How to Install a 7/16 Inch Engineered Floor

Engineered flooring is a money-saving alternative to solid hardwood flooring, and manufacturers often make it thinner than the traditional 3/4 inches of solid flooring. 7/16- inch engineered flooring usually has a plywood core and a thin hardwood veneer, and although a board is 1/4 inch thinner than a solid board, you can install it with a flooring nailer or stapler without damaging it. The only difference is that you don't need long fasteners; 1 1/2-inch to 2-inch nails or 1 1/2-inch staples are sufficient. You can also glue the boards in the same way you glue solid ones.

Moisture meter
3/4-inch plywood or particle board
Leveling compound
Belt sander
Straight piece of lumber
Moisture barrier
Chalk line
Drill
1/8-inch drill bit
1 1/2-inch finish nails
Hammer
Nail set
Circular saw
Power nailer or stapler
1 1/2- to 2-inch nails or 1 1/2-inch staples
Jigsaw
Tape measure
Tablesaw

Instructions

- 1
  Install the boards on a concrete or wood subfloor. If you install on concrete, measure the moisture content with a moisture meter and don't proceed with the installation until the moisture falls to 4 percent. If on wood, use plywood or particle board with a minimum 3/4-inch thickness for the subfloor.
- 2
  Level the subfloor, using floor-leveling compound, a belt sander and a straight length of lumber to check for bumps. If you're nailing the flooring, cover the floor with a moisture barrier, which can be tar paper, kraft paper, plastic or vinyl. While you're preparing the subfloor, the flooring should be sitting inside the installation space getting used to the temperature and humidity.
- 3
  Measure the distance between opposing walls from both ends to make sure the room is square. If it isn't, snap a chalk line parallel to the wall that runs in the same direction as the flooring that is perpendicular to the other walls. Install the first row of flooring along this line.
- 4
  Arrange the boards in the first row end-to-end along the wall or the line you scribed. If you install them along the wall, leave a 3/8-inch expansion gap between the boards and the wall. Drill pairs of holes through the board faces with an 18-inch drill bit at 8-inch intervals and drive a 1 1/2-inch finish nail into each hole. Set the heads with a nail set.
- 5
  Fit the grooves of the boards in the next row into the tongues of the boards you just installed, keeping the joints between boards offset by at least 6 inches. Cut boards as needed with a circular saw. Drive nails or staples into the tongues with a power nailer or stapler at 12-inch intervals.
- 6
  Work toward the wall opposite the one against which you started, nailing each board with a the nailer or stapler and cutting boards to fit around cabinets, doorways and other obstructions with a jigsaw.
- 7
  Measure the gap for the boards in the last row with a tape measure and rip the boards to fit with a tablesaw. Keep the groove sides of the boards. Lower the tablesaw blade until it extends a distance equal to half a board thickness above the table and rip off the bottoms of the grooves.
- 8
  Drop the boards into the gap and top-nail them the same way you top-nailed the boards in the first row.

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