I have a potential customer that likes the Natural Cork engineered distressed Maple ( I sent her in to ProSource) . I haven't installed any of the Natural Cork engineered hardwood products, just their cork. It's a floating system. After feedback on this forum, and my own experience, now I'm a little leary of the engineered floating, with the creaking issues we have run accross. Any of you guys familiar with this product ?

Same here dude. I hear they have a quality product so I wouldn't be scared. It's gotta be better than most engineered out there. Just look at the samples.

Unfortunately the sample is a glued up sample board, I can't check out the planks. But your right they do have quality products. I'm probably being too gun shy, from installing crud.

Oh yea it is glued to some hardboard huh. lol

About those creaking issues. Mostly on click hardwoods but here is what I do for floating glue T&G. I lay the boxes in front of me and work backwards to hold the planks as flat as possible to the substrate untill the glue sets, and it does set pretty fast if you ever had to pull a plank a couple rows back like I have cus I missed a messed up plank.

Seems to help alot. Plus, every once in awhile I take a break and use my strap clamps. And strap clamp it overnight. You gotta have strap clamps! Right strap clamp man?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/13772863@N08/3920185769/

Strap Clamps hold the world together man!


It looks like this stuff is no glue, just click. But I have done floors that are "just click", and they tell you to glue the ends.

strap clamp man , I like that. Call me anything but late for dinner

Cant find install specs on their site, I'm going to give them a call in a minute.

Well looks like they're closed, 5:00 eastern. The products called Carriage House"Glueless Float". They have just a small link on the bottom of they're sight , but nothing about installation. Give them a shot tomorrow.

Just got Natural cork to email me the installation spec sheet on their Carriage House Engineered "Glueless Float", plank.

Here's a new one to me... They require t-mouldings in doorways from room to room. They dont say what size doorways.

T-mouldings in doorways for engineered??? Has anyone run accross this ?? I have on longstrip, but not a product like this. Just a basic engineered plank ?

My understanding is that all floating floors are to have a transitions in a doorway. I do not recall a distance but if you think about it, if any part of a room shifts all the torque will be at the connection of a doorway.

That is a hard one to sell to customers though.

I understand the concept of this with laminate, ( doorways under 3' ). But this is an engineered plank that we commonly would glue or naildown , ( without t-mouldings in doorways). Only this engineered has the click profile, ( only to be floated ). Help! I'm having a hard time seeing the reasoning. Why should this particular plank need the "t" ? I cant understand why it should need any more expansion, than if it were glued down. Your right, the customer is not going to like this at all, ( especially at plank ends ).

I havent thought about the shifting issues. Do you think that's the whole reason? Not for expansion?

I believe the standard for widths in doorways that require a transition strip is anything less than 4'. I typically do not do that much. Depends on the layout. I undercut very deep and explain to the consumer if anything starts to move to much and gets locked in I will come out and cut the doorway open and install a T. For a small fee of course.

I just cant see that type of expansion with a 5 or 7 ply plank. They're calling for the t-moulding. But I think it will screw up the deal, and I dont see the reasoning behind it.
Well looks like it's back on the phone to Natural Cork tomorrow.

I am not aware of the requirements for engineered multi-ply products. But, products made using MDF or HDF cores will expand in all directions if subjected to elevated humidity or other form of moisture.
Most of these types of products that we work with require a t-mould wherever possible so as not to exceed a specific length of span. Usually 30 ft or so, some are OK up to around 40 ft.
Can you imagine explaining to "Susie" (my nickname for generic customers) why she needs to have a t-mould running across her beautiful floor located within the body of a large room.
It happens, and the usual result is a product switch.
But, we insist on t-mould at every doorway to remain within the manufacturers span specs. It helps the installer too, when encountering an awkward passage from room to room.

You can always undercut the sheetrock in large rooms for more expansion. Or use both base and quarter round. Most of those 40 specs say you can simply use a larger gap area to eliminate the T in the middle of the room.

I always try to encourage using a t-mold for floating floors in doorways between areas, particularly hallways and br's. If it's glued or stapled, the board can only push against the one next to it, but the floor as a whole won't move; you may get some raised edges from compression, buckling in an extreme moisture condition. With floating, you get much more actual movement....if you start covering large areas, every additional row just multiplies the possible expansion. And most manufacturer's require you add addtional expansion once you get above a 24' span...if you lay a den, into a hallway, into a bedroom, look at the overall length of that run.

The other reason I encourage using a t-mold for floating applications is that not every area of the home has the same climate year round, sometimes not the same climate throughout the day! You may have one room that faces south, lot of windows, during the day that one particular room might have a much higher remp/rh than the other rooms it connects to. Put t-molds in, every area can react to it's environment without affecting the others.

The "expert" at Natural Cork was pretty cool and up front with me. Not to pat myself on the back , but he actually said what I thought ( most of it anyway )

"Being that Carriage House is a 7 ply, it's very stable. Once acclimated the odds of it moving are slim. UNLESS, someone likes their home super cold in the summer." He said he has that product in his home, and there are 3 different locations that could have a t-moulding that doesn't , it's been fine for 3 years. He said, "One good thing, if the floor ever binds up at that location, you can relief cut it, install a t-mould, and it will be fine", (like you said floormeintucson).
He also talked about what BW said. " Different connecting rooms have different environments, and expand at different rates".
I talked about undercutting casings deep, and undercutting drywall. He had no comment, but it only makes sense that it works.

He said, "Basically we require the t-mouldings in doorways to protect ourselves".

[quote="dennis"]
But, we insist on t-mould at every doorway to remain within the manufacturers span specs. It helps the installer too, when encountering an awkward passage from room to room.


We're not talking about the same type product here

Just curious , I'm trying to figure a scenerio where an installer encounters an "awkward passage" into a room ? Is someone standing in the doorway?
Maybe I'm not translating that right?