will be as thick as it is. There is not rule or standard.
3. I have never seen a snap-together system for real wood.

If your floors are already hardwood, what is the issue?? Wood scratches, as does laminates. Solid wood can be sanded many times, engineered wood cannot.

1/2/3 It is possible for a novice to do a quality job, but the odds are against you. Drum sanders are hard to operate and you can destroy a flloor in a heartbeat of inattention. There are new disc sanders that are more homeowner friendly. Read up on the subject before you decide to taclke it yourself. Finishing can be done, FOLLOW DIRECTIONS!!!! But for floor finishes, go to a flooring supplier, not big box.

I suggest you buy/rent some books and dvds, on wood flooring!
Ive rented 2 dvds from netflix on wood floor instalation and one covers refinishing a wood floor.
the more you watch the better because none of the books,dvds cover everything and each one will show you a step the other has not!

I am tiling plus laying lock n fold engineered flooring in my entire home and the two biggest obstacles rite now are making sure the floor is level plus having confidence i can make all the tricky cuts in my house properly!

jacob are you working arounnd a starcase?
this is by far the most tricky part of the job in my opinion and Ireally still havent figured out a way to make that area happen yet, my scenerio is very complex for a novice .

Engineered versus laminate. Laminate has a plastic wear layer and it's durability is entirely dependant on it's construction. The less expensive ones don't have the same protective layers the more expensive ones do. If you go with laminate, look closely at warranties. The better the material, the longer the warranty, the better it will hold up. Engineered wood is real wood. If you look at a piece of hardwood from the edge, you'll see it can only be sanded and refinished down to the groove. Then you start running into fasteners and cutting into the tongue and groove. Engineered woods have a wear layer of whatever species wood is being touted on the top of it and then use a plywood sort of construction for the main body of the planks. The wear layer can be anywhere from very thin to as thick as it would have been had the material been the same thing through out. The thicker the wear layer, the more times it can be sanded and re-finished. For instance, Kahrs Linea has so thin a wear layer that it may as well be laminate. It's too thin to sand, but, it's fairly inexpensive and is real wood. Look at the thickness of the wear layer if you go with engineered wood to make sure you really can sand and finish later. Kahrs is a good brand and has a lock together system that doesn't require glue. They have several styles with enough wear surface thickness. There's also a company out of Colorado Springs that has an engineered floor that looks just like their full hardwoods once it's down, has a good thick wear layer, comes in random lengths and widths, has a couple different edges available, and comes either finished or unfinished. You can find them at craftedwoodflooring.com

Thanks Bill

1. some manufacturers still require glue, but most have gone to locking designs. Read the directions on ones you are considering.
2. it will be as thick as it is. There is not rule or standard.
3. I have never seen a snap-together system for real wood.


So getting the ones without glue is best. With laminate I've very concerned that they will not match the wood i already have in my house. But i guess that same would be true of finished woods if i choose them before i finished the other hardwoods already in the house.

If your floors are already hardwood, what is the issue?? Wood scratches, as does laminates. Solid wood can be sanded many times, engineered wood cannot.


I don't understand your point. I want the floor to last. I don't want it to be an obvious difference between my bedroom where I'm installing the floor adn the rooms around me--especially if it will depreciate teh value of my house.

1/2/3 It is possible for a novice to do a quality job, but the odds are against you. Drum sanders are hard to operate and you can destroy a flloor in a heartbeat of inattention. There are new disc sanders that are more homeowner friendly. Read up on the subject before you decide to taclke it yourself. Finishing can be done, FOLLOW DIRECTIONS!!!! But for floor finishes, go to a flooring supplier, not big box.

I know to stay away from drum sanders. But i hear there are vibrating sanders also taht go back and forth? I hear that disc sanders (those that are circular?) can leave rings. When you say big box, do you mean big stores like Home Depot, Lowes, etc. Go to a small place?

Thanks very much! I do hate to hear that floating floors are not made of real wood, however. I'm assuming that if they do exist, they will be hard to find.

Best wishes.

I must have been responding to your other thread the same time you were initiating this new one on the same subject. You'll get better response results if you stick to the thread you've already got going.

Huh, that was weird. When I responded to this, it led me to believe it was a new thread on the same subject. Now it isn't. Sorry about that. I hope we've cleared up the floating engineered thing. They are definitely available. The ones from crafted wood don't snap together. They are the conventional tongue and groove, but can float any how.

Zimzum, thanks, so you say you got them from netflix? That is an excellent idea. Any other places i can get some dvds?

Was putting in the engineered floor easy other than the cuts? My room is fairly straightforward. It is a rectange and maybe a gas pipe coming out the floor that is no longer in use. I assume i should have little problem cutting the boards. Are you having to use glue?

Oh, yes. I don't have a staircase.

Thanks Zimzum, very much for your suggestions. very helpful.

Smokey, thanks!

So engineered is better than laminate. I'm wondering how much more expensive it is. I don't want to spend much more than maybe two dollars per sq foot. I have other projects to worry about.

Shipping, i presume will be expensive for someting so long and heavy.

I understand the concept of a thick wear layer, i just don't know how to tell how thick it is and how thick it should be.

You say: "They are the conventional tongue and groove, but can float any how."

I'm not exactly sure i understand. Are you saying they are made to be nailed down, but you could float them if you wanted to?

Thanks!

The majority of the engineered products I'm familiar with don't snap together but must be glued. They have the conventional tongue and groove construction. Laminates, when they first came out, were the same way. They were made to be a floating floor, but had to be glued at the tongue and groove joint. It's the same with many of the engineered floors. Some are strictly designed to be fastened down in some manner, but many can be installed as a floating floor by gluing the tongue and groove the same as the old style laminates. Kahrs is the only one I'm aware of that has a snap together engineered wood floor, but that doesn't mean there are no others out there. You'd have to search it out. I didn't say that engineered was better than laminate. A well constructed laminate can be very durable and hold up for years. They are just different products and answer different needs. For instance, if you have a large, young dog that likes to play, engineered is more susceptible to toe nail damage than laminate. But, if you're wanting to match an existing floor, you're more likely to be able to do it with an unfinished engineered and then finish the whole floor at once so it all looks the same. The pros and cons are directly applicable to your needs and one may work for you better than another. My barber has a laminate by Wilsonart that even I had to check closely to determine wasn't wood.

jacob I havent ordered or laid the floor yet, I just actually picked up my tile from home depot today and will tackle that first.
Im getting kahrs linnea series since its the most affortable for me ( im doing 1400 sqft)
Im dealing with some subfloor areas that need leveling, floor grates , stair cases and a fireplace so I really have to search around and dig into books and vids to get these tricky points for a beginner figured out!
If it was not for the steps I would be 100% ready to go.

I just found another site today that you download rite to your pc called totalvid.com and they have a free 1 week trial , so you can get a bunch in for free..

zim

Guys, do you think it matters much that my floors match? This is something I'm still debating.

Only if it matters to you. It won't have a structural effect. It would, however, have an effect if you plan to sell the place down the road.