7-Inch Engineered White Oak Installation, Site-Finished — Chateau Elan Residence, Braselton, GA
Project Overview
This project involved the full removal of an existing glue-down floor, concrete subfloor preparation, and installation of 7-inch rift and quartersawn engineered white oak throughout a private country club residence in the Chateau Elan community in Braselton, Georgia.
The floor was installed unfinished and site-finished on location using Bona NordicSeal and Bona Traffic HD.
This Chateau Elan residence is one of Classy Flooring ATL’s documented hardwood installation projects — engineered and site-finished wide-plank white oak for design-sensitive residential work across metro Atlanta and Georgia. See the full range of our work on our Our Work page.
Project type: Engineered hardwood installation and site finishing
Location: Country club residence, Chateau Elan, Braselton, Georgia
Scope: Approximately 2,000 square feet
Year: 2025 Renovation
The Material
Species: White oak, rift and quartersawn
Manufacturer: Tekton
Construction: Engineered unfinished
Wear layer: 4.5mm
Thickness: 9/16 inch
Width: 7 inches
Length: Random lengths, 2 feet to 7 feet
Rift and quartersawn white oak is generally chosen for its straighter, tighter grain pattern and improved dimensional stability compared with flatter cuts. For a 7-inch wide plank installation over a concrete slab, rift and quartersawn white oak was a sound material choice — it supports a more stable and visually consistent result across a large open-plan area.
Why Unfinished Engineered and Site Finishing
Installing the floor unfinished and finishing it on location — rather than using a prefinished product — gave this project a level of control that factory finishing cannot replicate.
Site finishing means the entire floor is sanded flat as one continuous surface and finished in a single unified pass. There are no edge bevels, no factory sheen variation between planks, and no transitions between rooms. The result is a floor that reads as one cohesive surface rather than a collection of individual boards. For a 7-inch wide plank in an open-plan home, that continuity matters. It also meant the finish system — color direction, sheen level, and topcoat durability — could be selected specifically for this home rather than accepted as a factory default.
How This Project Was Executed
- Removed existing glue-down floor
- Ground the concrete to remove adhesive residue
- Tested slab moisture with RH in-slab probe
- Applied moisture barrier and self-leveling where needed
- Acclimated and installed unfinished engineered white oak
- Sanded flat with Hummel drum sander and planetary sander
- Applied Bona NordicSeal sealer and Bona Traffic HD topcoat
Subfloor Preparation
The existing glue-down floor was fully removed. The concrete was ground after removal to eliminate adhesive residue and produce a clean bonding surface. No structural cracks required repair.
Moisture testing was performed using an RH in-slab probe after the old floor was removed. Readings came in at 55 to 65 percent relative humidity. Based on the flooring system and adhesive selected for this project, those readings did not indicate an active moisture problem — but a moisture mitigation system was still applied as a protective measure appropriate for a wide-plank glue-down installation over concrete.
Moisture and flatness correction system:
- Wakol PU 280 — applied in 2 coats as a moisture barrier over the concrete slab
- Wakol D 3045 — primer coat applied before self-leveling
- Wakol Z 231 — self-leveling compound applied where needed to bring the surface to the flatness standard required for this installation
Proper flatness was essential for this project. A 7-inch wide plank will show any subfloor irregularity through the finished surface. Self-leveling was used where needed to bring the slab within tolerance before installation began.
Installation
The engineered white oak was acclimated on site for three days. Moisture readings were taken during acclimation to confirm the material had reached equilibrium with the site conditions before installation began.
Adhesive: Wakol MS 260, applied with a 1/4 inch V-notch trowel
Method: Full-spread glue-down
Wakol MS 260 is a moisture-controlling elastic adhesive designed for engineered and solid hardwood installations over concrete. The 1/4 inch V-notch trowel application provides consistent adhesive coverage across the full plank surface and the correct transfer rate for the board width used.
Sanding and Finishing
Because the floor was installed unfinished, all sanding and finishing was performed on location after the adhesive had fully cured.
Sanding sequence: The floor was sanded with a Hummel drum sander followed by a planetary sander. The planetary sander helps reduce visible tracking and improves surface uniformity across the full plank width — important for a wide-plank floor where surface consistency is clearly visible.
