Installing flooring: The inside story

Vinyl flooring is still tops for resisting dents. But Consumer Reports latest flooring tests show that the best bamboo and oak floors can fend off most other wear for about the same price. Whatever type of flooring you choose—solid or engineered wood, plastic laminate, vinyl, linoleum—you'll certainly want it to look as good in your home as it does in the showroom. Here are some tips for getting the best results:

Buy the right amount. Determine the square footage of the room by multiplying its length by its width. (Divide an irregularly shaped room into smaller rectangular sections, calculate the square footage of each section, then add them together.) Tip: Buy an extra 10 percent for mistakes that might occur during installation. You might even want to invest in an extra box of flooring for future repairs or additions.
Acclimate the wood. Before installing solid or engineered wood or laminate flooring, unpack it in the space where it will be installed and let it stand for 24 to 72 hours so that its temperature and moisture match the levels of the room.
Make sure the subfloor is flat and quiet. Screw a wood subfloor to the underlying joists to minimize creaking. Then pad low spots with plywood or shims. Fill dips in a concrete subfloor with leveling compound (also known as concrete patch).
Lay it straight. Snap chalk lines, fashion a paper template, or dry-lay flooring before installing it. With wood or laminate, leave a ½-inch gap at the walls to allow for expansion.
Cut properly. To avoid chipping and fraying the flooring as you work, cut wood with the finish side up when using a hand, band, or radial-arm saw. When cutting with a circular saw or sabre saw (jigsaw), orient material finish side down.
Choose the right adhesive. If you're gluing down flooring, use the manufacturer's recommended adhesive; you might void the warranty if you use another product.
Go easy on the thermostat. If you need to heat the room soon after installation, raise the temperature gradually over the course of a week, especially if you have radiant heat, to allow the flooring to adjust.

Nail or staple-down installation
Works with: Solid wood and engineered wood.
Best for: Wood subfloor.
How it works: Standard, ¾-inch-thick solid-wood strip and plank flooring is traditionally nailed to the subfloor; thinner solid or engineered material is almost exclusively stapled. Fasteners are driven diagonally through the tongue side of the material and into the subfloor (blind-nailed), so they are invisible once the floor is finished. Solid flooring can also be nailed straight through the surface (face-nailed) with decorative cut nails or fastened with screws, which are typically countersunk and concealed with wood plugs. A layer of 15-pound felt or rosin paper is often sandwiched between the subfloor and floor to prevent moisture accumulation between the two and lessen sound.

Glue-down installation
Works with: Engineered wood, vinyl, and linoleum.
Best for: Wood or concrete subfloor or existing flooring.
How it works: Sheets, tiles, or planks are glued to a clean, flat subfloor using a troweled-on adhesive; some glue-down flooring is simply peel-and-stick. No vapor barrier is required.

Floating installation
Works with: Engineered wood, plastic laminate, and linoleum.
Best for: Wood or concrete subfloor or existing flooring.
How it works: Tongue-and-groove planks or tiles lock together mechanically. Some products must also be glued together at the joints. The material is generally laid over a thin foam or cork pad, which accounts for minor flaws in the subfloor and absorbs sound. A thin plastic vapor barrier is required for installations over concrete.