Westhollow White Oak Butterscotch 3/8″ Engineered Installation Help
Q: Hello Ifloor Experts
I placed the order today (10/8/07) for Westhollow White Oak Butterscotch Engineered wood 3, 3/8 to be installed over concreted subfloor in my living room and a bedroom that’s on above ground on the 1st floor of the house. I have a couple of questions in regards to the installation.
1. Has anyone used this floor, what are their thoughts about this floor?
2. I am going to use the floating installation method over concrete subfloor. Is that the best installation method for this wood or should I go with glue down application?
3. The flooring right now we have in the living room and the bedroom is Vinyl/linoleum and Carpet. If I go with the floating should I directly install the hardwood over vinly/linoleum or should I remove that floor and do it over concrete?
4. The room seems to slope, should I have this slope corrected before I install the hardwood? What material is used to correct the slope, where can I find it? How long does it typically take to correct the slope and how long should I let it dry before installing the hardwood?
5. I am probably going to receive the shipment on Thursday or Friday of this week (10/11 or 10/12), its going to rain this entire week until saturday, since I have already placed the order, I can’t delay the shipment, would it be ok if I receive the shipment when there is rain? secondly, how long should I let the wood acclimate before installing it.
I have a house warming party on 10/20 and I am not sure if I have enough time between now and then to correct the slope, let the wood acclimate and have it installed before then. I want to get it done before the party on the 20th if possible though. Please advise.
Thanks,
Tejas Shah
A: Before we get too deep on your questions, let’s talk timing. The environment change your floor will be going through as it ships to you will warrant a good acclimation time. I personally would suggest a week or more, but at a minimum you need to acclimate your product for 3-5 days. I also say this because you mention that you might have to deal with some rain when you receive the shipment. You should be ok to receive it while it is raining, just don’t leave the flooring outside too long, try to get it in your home ASAP to avoid any risks.
For the slope in your floor this is dependent on where the slope is and how it affects the room. If the slope is completely even, meaning that it travels the entire width/length of the room at an even pace, then a floating install could simply go right over the top of the floor, but this is dependent on how steep the slope is. To correct the slope will depend on which subfloor portion it is. If this is located on our concrete subfloor, just pick up some self leveling compound at a local home store (Lowe’s, Home Depot, etc) and use it per the instructions to correct the slope. If this slope is in your wooden subfloor, then you will need to get some thinner plywood to act as a shim, leveling out the subfloor by screwing in some additional wood. Then install your floor over it.
The floating installation method will work fine, but I would suggest using a good underlayment. The preference here would be to get a dense underlayment such as 3mm or 6mm cork. This will give your floor more stability especially along the edges. The installation method itself should work fine, but I would again stress using a dense underlayment because of the width of the product. Also, as long as the vinyl/linoleum you have is still firmly secured to your subfloor and there is no damage to it, then you should be fine installing your floating floor directly over it, but I would make sure to use a moisture barrier just to be safe in the concrete area.
As far as the Westhollow 3/8″ engineered line is concerned it is a rather nicely built floor. The plies are relatively thick and the milling is done well. The big thing to keep in mind is that this is a tongue and groove product, so you will need to use a T&G glue in order to anchor each row of flooring to the next. When doing the installation, just put a small bead of the glue in the groove section of the plank, then slide the planks together so that they are snug.
Given this work, make sure to be realistic when budgeting your time. If your installation schedule would be rushed to make the party you’re hosting, its a safe bet to simply hold off. Although having that great looking new floor (which the butterscotch definitely does look great) for house guests can give you something to show off your own hard work, you don’t want to risk the floor’s life span by rushing the job as replacing problems in the future is an aggravating and costly experience. My end all advice here is to budget your time well and don’t be afraid to take additional time to ensure it is done right. Make sure that great looking new floor stays a great looking floor for as long as you own it.