Wood flooring can be installed in a variety of ways: glued down, nailed down, or floating/locking. One of the main determining factors for how a floor can be installed is the subfloor. If the subfloor is concrete, then the floor can be glued down or floated. If the subfloor is wood, then it can be glued down, nailed down, or floated-the determining factor is the type and thickness of the material.

Only engineered hardwood with a locking system can be installed as a floating floor, as it utilizes a locking system to keep it in place. It is important to note that not all engineered flooring can be installed this way, it needs to explicitly state that it has a locking mechanism. The product description or specifications will state if it has a locking mechanism or not and how they recommend installing it. This type of installation will need underlayment and if the subfloor is concrete, then it will also need a moisture barrier. We like to use 6 mm poly for the moisture barrier, which can be picked up at many stores such as Lowe’s, Home Depot, Floor & Décor, etc.

Wood flooring can also be installed as a nail down floor too, it does require underlayment and the subfloor needs to be plywood, as particle board will not take the nails properly. The wood also needs to be a solid hardwood or engineered flooring that is a ½ inch or thicker and the planks need to be less than 5 inches wide. If the planks are wider then 5 inches, then it will need to be nailed down with glue assistance. If the planks are less the ½ inch in thickness, it will need to be glued down because the engineered wood has a difficult time taking the nails without breaking.

Any wood flooring can be glued down to a wood subfloor or concrete subfloor. If it is glued down on a concrete subfloor, the adhesive used must include a moisture barrier to protect the flooring from the concrete. To maintain the warranty for the flooring, the specifications usually request specific types of trowels to be used or specific brands of adhesive. Prior to its installation, we recommend checking the product specifications.

Anyway that the wood flooring needs to be installed, A1 can install it and help you navigate the type of installation that will be best for your project and give you a long lasting floor.