Do You Need Plastic Between Engineered Hardwood Floors

And then simply install the floating floor on top.

Do you need plastic between engineered hardwood floors.

Underlayments for hardwood floors provide multiple benefits depending on the material that you choose. Hi ryan thanks for the question. Laminate flooring and engineered wood flooring are two obvious choices if you want a flooring that looks like solid hardwood but at a more affordable price. How long will an engineered wood floor last.

If you re installing laminate or engineered flooring that snaps together and floats over the subfloor without nails you need underlayment even more. Depending on the thickness of the veneer that tops the flooring the quality of flooring used and how well you maintain your floors engineered hardwood can last a lifetime. Without this support the boards can buckle when you walk on them and the seams may separate. Engineered flooring is typically between 3 8 to 3 4 thick whereas solid hardwood is 1 2 to 3 4 thick.

Expansion breaks allow heavy floating floors collective and seasonal expansion thereby reducing the occurrence of buckling of the floor. Breaks can be placed in doorways between rooms or hallways and can be hidden or maintained by using basic t type expansion moldings. Plastic foam felt cork and rubber are common choices. Besides all the other benefits underlay helps support a floating floor.

Engineered hardwood toughness challenge engineered hardwood can be refinished two or three times over its lifespan. If you choose to glue down your engineered hardwood flooring using a cork underlayment underneath you would need to glue the cork down securely to the subfloor and then you can glue the. For floating installs you can either float the cork underlayment or you can tack it down to the subfloor. Although laminate may win the laminate vs.

I love engineered hardwood but as with everything else you need to do your homework. If you use one it is no harm but you don t really need it. They offer soundproofing insulation a moisture barrier and added comfort while also helping to level out the subfloor. Some floor installers would say that 2 3 days is enough for the wood floors to acclimate fully.

Both floor coverings were developed as economical and versatile alternatives to that mainstay of flooring material solid hardwood flooring. The felt paper is a good option for hardwood but since you re nailing the hardwood down you do not need a foam underlayment. Engineered hardwood flooring runs 3 to 10 per square foot. You only need to worry about the moisture barrier when it comes to a concrete subfloor so you do not need one in this case.