Hardwood heaven: No-fuss floating floor
I installed my first prefinished engineered-wood floor way back in 1986, just two years after it was introduced to the U.S. by Kahrs International, a Swedish flooring manufacturer. It was a tongue-and-groove oak plank floor that had to be glued together along every edge and end joint.
And to ensure proper adhesion--and to satisfy the manufacturer's warranty--I had to apply enough glue to get a continuous bead of squeeze out along every seam. Can you imagine? I spent more time wiping up glue than I did laying down planks.
Fortunately with the passage of time, wood-engineered flooring has evolved into a much more DIY-friendly product. Today, very few floating floors require the use of glue or other mastic.
Just last week I installed my fourth wood-engineered floor, a Kahrs product that featured the patented WoodLoc system. The ends and edges of the 6-foot-long planks are precisely milled with a modified tongue-and-groove joint.
To install the flooring, you simply hold one plank at an angle to another, then press down to lock the two planks together. I was surprised how quickly and easily the joints snapped closed. A light tap with a hammer against a tapping block tightened up the seams.
It took an hour or so to figure out the most efficient way to work, but once we did, my buddy and I installed over 500 square feet of flooring in just a day and a half.
And best of all, I didn't have to wipe up a single drop of glue.
Posted by Joseph Truini | Categories: Materials & Finishes | Permalink
(5) Comments
Hi there,
I love the colour of the floor in the photos - is it a Kahrs floating floor? Do you recall which wood-type it is? I am looking for a medium toned click-engineered floor and that colour (as well as the bevel and finish) look perfect.
Thanks!
I love the new snap-lock flooring systems that have come out the past few years. Granted, they can be limited in color and variety with some companies, but for ease of installation and value for your money they are hard to beat. I have to admit, I'm not the biggest proponent of floating floors, I'm more of an old school word flooring guy, but I'd recommend these to a do-it-yourselfer any day.
The locking hardwood floors are great for the do-it-yourselfer. Now many other companies like Bruce and Armstrong are even offering the locking hardwood floors.
The hardwood flooring looks so nice!
Help !
My husband installed beautiful new floating hardwood floors in our brand new kitchen 2 months ago; and already there are gaps. He says this is due to the wood shrnking in the winter, but in the summer they'll fill in again! BUT I don't want to see gaps, winter OR summer! What do I do?
Do I really have no choice ?
Please advise ???
Thanks;