Finish system:
| Step | Product | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Coats 1–2 | Bona NordicSeal | Sealer applied before topcoat |
| Buffing | Between sealer and topcoat | Smooths raised grain |
| Coats 3–4 | Bona Traffic HD | Waterborne topcoat, 2 coats with buffing between |
On white oak, Bona NordicSeal is often used when the goal is a lighter, more neutral color direction. On white oak finished with a standard clear sealer, the floor tends to shift toward a warmer amber tone as the finish cures. NordicSeal keeps the final color closer to the natural tone of the raw wood — lighter, cleaner, and more consistent across the full floor.
Bona Traffic HD provides durable protection appropriate for a high-traffic residential main level. No stain was applied. The finish system itself handles the color direction.
The Result
The finished floor reads as one continuous surface across the full main level — consistent grain, neutral color, and a uniform sheen that does not draw attention to individual planks. The rift and quartersawn cut contributes to that visual consistency: the tight, straight grain lines remain largely uniform from board to board, which suits the open-plan layout of this home.
Client Review from This Project
Source: Google Business Profile review
“5 Star Review from Orlando & Karon Martinez
Residents of Château Elan, Braselton GA
Our home, which we purchased in 2018, was built 20+ years ago. The hardwood flooring, while a bit dated, still looked good, so we chose not to spend the sizable amount of money to replace. Wrong decision.
Soon thereafter we began noticing a popping noise when walking over several areas of the house. The natural settling of the concrete foundation had created air pockets where the flooring glue had released. Knowing it would require vacating our home to tear out, correct, and replace all the flooring, we just complained and procrastinated. Another wrong decision.
When friends in our neighborhood experienced total interior destruction due to flooding, the General Contractor brought in [Classy Flooring ATL] to handle all the hardwood replacement. We were in awe of their skill level and the beautiful floors they installed and finished. We were finally convinced to replace our floors, and that [Classy Flooring ATL] was the company to work with.
We vacated our home for a short while, entrusting them to resurface and level the foundation, install the necessary moisture barriers, and to install premium white oak floors.
This was truly an educational experience for us, as there are so many critical elements to the proper preparation and installation of hardwoods. We were so fortunate to have met Claudiu; he is one of a handful of “certified” professional flooring specialists in Metro Atlanta. He and his Team are simply “the best”. Our hardwoods are stunning – they have completely transformed our home.”
Project Specifications
| Detail | Specification |
|---|---|
| Species | White oak, rift and quartersawn |
| Manufacturer | Tekton |
| Type | Engineered unfinished |
| Wear layer | 4.5mm |
| Thickness | 9/16 inch |
| Width | 7 inches |
| Length | Random, 2–7 feet |
| Subfloor | Concrete slab |
| Moisture test | RH in-slab probe, 55–65% RH |
| Moisture barrier | Wakol PU 280, 2 coats |
| Self-leveling primer | Wakol D 3045 |
| Self-leveling compound | Wakol Z 231 |
| Acclimation | 3 days with moisture monitoring |
| Adhesive | Wakol MS 260, 1/4 inch V-notch |
| Sanding | Hummel drum sander + planetary sander |
| Sealer | Bona NordicSeal, 2 coats |
| Topcoat | Bona Traffic HD, 2 coats |
| Total area | Approximately 2,000 sq ft |
| Project type | Renovation |
| Location | Chateau Elan, Braselton, GA |
Related Work
For a similar engineered hardwood installation project, see our Monroe Herringbone Installation project page.
See all of our completed hardwood projects on our Our Work page →
For a large-scale European white oak installation with a custom border and solid brass inlay, see our European White Oak Herringbone with Brass Inlay — Woodstock, GA Estate project page.
For hardwood floor refinishing and restoration using professional finish systems, see our Hardwood Floor Refinishing & Restoration page.
For a solid white oak installation over a concrete slab with on-site sanding and finishing in a Buckhead high-rise, see our 4-Inch Solid White Oak Installation and Site Finishing — Buckhead High-Rise, Atlanta project page.
For engineered and prefinished hardwood floor installation in Atlanta, see our Engineered & Prefinished Hardwood Floor Installation page.
For more on subfloor preparation, moisture control, flatness correction, and the conditions that must be addressed before hardwood installation begins, see: Subfloor Preparation for Hardwood Installation in Atlanta
For a large-scale engineered installation with a factory-made herringbone and custom border, see our European Ash Herringbone Installation — Savannah, GA Penthouse Residences project page.
Classy Flooring ATL serves homeowners in Atlanta, Buckhead, Sandy Springs, Brookhaven, Dunwoody, Alpharetta, Roswell, Johns Creek, Braselton, and surrounding North Georgia communities.