Nothing can match the rich finish of hardwood floors. But they aren’t just for good looks. Hardwoods can increase your home’s resale value by as much as 12 per cent. Wood flooring is also a better option than carpet when it comes to durability and indoor air quality. Two of the latest innovations in hardwood floors are engineered hardwoods and lock joints.
Engineered hardwoods combine a high-density fibre (HDF) core with real hardwood, which provides a stable and durable base similar to laminate flooring. And with the functionality of hardwood, it can be sanded and refinished three to five times, unlike laminates.
The key to lock flooring is the tongue-and-groove joint. It requires no glue or nails and clicks together with ease. It offers other benefits too, such as reduced damage from repeated use—you can even uninstall it and move the flooring to another room—and, because there is less pressure on the joints, there is a lower risk of breakage.
The floors on the following pages were manufactured by Montreal-based Boa-Franc’s Mirage. Its lock variety of floors has two features that ease installation: the boards come in 45⁄16"-wide planks in five lengths, for an easier fit; and the lock joints have a pivot-and-hook system that allows the sides and ends to fit together in one motion.
Walk the plank: Top tips for a perfect floor
- Leave the planks in their boxes in the room for 24 hours before installation. This allows them to acclimatize to the temperature and humidity.
- Like you do with paint cans, open a few boxes before you begin and shuffle them up to create natural-looking variations in colour and grain.
- Stack up the planks based on their length so you can find the correct board size when you need it.
- Do not force a joint when installing. Check that there isn’t any dirt or dust obstructing the joint if you are having difficulty making it fit.
- Choose your starting wall and lay out one plank per row across the room until you reach your end point. This step lets you see how much you have to rip from the width of the first row for a perfect fit. Planks must stay at least 1 1/2" wide so, if needed, you can cut a little from the first and the last row to compensate.
- Avoid making patterns; stagger the joints from row to row. Leave at least 6" between joints on adjoining rows.
- Now is the best time to run speaker wires or cables to their needed locations either from the floor below or under the baseboards.
- Careful planning is key; organize your boards, practise locking the joints, map out your rows and provide access for needed wires
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