Hello, I have some ? regarding the install of prefinished engineered hardwood. I have been looking at Mercier premium hard Maple for my small 200 SF Kitchen. I believe I will just install the floors first as I am doing a complete kitchen remodel and the floor will go much faster without cutting around obstructions (Cabinets). The subfloor is 3/4 plywood over 2X10 joist. I will be removing the 3/4 Particle underlayment that currently covers the plywood.

1) Is Engineered (Solid) preferred over solid hardwood in a kitchen install? Should I even put wood in my kitchen!?

2)Should I add a 3/8 or 1/4 ? sheet of CDX (over the 3/4) to stiffen the subfloor before stapling down the 1/2 thick Engineered flooring?

3)My brother owns a bostitch hardwood stapler model bostitch M111FS that he used for his 3/4 solid oak install, would this work for my 1/2 engineered product?

4)What stapler is recomended for this type (1/2 engineered) flooring? Mercier calls out the use of 1-1/4 inch staples. (for their premium engeneered product)

I really love the look of my Brothers Lauzon 3/4 prefinished solid white oak. If the benefits of the engineered over solid aren't that great in the kitchen should I just get the 3/4 solid wood and use my Bro's Stapler and associated tooling he has already purchased for his floor. and if I go with the 3/4 solid Maple is the single 3/4 plywood subfloor good to go without an additional later of CDX?

Thanks in advance, I really appreciate your oppinions.

Oh and as far as wood in the kitchen my main concerns are the small spills that occur occasionally. We don't have any big dogs, just a couple of little kids! The kitchen is on the second floor of our home (above grade) so maybe i should just go with the solid? or engineered? solid? engineered? you get the idea!
If you tell me to just close my eyes and pick one I will most certainly pick the solid as I wont need to spend the $ on new tooling. But if you beleive there are real world benefits to the engineered I will bite the bullet and buy the proper tools to do it right.
Sorry about the long windedness!
Thanks
-Duane

1) I install solid wood in kitchens all the time. It's fine as long as it doesn't get flooded. Same applies to engineered. Neither are immune to moisture problems.

2) If going with 1/2" engineered, 3/8 ply would be an improvement. It's all about how stiff and solid the existing subfloor is now. You shouldn't need any additional ply for a 3/4" solid.

3) No, it won't. Although the M111 FS does have a 1/2" boot available, I think the 15 gauge staple is a bit too much for most engineered floors. It may or may not work, depending on the design of the particular flooring.

4) A few different types of staplers would work. I think the consensus here is the Spotnails stapler model WS4840W2 for 1/2" engineered would be a good choice.

Bottom line, small occasional spills that are promptly wiped up are not a problem for wood floors. And any wood floor that gets soaked for a long time would suffer problems. IMO, go with what you like and learn to care for it properly.

Thanks for the fast reply!
So all things being equal I should probably go with the 3/4 solid since I allready have the correct tools and I will save myself the additional subfloor work. (additional plywood) Plus the Solid hardwood is less expensive to boot!

I want a light to medium brown (Tan) floor to accent the Maple cabinets we are going to install. Do you agree with the choice of Maple floors for the kitchen or is there a better alternative with similiar color that would be better for kitchen use and easier to install. (Is solid hard maple installer freindly?)

I would like an oppinion as far as **** or **** as far as quality goes in their hardwood premium prefinished lines of flooring)


My brother installed the following flooring and it turned out beautifully:



Although **** has a 35 year warranty.

Thanks again, I appreciate all oppinions!

edited by moderator: please read terms of use. We cannot allow the url's of other online retailers nor mention of products we do not carry.

As one of this site's moderators, I needed to delete some of your post. Please read the terms of use. But to answer your questions, here is my take on it.

If you can obtain a solid that you like at a price you like, then that would be my preference. I see no advantage with an engineered over a wood subfloor. However, there are some very high end engineered floors that the fit and finish are superior to any solid. But they are very expensive. As to maple, it is not my favorite flooring wood but I like it for furniture and cabinets. Maple's graining is very fine and it has almost zero texture to it. As a result, dents and such show more readily. While it is somewhat harder than oak, damage just seems to be more noticeable. Plus maple is less stable than oak. But neither of these reasons are enough to prohibit it's use as a floor. Maple has been used as flooring for centuries. One just needs to understand it's limitations.

Thank you! Sorry about the links and such.
Could you recommend a nice lighter colored hardwood that would take a medium stain beautifully and be a quality floor for kitchen use with medium color Maple cabinets. (I do like to see the grain oof the wood)

Possibly White or Red oak in a select or better grade?

I suggest you browse around the samples here and read about the individual products. You could also call or e-mail Ken with your question. I am hesitant to make recommendations about particular products unless I am the installer.