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Step 1
Coat your sub-floor in 15-pound asphalt felt. Make sure it overlaps the seams by approximately 3 inches, then staple it down using a staple gun. Mark the center of the room by snapping a chalk line.
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Step 2
Snap a chalk line 1/2 inch from the wall you're starting from and parallel to the centerline. This allows for the hardwood flooring to expand and that small gap will be covered by baseboard trim.
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Step 3
Select the lengthiest boards to use in the first row. Drill pilot holes on the side near the wall to install 1 1/2-inch finishing nails. Nail them through the sub-floor into the sleepers then recess the nails using a nail set.
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Step 4
Drill pilot holes every 10 inches and at 45-degree angles through the tongue of the hardwood flooring on the next two rows. Secure with 1 1/2-inch nails and then drive each nail using a nail set.
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Step 5
Tighten each row against the previous row by rapping it with a mallet and a short scrap piece of hardwood flooring. When installing the hardwood flooring make sure that the end joints in each adjacent row are not within 6 inches of each other.
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Step 6
Use a flooring nailer when you install hardwood flooring over a large area. Place on the tongue of the board and strike the plunger with a rubber mallet. Don't scratch the flooring when doing this.
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Step 7
Pry the final boards into place using a block and pry bar. Drill holes and face nail the boards where it will be covered with baseboard. Use a nail set to nail the boards below the surface to complete your hardwood flooring.
