INSTALLATION
Lock Type Technology
01
Tongue-and-groove
Engineered wood
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. Tongue-and-groove flooring can be installed by glue-down (both engineered and solid), floating (mostly engineered only), or nail-down (mostly solid wood).
02
“Click” or
Woodlock systems
There are a number of patented “click” systems that now exist. These click systems are either “unilin” or “fiboloc” 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.
No adhesive is used when installing a “click” floor, making board replacement easier. This system not only exists for engineered wood floors but also for a small number of solid floors and is designed to be used for floating installations like Bamboo. It is beneficial for the Do-It-Yourself market.
Wood can be installed with a variety of installation systems.
Floating
With the floating installation method the engineered wood floor is not mechanically fastened to any part of the sub-floor a bead of recommended wood glue is applied in the groove of each plank to glue the planks together. There is a thin underlayment pad that is placed between the wood flooring and the sub-floor to provide a cushion. This underlayment also retards any moisture transfer from below and can reduce noise when walked on and makes the floor softer under foot. Nowadays almost all engineered floors can be floated. Installing a floating floor is a fast, easy method of installation.
Glue Down
Wood flooring can also be installed utilizing the glue-down method. A glued-down wooden floor enhances the feel and sound of solid wood. A glued-down floor is a good solution for large and open areas, where footsteps and drumming noise needs to be minimized. Our highly durable and secure glue down system uses a one component moisture cured STP (Silane Terminated Polymer) hybrid adhesive that combines the powerful flexibility of a Polyurethane adhesive with the advantages of modern modified Silane technology. With an extremely tough yet flexible ridge, this develops high bond strength yet dissipates shear forces and reduces their damaging effect to the substrate. Smart Wood glue down system is suitable for both residential and commercial floors.
Nailing Down
Nailing or stapling down wood floor is the most common installation method for wood floor professionals if a wood sub-floor exists in the house. While installing 1” solid hardwood flooring, 5 cm long nails or staples should be used. Shorter 3.5 cm nails might be used for thinner wood flooring like engineered wood floors. Each plank or strip has to be nailed from both ends of the plank.