Flooring Installation: Methods and Systems

Methods

Floating Floor

  • Is not attached to the slab or subfloor but “floats” on top
  • Most can be installed over existing ceramic tile or vinyl and can be installed where there is higher moisture content with the use of a moisture or vapor barrier.

Glue Down Flooring

  • Is glued directly to concrete slab
  • A layer of mastic is placed onto the sub-floor using a trowel.
  • The wood pieces are laid on top of the glue and hammered into place using a rubber mallet.

Nail Down Flooring

  • Installed on screeds (1X4 or 2X4 short length pine) and mastic (tar) over concrete subfloor or on wooden subfloor.
    • Mastic acts as a moisture barrier
    • Nails allow for the most natural expansion and contraction of the hardwood floorboards.

    Stapled Flooring

    • Installed on screeds and mastic or wooden subfloor.
    • Not recommended for exotics.
    • Will give a stronger, less-forgiving hold than nailed down because of its two-pronged construction.

    Systems

    Tongue and Groove

    • One side and one end of the plank have a groove, the other side and end have a tongue (protruding wood along an edge’s center).
    • The tongue and groove fit snugly together, thus joining or aligning the planks, and are not visible once joined.
    • Depending on flooring type, tongue-and-groove flooring can be installed by:
      • Nail-Down
      • Staple
      • Glue-Down
      • Floating

    Floating Floor (2 systems available)

    • Click Lock | Snap Lock | VersaLock™ System
      • Patented click lock system – no glue or nails required
      • A “click” floor is similar to tongue-and-groove, but instead of fitting directly into the groove, the board must be angled or “tapped” in to make the curved or barbed tongue fit into the modified groove.
      • Pros:
        • Clean installation – avoid the mess of using glue
        • Repairs are easier, since you can remove the damaged planks without worrying about destroying the locking “tongues.”
    • VersaFit™ System
      • Shaw patented LVT technology – allows for 3 different installation methods
        • Loose-lay (float)
        • Perimeter glue (hybrid float and glue)
        • Full-spread (glue-down)