Engineered Wood Floor over Concrete

Q: I am considering laying a high end 9/16″ thick x 3-3/4″ wide engineered oak floor over concrete in 3 rooms and 2 hallways. I intend to glue the floor to the concrete. Except for one hallway, the rooms and a second hallway are all part of a common area. The total area is 860 sq feet.
The longest width of the area is 16.5′ feet. The longest length from the wall in one hallway through the living room and dinning room to the doorway in the back hall is 43 feet. The manufacturer suggest installing the floor with a 3/8″ space between the wood floor and the wall. I am concerned about expansion and contraction of the floor over such a large area, particularly the 44′ length.
I could use a transition strip at the sliding door entrance to one hall but that would only reduce the total length by 3′.
The hall at the other end of the area is a different story because it is an open area and joins the dinning room. I could reduce the total length by 8′ (the length of the hallway) if I placed a transition strip at the entrance to the hallway but I feel an expansion strip would look out of place in that area.
Aside from selecting a species of wood that is thermally stable and increasing the space between the wood floor and the wall from 3/8″ to 1/2″, what other steps could I take to assure the floor will not buckle because of expansion? Is there a upper limit to how large an area can be without an expansion strip when laying an engineered wood floor?
I sincerely appreciate any advice you can offer to assure a successful outcome with this project…..
Bill Rahm
A: The advice you have been given is correct. As long as your drywall is installed properly you should only need a 3/8” gap; however, if you want to be safe, use a 1/2” gap. A very important thing to note is th ensure you under cut your door jambs to account for the height of the floor.
The big benefit of an engineered floor is the ability for the floor to control expansion and contraction from the cross-ply lamination used to make the product. I would heavily suggest looking into a product with seven or more plies. This will control your expansion/contraction concerns without need for transitions.
Beyond this, the only suggestion I can give you is to use a good glue, such as Bostik’s Best. Take time with your installation and follow all of the suggestions and your floor project will come out great.