Installing Engineered Wood Flooring
Engineered hardwood floors can be installed in virtually any room of your home.
Although it's always best to work with your sales rep to clarify any warranty
issues
with regard to location. But there are several locations that are not
recommended
for engineered hardwood flooring such as bathrooms, washrooms, saunas, enclosed
porches or verandas. Although engineered wood floors have a certain resistance
to
environmental moisture, exposure to excessive moisture may cause your
engineered
wood flooring to warp, swell or cup.
What type of wood floor is best over a radiant heating system?
Due to their varied moisture, temperature and expansion characteristics, all
species of
wood floors are not good candidates for installation over radiant heating
systems. In any
case, a species known for its stability especially in terms of humidity and
temperature
must be chosen.
In this scenario, engineered wood flooring work best with radiant heat because
of its
dimensional stability. Quarter sawn or rift-sawn flooring is preferred over
plain sawn in
such areas. Strip flooring is also a better choice than plank flooring, as
narrow boards
expand and contract to a lesser extent than wide boards do.