Hi All,

I am preparing to install approx 500 sqft of Triangulo Engineered Tigerwood flooring 1/2" x 5 1/4"W on the first floor of a home(DR, Foyer/hallway, sitting room). The subfloor is 3/4" plywood. I have purchased a 36" square tumbled marble medallion in the foyer to be installed centered with the entry door. I am fairly experienced with home improvements/flooring, but am looking for some advice from the experienced here on the best way to do this(minus hiring a pro), see the link below for floorplan diagram and photos-blue tape indicates rough location of medallion and red lines in diagram are joists (floorplan diagram is not to scale)

The questions:

The flooring would flow better imho the direction of the joists in the hallway/foyer and formal dining room. can i install parallel to the joists without consequence of "cupping"? or must they be run perpendicular?
How would this best be done?

If i "box" around the medallion would the hardwood be glued/facenailed tounges removed? and the rest of flooring installed up to it? See photo labeled "medallion"

The medallion being installed is 1/4 thick, the tigerwood flooring is 1/2", should i install a 36" square sheet of 1/4"hardibacker under the medallion to match heights then secure to subfloor or go thinset 1/4" troweled directly to subfloor(gasp!)....

link to photos on flickr:

http://flic.kr/s/aHsjF2Ut5j

no insight on this one?....I'm sure there has to be some on here with experience doing this...in relation to installing a " border" around the stone medallion, would slip-tongue be needed since the tounge sides of the border will be facing four different directions? How would this medallion install be approached with the materials being used?

I'd glue (bostik's best or similar) the medallion to a 1/4 inch ply, then glue and pin nail it to the subfloor where you want it. Leaving a small gap around the perimeter, fill it with matching grout caulk.

Thanks Stephen..Bosticks is good for both tile and wood surfaces I assume.....based on the floorplan in the original post, which direction would you run the engineered wood? would the mitered hardwood surrounding the medallion be glued and nailed since the remaining wood will likely not mate up tongue to groove?

As a custom hardwood flooring manufacturer for many years, we would provide double edge grooved material for such situations. You however can tilt the blade on a table saw about 3-5 degrees, set your fence and rip off the tongue. Rout a groove in place of the tongue and simply use spline to adjoin the field pieces as they intersect the frame around your medallion built up with 1/4" plywood. Keep in mind you will also have to rout a groove in the cut end of any field piece that will intersect the frame. The frame pieces should be glued with Bostik best or similar as well as shot through with finishing nails. In the case of simply framing a medallion, I would not leave a gap but go flush, unlike a long transition between tile and wood. As for laying parallel with the joists, it's a risk that should be avoided if you feel any deflection in the substrate between the joists at all. Always try to create a grid. Laying on the diagonal is always an option to consider. I think it's a neat look. Best Regards, Kevin Pennington

Not sure how you spline a tumbled marble medallion but I am open to ideas.

I had somebody a few years back call me on something similar, but it was more about hardwood medallions into a wood floor and a ship lap joint was suggested.

Thanks Kevin, your suggestions make sense...I was told by someone to use a 36" square of luan?? Under the medallion to get it to the same height as the eng.hardwood...use construction adhesive and staples to secure the Luan and then mastic to lay the medallion on top...what are your opinions on this..this same person suggested using 1 1/4" staples to lay the engineered tigerwood flooring...what are your thoughts?

Building up the medallion with Luan is rather customary in my experience. Glue and staple it down, then use a urethane based mastic flooring adhesive to install the medallion. Since the medallion is stone there will be no adjoining the wood frame to the medallion but that is not a problem in that you would typically glue and face nail that perimeter border anyway. Truth be told, and I'm ready for everyone to gasp, but not every joint has to be interlocked T&G. I understand if some may disagree, but it wasn't that long ago that end-matching didn't even exist. All that the standardization of end-matching resulted in was a necessity to spend a six figure amount on a machine to do it. It does help with adhesive not purging up to the face in the case of a glue down install. I would have to give it that. Regarding the 1-1/4" staples to install with, I would agree. I always preferred them to cleats. Nail down two sample pieces, one with staples and one with cleats and then pull them up. You will quickly become confident in the staples holding fast and steady. Have a great day! Best Regards,

Kevin Pennington
Prodigy Hardwood Interiors

Thanks Kevin...if laying the adjoining field pieces (perpendicular to joists-see layout diagram/foyer photo)around the picture frame, I would imagine that I will have to at some point "notch" one row of the flooring around the frame...is this typically how it's done?

