Posted: 2/5/2010 12:40:08 PM EDT
| Can someone explain Engineered flooring. |
| It's engineered for stability. Instead of a solid piece of wood that is subject to shrinking, expanding, warping, etc, it uses plywood that is dimensionally stable. Then the area starting just above the tongue/grove section is hardwood. This way you still have the look of real hardwood (because it is hardwood) and the ability to sand and refinish. Yet you have the stability of plywood which is good when dealing with variable moisture. They are great if you are using radiant floor heat. The ones I have used can be glued or installed with a floor nailer just like hardwood. |
|
Engineered wood will still expand and contract, it IS wood, after all. I say this because I have had two houses with engineered glue-down product. If you don't keep the temperature and humidity stable in the house, the wood will expand and contract enough to separate from the glue, causing a hollow sound. In certain applications, an engineered product is a great product.
In AZ, between dry summers and winters, and running a high humidity swamp cooler, I have had most of my floor fail. I did this in my small office as a test case. It still looks good, but is hollow over a good portion. I did one small room to test, because most installers throw it in and forget it a minute after the warranty expires, without ever seeing the long term results. This happened progressively about 3-4 years after install, using the recommended bonding products and notched trowel, installed by an experienced installer (me). I used a mid-high grade engineered product. A clue to this effect is in the directions. It says to allow the product to stabilize by removing boxes from the stacks, opening them, and allowing them to sit for a certain time period prior to installation. I did this. Most of my house is porcelain tile. The remaining room to complete the remodel will be carpeted, rather than wood.. 
|
|
Quoted:
Sounds like you are talking about extreme moisture swings. Overall it is far more stable than solid wood floors. Some moisture swings are greater than first realized, such as a humid environment with much of the moisture removed by the air conditioning. Just saying, do your homework. 
|
|
Quoted:
Quoted:
Sounds like you are talking about extreme moisture swings. Overall it is far more stable than solid wood floors. Some moisture swings are greater than first realized, such as a humid environment with much of the moisture removed by the air conditioning. Just saying, do your homework.
I have done my homework. My screen name should be an indicator of what I do for a living. Are you saying that engineered flooring is not more stable than solid wood? |
|
OK GUYS,,,Now I`m confused. I`m building a VERY NICE home in a high heat/high humidity area. We have selected what I believe to be a high grade hand scraped engineered flooring system. It is 5/8" thick material with at least enough material to re-finish twice over its` lifetime. Please expand on both the "glue" issue and on the "pre-install temp/humidity" stabilization problem. We will installing in a week or so and the temp will be appx. 60f and 50% humidity. Within a few months it will be 100% humidity and 100f outside. It is going directly on the slab with an over kill A/C system to deal with the humidity. All three of the air handling units are in utility areas interior to the home with a fair amount of sun exposure for a few hours each day.
Any insight or experience would help. |
| Normally with any flooring material you want to let it acclimate to the relative humidity of the home. This goes for solid wood, engineered wood, laminate, etc. The flooring should not just be delivered and installed right away. It should be allowed to acclimate for at least 3 days before installation. The humidity of the sub floor should not exceed the recommended humidity of the manufacturer. |
|
Quoted:
what kind of glue did you use wildearp? It can vary from $30 a bucket to over $200 The more expensive the glue generally the more flexible it is Always use the glue and trowel recommended by the manufacturer of the product and make sure they are all on the same receipt. If you can't prove you used the correct glue and trowel, you will have zero warranty. Sure, engineered product is much more stable than solid wood. It is not perfectly stable, it is wood. ACEB36TC: How long has your concrete cured, and is your HVAC fully operational? I have installed cheap linoleum over concrete and then installed the glue down engineered wood on top in areas where the slab was subject to moisture issues. I installed the linoleum shiny side down. |
|
Quoted:
Quoted:
what kind of glue did you use wildearp? It can vary from $30 a bucket to over $200 The more expensive the glue generally the more flexible it is Always use the glue and trowel recommended by the manufacturer of the product and make sure they are all on the same receipt. If you can't prove you used the correct glue and trowel, you will have zero warranty. Sure, engineered product is much more stable than solid wood. It is not perfectly stable, it is wood. ACEB36TC: How long has your concrete cured, and is your HVAC fully operational? I have installed cheap linoleum over concrete and then installed the glue down engineered wood on top in areas where the slab was subject to moisture issues. I installed the linoleum shiny side down. The slab is about 6 months old and the A/C may or may not be on when the floor goes in. We are close to turning the power on to the house. |
| Why are you all talking about gluing engineered flooring down? Most of the manufacturers are using a "floating floor system" with NO glue. You lay down a thin foam underlayment, and install the flooring over the top of it. Keep the flooring 1/4 to 3/8" away from walls, etc. to allow for expansion & contraction. The flooring stays locked together and can move seasonally without issue. I have installed several floors this way, and it works great! Basicly, I'm saying to check the manufacturer specs for the type of flooring you are looking at. Different systems have different specs. Solid hardwood floors are the only flooring systems I know of that should be glued and nailed/stapled to the sub-floor. Good luck with your building projects! |
|
Quoted:
Why are you all talking about gluing engineered flooring down? Most of the manufacturers are using a "floating floor system" with NO glue. You lay down a thin foam underlayment, and install the flooring over the top of it. Keep the flooring 1/4 to 3/8" away from walls, etc. to allow for expansion & contraction. The flooring stays locked together and can move seasonally without issue. I have installed several floors this way, and it works great! Basicly, I'm saying to check the manufacturer specs for the type of flooring you are looking at. Different systems have different specs. Solid hardwood floors are the only flooring systems I know of that should be glued and nailed/stapled to the sub-floor. Good luck with your building projects! Don't confuse all engineered flooring with snap lock laminate flooring. All the engineered flooring I have used is either glued down or nailed down just like solid wood. I'm not a big fan of floating floor systems. |
|
It is not a matter of whether you live in a high humidity envireonment or a low humidity environment. Either one is totally fine. It is the change in humidity that causes trouble for all things wooden.
If you have hot, humid summers and winters are cold enough to require supplemental heating (aren't they all), then you will have some wild swings in humidity. |