Installing Engineered Hardwood Flooring

In this home improvement video, I'll guide you through installing hardwood floors for beginners. I'll be installing 1200 sq/ft of engineered hardwood flooring. These are floating floors that connect without glue or nails. This is a relatively easy flooring upgrade that can be done by beginners if they have the right tools and take their time. I'll cover flooring acclamation, expansion gaps, removing trim, and removing the old carpet and removing laminate. Then I'll show you how to prepare the subfloor and install the underlayment. Next I'll install the engineered hardwood flooring and discuss the process of installing flooring. Finally, I'll reinstall the 1/4 round trim.

Regardless if you're removing baseboards or 1/4 round, the first thing you should do is cut the caulk line with a razor knife. This makes sure you have very little paint damage.

Next, use a wide putty knife to carefully pry the trim from the wall. Try to find the nails and pry in those areas. Keep doing this until the trim is able to be pulled off the wall.

Floating flooring: Floating flooring can just be lifter and removed. It shouldn't be glue down. The underlayment should be able to just be lifted up and removed.

Carpet: Start at a corner or edge and just pull it up from the tack strips. Then cut it in strips and haul it out. The padding can be removed the same way. Use a pry bar and hammer to remove the tack strips.

Remove any staples and scrap off any drywall mud. Then vacuum the floor clean with a shop vacuum.

The underlayment I used just rolls out and has an adhesive edge to connect it to the previous row. Use a box cutter to cut around any obstacles or at the end of the run. You can use packaging tape or something similar to tape ends together where there is no adhesive tape.

Be sure to let your flooring acclimate. The manufacturer of my flooring recommended 72 hrs. This will reduce how much the flooring grows or shrinks after install.

Now install the flooring. I like to start on an outside wall. They are usually the straightest. Measure out how far the last wall is and do the math to make sure you don't end up with a thin sliver of flooring at the end. This flooring locks together but the ends are a little weak on the first and last row. For the first and last row, use glue to hold the joint together tight. The rest of the floor doesn't require glue. Read the manufacturers instructions to determine how big the expansion gap needs to be.

To install, you just insert the horizonal edge into the previous row, then line up the end with the previous board and press it down. Make sure the joints are nice and tight. When you get to the end of a row, flip the board around and then move it 1/4" off the wall. Then mark it where it meets the previous board. Cut in the miter saw. If you need to make odd cuts, mark and use a jigsaw with a fine tooth blade.

When you start a new row, be sure to stagger the boards at least 6" for strength and a natural look. Try to randomize wherever you can. Also be sure to work our of several boxes for natural variations in flooring color.

If you need to install around doors, you man need a flush cut saw to trim the door jams. The boards should go a little under the jams to hide the ends.

Now, reinstall the rim using brad nails Fill the holes with wood filler or window glaze. Then caulk and touch up paint.

That's it! I spend about $3,700 on my flooring project and increased the value of my home by around $20,000. Not bad for a few weeks work!