I am planning to install a floating, engineered hardwood floor over hydronic, radiant heating. I need to decide whether to use beveled, micro-beveled, or square edge flooring. I want to use square edge material but am afraid that the surface of the floor will show steps at all of the joints, either immediately after installation or over time. Does anyone have any experience with this?
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A friend of mine, who is also a junior building inspector, put down a floating hardwood floor over an in-floor system ( don't know the brand). He used a engineered floor with a micro-bevel on edges and butt ends and, one year later, it still looks great. He says that he chose the bevel-edged style because of cracks that appear in flat edged products over time. We live the Pacific NW and it is humid here -the hair-line cracks that will eventually appear will simply be less noticable with the bevel-edge. Humidity may not be a problem in your area.
Don't know if this helps you much but at the very least it will bump the discussion up.
cheers. m.
I have the square edged engineered floor from Bruce in this house right now. There's almost no difference in heghts, more like none, between the pieces. Square edged is the only way to go IMO. Also, my opinion but I think any of the bevel edges look like c rap and are good dirt collectors.
Edited 12/29/2007 9:28 am ET by john7g
I have a friend who put sqaure edge floating flooring in her living room. Don't know what brand. I first saw it about 8-9 months after install. I was appalled at the number of splintered edges that showed through a different color.
"Put your creed in your deed." Emerson
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I've installed Kahrs floors in 3 different houses. Everything around here is slab on grade, so it saves a lot of labor costs to be able to just float a floor over the slab. It is a square edge, and the sections join up really well. Very well made product. I like the ease of cleaning that a smooth floor provides, as long as the product is good enough to join up well. Kahrs has a nice thick wear layer too. It goes together really quickly because of the edge joint (tilt and drop) and it comes in 8' x 8" pieces. Let me know if you have any other questions about it -
Jamie