Did the provider of the medallion also supply a template? Many medallions we provided were round or elliptical and included a template that could be laid directly onto the hardwood flooring and then a specific router bit could be used to cut the opening for a perfect fit, thus the term inlay. If you are going to lay the medallion first and lay the flooring around it, then yes you are potentially going to have some odd cuts to make where they intersect the corners of the medallion. In my opinion they would be best done on a scroll saw. I can split a pencil line on a scroll saw as most can that use one with any frequency. If you had a template however, it would be a breeze. A few wacks with a square chisel in the corners and it drops right in. I hope this info helps because I was a bit foggy on the specific question.

Sincerely,

Kevin Pennington
Prodigy Hardwood Interiors

Thanks for the insight so far Kevin...The medallion i'm installing is 36" square tumbled marble mosaic, no scrollwork will be needed...my question was in regards to the flooring that will surround the "hardwood picture framed medallion"-when i lay the field flooring around it, i will install "full boards starting from the entry door to the picture frame-tounge-to-groove, but will probably have to "rip" one of the boards down and notch around it when i reach the other end of the picture frame. hope the question is making sense.... take a look at the photos (flickr link in the first post) they may help....the blue tape in the photos represents the location of the medallion...the photo entitled medallion is what i'm looking to achieve, but without a "diamond" positioning of the medallion...

I understand now. My reply was based on me seeing the image of the medallion laying on the diagonal. In that case, you would have field pieces intersecting the corners of the mitered wood frame around the medallion which you would have to cut triangles out of. That was why I suggested the scrollsaw as it would most accurately cut a perfect triangle with no tear out or chipping.

What your doing is much easier which I would have realized if I had payed attention to the blue tape rather than the medallion photo itself. Yes, you will have to notch one row as the field intersects the corner of the wood frame around the medallion, but the trick is to incorporate an end joint into that ripped section so you are not having to cut a U shape out of a single plank. You would have figured that out though in the process.

If you end up with a really odd rip width on one end of the medallion, you may want to position the medallion to where you are notching and ripping the intersecting field pieces on both the front edge and the back edge of the medallion for continuity sake. It would be a little more cutting but would look better than having a full plank flanking it on one end and a 1" width of a plank flanking it on the opposite end.

Sorry fo the confused reply earlier. That was totally my fault as result of trying to do to many things at one time.

Best Regards,

Kevin Pennington
Prodigy Hardwood Interiors

Ok Kevin, I think i have my head wrapped around all this good info now..... A few more general questions...what gauge angled finish nailer and nail length for all of the face nailing that needs to be done? Can you recommend a specific model based on experience? What length staple for the flooring stapler being used?(Have a Bostitch 1838K stapler). Application is 1/2 engineered tigerwood over 3/4" ply subfloor.

Bostitch is good equipment, whether as a finish nailer or flooring nailer/stapler. I believe the length of finishing nails I typically use is 1-1/4" but I'm going to plead ignorant on the gauge. I just can't remember. Set the air pressure where they recess by about 1/16"-1/8" (on a scrap piece) so you can fill the holes with a color matched putty. You can also use 1-1/4" staples for the flooring since it's just 1/2" in thickness whereas the standard for 3/4" over 3/4"+ plywood is 1-1/2". You are putting enough forethought into this that you are going to do great. The goofy mistakes tend to happen when you just dive right in without a plan. Lord knows I've made mistakes, but when they cost you money you learn your lessons quickly. Be sure to post a photo when complete. I'm sure it will be a project to be proud of.

Best Regards,

Kevin Pennington
Prodigy Hardwood Interiors