Goodbye Carpet and Hello Engineered Hardwoods

In July 2017 Mike and I decided to install engineered hardwood floors in the majority of our home (everywhere but the bedrooms and bathrooms). To explain briefly, engineered hardwood is a combination of layered plywood and solid wood, whereas solid hardwood is one type of wood with no layers. We decided to go with engineered, tongue and groove hardwood floors instead of the more traditional solid hardwood option. We made this decision for several reasons.

Appearance. Mike and I both much preferred the look of engineered hardwoods over the classic solid hardwood floor options. Most solid hardwoods only come in the typical, narrow width. We preferred to have a variety of options given with engineered hardwoods. We chose a style of engineered hardwood that had boards in three different widths. We felt this added character to the space and an added depth. We also went with a deep walnut color that added warmth.

The Price. Most solid hardwood ranges from $8-$15 a square foot, where engineered hardwood ranges from $3-$14. We found our selected style on sale for $2.50/sqft on BuildDirect.com. Unfortunately our particular selection is no longer offered.

Ease of Install. Engineered hardwoods can be installed in a variety of ways: nail-down, floating or glue down. Solid hardwoods typically are required to be nailed down. We installed our floors with the glue down method, which allowed for simple and quick instal.

Before Install: Remove Carpet and Vinyl Sheeting

Before the hardwoods were installed, I had to take out all the carpet in the house (except the bedrooms). This process was extremely simple, the only tool needed was a large pry-bar. Our carpet was only attached to the floor around the perimeter of the space with wooden tack strips. All I did to remove the carpet was pull up a corner and then roll back the large piece. I used a razor blade knife to cut the carpet into smaller, easy-to-carry pieces. *Note* I suggest wearing a mask or face-covering during this process as a lot of dust comes into the air. After pulling up the carpet I used the pry-bar to remove the tack strips around the perimeter of the room. Mike tackled the job of removing the vinyl sheeting which was the flooring in the kitchen.

Installation Process: We decided to hire out the job of installing the flooring. The guys did an excellent job. They helped us demo the remaining linoleum in the kitchen and living room. Demo and install took about 3 days. We are so happy with the finished look!