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Engineered flooring is beautiful and practical for cement floor TV homes. I paid to have engineered flooring in most of my home, but now I would not hesitate to do the job myself. It's time consuming and requires a few special tools and some know-how, but here's how to do it correctly:

1) Remove existing flooring and glue or concrete "bumps" in the floor. Remove any shoe molding but it is not necessary to remove the baseboards.

2) Engineered flooring should be glued down, not installed over a laminate type foam underlay. Therefore, since TV floors are often 'wavy" you must apply concrete filler to the void spots. Pour water on the floor and allow it to settle into any void areas. Draw a pencil outline on the edges of the voids. Towel up the excess water. Mix the concrete filler and trowel it smoothly into the void areas. Using a watery mix will result in a flatter surface.

3) Measure the floor to be certain the distances across the room are the same and that the floor is square. If you find that the room is not square, you can compensate for the problem in the next step.

4) Decide the direction you want the floor to run and choose one of the two walls which has the fewest doors or the longest straight run for your starter strip. If the floor is not square: (example - one wall is 1/2" longer than the opposite wall.) Snap a chalk line at the exact width of a board on one end of the wall and 1/4" more than a board width on the other end. When you install the starter strip along the chalk line this will cut the discrepancy in half and the final shoe molding will cover the small gaps on both sides of the long wall.

5) Get the proper glue and apply it according to instructions. Do only the first strip from one end to the other. Install with the groove facing the wall and the tongue facing out. Use a power miter saw to cut the final board to about 1/8" of the end wall. The remaining piece, unless it is less than a couple of inches long, will become the first board in the next row. Do not continue the job until the starter strip is completely dry and secure.

6) Look carefully at the glue instructions. Most glues are fairly quick drying so you can only do a few courses at a time. I suggest you start with three courses at most. Lay out the material for each of the three courses selecting boards which tend to end in a random pattern, rather than having the seams near each other. Snap a line at the point which is the width of three courses. Apply glue up to the chalk line, then install the three courses. Each new board should fit snugly against the adjoining one at the end and side . If necessary, tap the board into position with a soft piece of pine and a mallet. Be prepared to cut the end pieces fairly quickly so that all three courses are installed while the glue is the proper consistency.

7) Install the rest of the floor in segments based on how many courses you feel you can do at one time.

8) Generally you will install a threshold or transition strip in the center of each wall opening. The transition shape you choose will depend on the type and height of the adjoining floor. If you gotten this far and you've chosen a proper transition strip, you will be able to determine how you must slice, chisel or otherwise modify flooring so that the strips and shoe molding cover the cuts you make.

9) The last course may have to be sliced to fit. Cut and glue these pieces one at a time so you are not rushed.

10) Measure and cut matching shoe molding. Install with glue and/or finishing nails. A pneumatic brad nailer is the most ideal way of fastening molding.

11) Put feet up and have a beer!

Questions, comments?