How to Glue Engineered Hardwood Floors

Gluing engineered hardwood floors is not a difficult job. If you take your time and have everything ready, you should be able to lay a room in a day. Don't skimp on adhesive, buy a good hardwood floor glue.

Remove the Baseboards

Remove your baseboards as they will not usually be the right height to slide the new floor. Make a chalk line on the floor 31 inches from, and parallel to the longest wall (across the floor beams). Pre-sort the boards according to color according to your likes. You may need to trim the door casing if it will not swing easily over the new floorboards.

If you are installing your engineered floor over tiles, use a grinder or sander to smooth down the surface of the tiles and allow the glue to adhere to them. Sweep or mop up any dirt before filling in any holes or gaps. Vacuum any dust. If you are starting with a linoleum floor, remove the linoleum first.

Nail Down a Straight Edge

Take a straight-edged piece of plywood and nail it into place along the chalk line, on the inside of the line.

Spread the Glue

Trowel glue on a 20-inch strip according to the directions on the adhesive can, using the trowel. Don't spread more glue than you can cover within the open time of the glue or there will be a poor bond. It is better to do smaller areas at a time. If you get glue on your fingers, clean them immediately with solvent or you could get stuck to the wood. It will not come off easily when it has dried.

Glue Down the Boards

Kneeling in the 31-inch area, line up the tongues of the boards against the straight edge. Working from left to right, press the board into the glue. Before you use each piece, discard any ones that are warped or you are not happy with. If necessary, tap the boards into place with a rubber mallet. Make sure you only glue the bottom of the boards, the boards will not fit tightly if the grooves are filled with glue. Don't line up two end splices at the same place, they should be 6 inches apart. Cut the pieces at the end using the miter saw.

Fill the Original Gap

When you have finished the main section, remove the original straight edge and install the flooring to fill the gap. You will now be fitting groove into your tongue instead of the other way round as you work in the opposite direction.

Roll the Floor

There should be a rolling weight value on the adhesive can. It will probably be around 100 pounds. Don't let the glue get too dry before you roll. Rolling seats the wood firmly into the glue and squeezes out blobs; this is difficult if the glue has dried.

Cover the rollers with tape or foam sheets to avoid damaging the floor.

Source: www.DoItYourself.com

A Guide to Bamboo Flooring Hardness

The subject of bamboo flooring hardness is commonly debated in the market. Some people say that bamboo is extremely hard and durable. Others argue that it is easy to dent and is not very hard. Here are a few things to consider about the hardness of bamboo flooring.

Janka Scale

When looking at the hardness of bamboo or hardwood flooring, the industry uses a tool called the Janka scale. This is a scale that is used to compare the hardness of wood flooring against each other. In order to perform this test, they drop a steel ball bearing on the floor from a particular height. Depending on how it reacts to having a ball dropped on it, it will achieve a score on the scale. The higher the score, the harder the wood is.

Carbonized Bamboo

One type of bamboo that many people consider is carbonized bamboo. Carbonizing bamboo is a process that is used to change the color of the bamboo. If you see a dark, caramel color bamboo, generally it was made this way by carbonization. When a bamboo goes through this process, it is going to make it softer. This is the softest type of bamboo that you can purchase. On the Janka scale, it has a score of 1180. This is softer than red oak, as it has a score of 1290. This means that it is the most susceptible to dents and scratches of all of the different kinds of bamboo on the market.

Natural Bamboo

Another type of bamboo is natural bamboo. This is a very common type of bamboo that you frequently see in the market. You will be able to tell that it is natural bamboo by the yellowish, gold color in the floor. Natural bamboo is a little bit harder than carbonized bamboo. On the Janka scale it has a value of 1380.

Strand Woven Bamboo

The hardest and most durable form of bamboo flooring is called strand woven bamboo. This type of bamboo flooring is made differently than traditional bamboo flooring. In order to construct this, they use small slivers of bamboo fibers. They take the pieces of bamboo and mix it together with a strong adhesive and resin. They take this mixture and press it together very tightly. It is constructed under extreme heat as well. Once the mixture is pressed together, they allow it to dry and it forms a very hard board. On the Janka scale, it can achieve values as much as 3000. This is comparable to some of the hardest hardwoods in the world.

Compared to Hardwood

Although people use the Janka scale to compare hardness, there are other factors that you need to consider as well. Pieces of bamboo are held together with adhesive. If something sharp drops on the surface of the bamboo, it will be much more likely to scratch or dent when compared to a hardwood with an equal Janka scale rating.

Source: www.DoItYourself.com