Engineered Hardwood Flooring

[aggie79]

I was thinking of using pre-finished engineered hardwood flooring on the interior side of a sandwich side wall instead of 1/4" hardwood plywood. Specifically, I was looking at flooring that is 5/16" or 3/8" thick, that has a thin pre-finished hardwood layer with the rest being "plywood." The flooring would be direct glued perpindicular to the vertical wall framing.

I do see that manufacturers of this material warn against using engineered flooring in areas of a home where there are large swings in air humidity / moisture content. This would be the case in a tear, but since an engineered flooring product is really plywood, I don't see how this would be different in using the traditional plywood as an interior skin.

Your thoughts? Thanks, Tom

[angib]

Your thoughts?

Sounds heavy(ish) and weak, though it would look pretty.

The weak bit is because if there's no connection between the strips (ie, they're not glued together) you don't get any vertical strength (strips can separate) nor any shear strength (strips can slide past each other). But if you have a plywood outer skin, that weakness shouldn't matter as one skin is enough. If you were thinking of having just aluminum as the outer skin, then I'd be more concerned.

Andrew

[aggie79]

That's good info. Thanks.

This idea came from a flooring installation I did at a friend's house. It was a "floating" installation. The tongue-and-groove flooring strips were glued together (and clamped) over a vapor barrier on top of a concrete slab.

It was fairly lightweight and only 5/16-inch thick. This is the stuff: http://www.br111.com/pdf/01_product_specs/07_br_engineered_amer_cherry.pdf

[bobhenry]

How are you going to allow it to float on the wall. Gravity will hold it in place on a floor but a wall application won't have that option. The Pergp style has the tongues glued there are other styles that rely on a hook style lock but they need to FLOAT to allow for expansion and contraction.
Put it on the floor where it belongs and leave a little room at the wall under some type of baseboard and find a better alternative for the walls.

[Lou Park]

I realize that I'm new to teardrops, but not construction.
If you intend on using the flooring on the wall like waiscotting, than prepare yourself to glue it directly to the 1/4" plywood wall behind it. Do not use it in leu of the 1/4" wall. If you try to glue it to each other than you will want to use a glue that will not run. Gravity has a way of taking over. I will also advise you to not use the flooring, but if you are looking for the wainscott look than go with a piece of paneling.
Lou

[angib]

If you glue that wood together with a decent glue, it sounds like a good plan. You could glue the side panels together on the flat, where access is easy and gravity is there to help, and then fit them as complete panels.

I think I would start with gluing the strips together, face up to enable me to wipe off glue stains. When set, flip it and add the vertical framing to the back to make a complete side panel - by pinning the framing to the panel, you avoid making visible holes. Only add the outer skin after the panel is in place, joined to everything else and the wiring is in.

I don't see the need to allow it to 'float' - this isn't a house where the panel edges are restrained by anything else - in practice all the parts of a teardrop float together.

Andrew

[aggie79]

Thanks for everyone's comments.

I was exploring an alternative to hardwood plywood. The flooring I listed is pre-finished with a UV-resistant finish, and is available for about $3.50-$4.00 per square foot. For what hardwood ply goes for around here plus finishing costs, and considering that there may be less waste using the flooring compared to sheet goods, the cost of the flooring may be about the same.

I hadn't planned on floating the flooring on the tear. With the wall framing flat on my (large) workbench, I was going to use Titebond III to glue the flooring planks to the wall studs and to edge glue the flooring planks to each other. Along the perimeter framing, I was going to pin nail the flooring to the framing. The pins, although barely visible, would be concealed by cabinets or trim. At the vertical wall framing members, I was going to use cauls and clamps to ensure a good glue bond.

Just my day dreaming. I need to quit thinking and start building.

[starleen2]

I would warn against it. We had our whole hose done with engineered hardwood floor system (floated). These systems need room for expansion. Everything in the house was OK until the first few days of humidity hit – the floor expanded. Although allowances were in place for the expansion, in the places where it was tight, a bulge appeared – made for a nice trampoline effect. Called in the installers who lifted a transition strip and cut a few centimeters off the ends and the bulge went away – never to return.

[mikeschn]

Pergo has a smooth glossy back as well. Titebond III won't hold it very well. And the first time it expands, you'll probably break all your glue joints...

Mike...

[aggie79]

I think there is some confusion as to the material I was asking about.

Pergo, and many other laminate flooring, have a "Formica-like" top layer applied to a fiberboard substrate. That is not what I am talking about.

The BR-111 engineered flooring is "Seven-ply cross grain construction and durable hardwood core". It essentially lumber-core plywood that is 5/16" thick. In production, the moisture content of the wood is made very dry to cure the finish coat without ghosting. After some acclimatization, the manufacturer recommends a direct glue method to attach it to plywood decking, so I can't see how the expansion/contraction rates are any different than 1/4" oak plywood that many use for their interior wall finish.

Maybe I'm missing something.

[vabuzzz]

Maybe I can help a little here I built My tear last year and around the same time I installled a floating hard wood floor like you are talking about in my house. I had a idea a lot like yours but I was thinking as an outside skin. I decided to run a test on the flooring with the plan of starting a new tear this spring. Here is what I did.
Took five of the leftover planks and 2x2's I made a frame out of the 2x2's and used a small amount of liquid nail on the first piece and used my brad nailer and put 2 nails in the groove at each of the 2x2's snapped the next piece in place and so on. I did not protect or seal anything. than I stuck it out behind my work shop. Its been there is the wind rain snow and direct sun light for about 8 months or so with know visable problems. My only concern is flex still need to test that. But as far as temp and humid changes this has run the gambit and has not swollen up or broken any joint which is a surprize to me I figured the first good freeze I expected the joints to seperate. Just thought I would pass this along

[aggie79]

Thanks for sharing your experiment.

I am still not sold on doing the interior of the TD this way, but it is an idea that I have been kicking around.

[Willys11]

It's just an idea until someone makes it a reality.

Let us know how it works out.

John

[airdonut41]

I'm digging up an old thread to ask: has anyone tried engineered hardwood for their floor? I just got a bunch of walnut for free, and I'm thinking about laying that on top of a 2x4 frame.

[aggie79]

I ended using 5/16" engineered flooring glued and stapled to the plywood wall framing. It worked great. Even though I don't own the teardrop anymore - I gave it to a good friend - the flooring on the wall still looks great.