Staple/Nail Down. If possible, this is the ideal installation method. You must have a wood or plywood subfloor in order to staple or nail onto. Concrete or other hardboard type subfloor materials will not hold staples or nails.

With a nail-down engineered hardwood floor, follow the same subfloor preparation steps as above, including underlayment and laying spacers around the room’s perimeter to maintain the manufacturer's recommended expansion gap. This installation method

When there’s a wood subfloor in place in the form of plywood or OSB, then a nail-down or staple-down, rather than glue-down installation is the best way to go. Aside from a few specialty tools, it’s a cost-effective method requiring only nails or stap