Chapter 29 Further Reading: Flooring Systems

Books

1. "Flooring Installation: Pro Tips for a Perfect Floor" — The Editors of Fine Homebuilding (Taunton Press) A compilation of Fine Homebuilding's best flooring installation articles, covering hardwood nail-down, tile and cement board, floating engineered floor systems, and the subfloor preparation work that underlies all of them. The articles are written by working professionals who describe both the standard approach and the problem situations they actually encounter on job sites — more useful than idealized step-by-step guides. Well-photographed with close-up detail of critical techniques.

2. "Ceramic Tile: Installation and Repair" — Steve Gerrard (Creative Publishing International) A focused, practical guide to tile work covering layout planning, substrate preparation, setting tile (including large-format), grouting, and repair. The substrate chapter is particularly strong, explaining in practical terms why cement board and uncoupling membranes exist and how to choose between them. Suitable for homeowners tackling a bathroom or kitchen tile project.

3. "Installing Hardwood Floors" — the Editors of The Journal of Light Construction (JLC) JLC is the trade journal for residential construction professionals, and this compilation reflects that audience — technically rigorous, with specific guidance on moisture content testing, fastener selection, and the specific problem conditions (wide planks, radiant heat, engineered over concrete) that basic how-to guides often gloss over. Recommended for anyone attempting hardwood installation rather than just hardwood purchase.

Online Resources

4. National Wood Flooring Association — woodfloors.org The NWFA maintains the industry standards for wood flooring installation (NWFA Installation Guidelines, updated regularly) and has a free consumer education section covering hardwood selection, moisture management, and refinishing. The installation guidelines document is used by flooring inspectors and is the definitive reference for whether a hardwood installation was done correctly. The NWFA also certifies installers and inspectors — useful when looking for qualified professionals.

5. Tile Council of North America — tcnatile.com The TCNA publishes the "Handbook for Ceramic, Glass, and Stone Tile Installation" — the definitive installation standard for tile work in the United States. The Handbook is updated annually, is available for purchase (approximately $30), and defines the assembly methods (substrate specifications, thinset requirements, waterproofing requirements) that architects, inspectors, and tile contractors reference. The TCNA website also has a free online research tool for assembly specifications.

6. Schluter Systems Education — schluter.com/education Schluter, the manufacturer of the DITRA uncoupling membrane, maintains extensive free educational content on tile installation, including video installation guides, technical documents on deflection and substrate requirements, and detailed explanations of why uncoupling works. Appropriately note that this is vendor content, but the technical explanations are accurate and the installation videos are genuinely useful.

Manufacturer Resources

7. COREtec / USFloors Installation and Product Documentation COREtec (and other LVP manufacturers including Shaw, Pergo, and Armstrong) publish detailed installation guides and product specification sheets on their websites. For any LVP product you're considering, download and read the installation guide before purchasing — it contains the actual tolerances, moisture limits, expansion gap requirements, and radiant heat specifications that determine whether the product is appropriate for your application. Marketing materials are not a substitute.

8. National Association of Home Builders — Research on Flooring Lifecycle Costs NAHB periodically publishes research on residential material lifecycles, including flooring. Their "Study of Life Expectancy of Home Components" (2007, but still frequently cited) provides average lifespan data for flooring types under normal residential use conditions. Useful context for making 20-year cost-of-ownership calculations. Available free on the NAHB website.

Consumer Protection

9. Flooring America / National Flooring Association Dealer Directories When selecting a flooring installer, membership in industry associations provides some accountability framework. More useful is asking for the installer's NWFA or NTCA (National Tile Contractors Association) certification number — these certifications require demonstrated competence testing. An uncertified installer may still be excellent; a certified installer has at least met a baseline standard.

10. ASTM F1869 (Calcium Chloride Test) and F2170 (Relative Humidity Test) for Concrete Slabs Both test standards are the industry baseline for measuring concrete slab moisture emission before flooring installation. F1869 (calcium chloride) is the traditional method; F2170 (in-situ relative humidity probe) is considered more accurate by many flooring scientists. Understanding which test your flooring contractor uses and what the results mean prevents flooring failures from moisture-related causes — the leading cause of hardwood and LVP failures over concrete.

Video Resources

11. Floor Critics — YouTube and FloorCritics.com An independent consumer publication that reviews specific LVP, hardwood, and tile products with hands-on testing — including wear layer scratch tests, water tests, and installation comparisons. More rigorous than manufacturer claims, less rigorous than laboratory testing, and genuinely useful for product comparison. The wear layer scratch test methodology is directly applicable to the product evaluation exercise in this chapter.

12. This Old House — Flooring Series The This Old House YouTube channel and website archive contains dozens of episodes covering hardwood refinishing (both professional and DIY), LVP floating floor installation, tile installation, and squeak repair. Visual demonstrations of techniques like using a drum sander, troweling thinset for large-format tile, and the Counter-Snap system for carpet squeaks are helpful complements to the written guidance in this chapter.