If your subfloor is already hardwood but you want to improve the look of your home with new material it is possible to lay engineered hardwood over the existing floor with proper preparation and traditional installation techniques.
Install engineered hardwood floor over carpet.
Installing engineered hardwood over existing flooring is a great option for people who have hard to remove floors such as glued down hardwood or glued down vinyl.
Old solid hardwood can cup or swell over time too.
Solid hardwood or engineered wood flooring may serve as bases for vinyl flooring.
Installing new hardwood over old hardwood floors.
Here are the eight critical questions you must research and answer to plan and budget for a successful engineered hardwood flooring installation.
For any flooring installation over concrete you should anticipate potential problems with moisture levels.
Like any wood product engineered hardwood expands and contracts because of changes in moisture.
Engineered hardwood is sturdier than traditional plank but surface preparation still matters.
Use a cleaner or special floor wipes designed for engineered wood flooring to immediately remove any glue that may have squeezed through the boards.
Installing an engineered wood floor is a major project.
Engineered hardwood flooring has a locking system similar to laminate flooring so the floor can be floated using an underlayment and or vapor barrier.
Continue installing the floor when you reach the end of the floor stop and leave enough space to comfortably exit the room without stepping on the new floor.
Installing new hardwood over older wood floors can be extremely time saving in lieu of removal that can become expensive dirty and even dangerous depending on how the original floor was installed.
Vinyl flooring over wood flooring.
For instance i will look at much older floors that were nailed into floor joists before the widespread use of subfloors.
This condition would make direct installation over the wood difficult.
If the wood is heavily gapped these gaps must first be fixed.
When installing a floor over your existing floor you will want to choose an engineered wood floor that is at least 1 2 thick and over 4 3 4 wide.