Lay the finish flooring straight onto the subfloor with no additional underlayment.
How to install hardwood floors in kitchen.
With the subfloor sufficiently leveled acclimate the hardwoods in the space where they will be installed.
However it may be best to completely remove the old kitchen floor covering and expose the subfloor.
When to install flooring before cabinets.
3 4 inch cdx plywood is preferred and 3 4 inch osb is acceptable.
Hardwood flooring installation is a big project but you can install solid hardwood floors yourself to save money with this step by step video.
How to install hardwood flooring yourself in a nutshell.
You can cover this gap later with trim.
Layout hardwood planks to get a feel for your layout.
Running the hardwood boards perpendicular to floor joists prevents them from sagging in the future.
Engineered wood a sandwich of wood veneer on top and high grade plywood below is slightly thinner than solid hardwood.
Installing your flooring first also gives you your cleanest look.
Use fold and lock laminate floor.
There s a lot of pounding and placement that goes into installing hardwood flooring.
If you install the floating kitchen floor over.
Make sure you have a sturdy subfloor.
Most 3 4 inch solid hardwood flooring can be installed using nails or staples over an approved subfloor.
Set the boxes of flooring in the kitchen at least 48 to 72 hours before installation so they can acclimatize to the room s humidity and temperature.
The hardwood will simply flow underneath.
Then pick all the planks back up.
Secure the plywood subfloor jump around and find squeaky spots mark them then go back and screw nice long screws in each spot.
Make sure not to stack the boxes and run the a c or heat normally.
Factory finished hardwood so that a layer or two of sealer bridges the gaps between planks to prevent moisture from seeping between them.
Leave the hardwoods in this location for 7 10 days.
Vacuum all dust and debris from the floor and smooth out any raised areas.
As long as the surface is smooth and level technically you can install hardwood floor over your existing flooring.
Seal hardwood floors in the kitchen after installation site finished vs.
An underlayment adds another 1 4 inch to 1 2 inch to the total flooring thickness.
It s also safer on your cabinets.
Most engineered flooring can be installed using staples full spread adhesive or a floating method over an approved subfloor.