A wood floor seems to be deceptively easy to install. Many home improvement enthusiasts, inspired by experts like Bob Vila who make the job look simple, run to the hardware store for a table saw and some lengths of lumber, figuring that the perfect floor they saw on TV can be in their home with the right tools and a little elbow grease.
And as many have discovered, to their dismay, that it’s often not as simple as professional contractors make it look. The plain fact is that installing a wood floor is a very easy job…to do the wrong way.
Engineered flooring has been obtainable for over four decades, but has been utilized primarily by larger contractors until recently, when the do-it-yourself crowd discovered the advantages. Among these is a 15-20% improvement in load bearing strength, a machined fit that matches planks perfectly, and a lower overall cost in terms of error avoidance and time. Today, nearly half of all wooden floors are built using computer-generated design specs provided by the lumber suppliers to fit your custom needs.