How to Install Wood Floors

Whether you are remodeling and adding hardwood floors or replacing hardwood flooring that needs repaits, you don't have to spend a lot of money hiring a contractor. You can put down hardwood flooring yourself.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Chalk line
• Nail punch
• Hammer
• Tongue and groover hardwood flooring
• Pry bar
• Table saw
• Floor nailer
• 1 1/2 in. finish nails

1. Locate the basebords and shoe molding where the floor is going to be installed and remove them.

2. Switch up the lengths of wood so you can avoid having two seams lining up near each other. Using the table saw, cut and fit strips together on the room's floor as a mock layout before you begin the actual nailing.

3. After you have strips in place get ready to lay your boards. To allow for baseboards, create a 1/4 in space between the wood floor and the wall.

4. To make the first strip, use your longest board and snap the chalk line on the floor as a guide. Be sure to leave the 1/4 space ready for use.

5. Align the wood with the chalk line and drive a nail every 12 inches into the face of the first strip.

6. Start piercing the other strips together on the floor. Fit the tongues into the grooves tightly and using the nail gun, mallet staples every 12 inches through the tongue of each length of board.

7. At the last strip, use the pry bar to snug the board into the last course and face nail it to the subfloor repeating Step 5.

8. Using a heavy duty sander, sand the entire floor. Afterwards stain and brush on 3-4 coats of high gloss polyeurethane finish. Replace the shoe modling now to cover any gaps at the edges. Once you have finished, get out your camera and capture your newest accomplishment!

[samuelsmith10]

on 7/18/2009 If you are learning to install hardwood flooring, there is a very helpful website that I have bookmarked. It's www.oakfloorinstallation.com It provides great tips on pitfalls and problems you might face and talks about acclimation, undercutting the door jamb, preping the subfloor, testing moisture content, etc. It also has lots of pictures. Check it out!