How to Install a Wood Floor

With so many flooring products on the market, finding the right floor for your home might prove difficult, but opting for a solid wood floor is always a great way to go. And with so many different styles to choose from, you're bound to find one that best meets your expectations for your home. Read on to learn how to install a wood floor.

Things You'll Need

• Wood floor
• Compound
• Belt sander
• Saw
• Brad gun
• Brads
• Felt
• Hammer tacker
• Staples

Instructions

1. Prepare the sub-floor before you install your new wood floor. Remove all the baseboards. Screw down any area on the floor where it squeaks. Any area on the sub-floor which is raised, sand down with a belt sander. Any area on the floor which is concave, add some fill-in compound, sanding the area after it dries.

2. Trim all the door casings in the room so the wood flooring can slip underneath. Put a piece of floor up against each casing. Using a saw, saw right through the casing at the top of the floor. This will make adequate room for the floor to fit under.

3. Lay 15 lb. felt covering the entire sub-floor up to 1/2 inch from each wall. The felt should run parallel to the longest wall as will the flooring. Staple the felt using a hammer tacker. Hammer each staple down that is not flush with the floor. No staples should be raised.

4. Create expansion gaps that prevent your wood floor from buckling by placing 1/2 inch spacers against the walls. Start laying your wood floor along the longest wall. You will hammer the ends to tightly compact the strips, using a small mallet.

5. Nail the strips into place using 1-1/2 inch brads at a 45-degree angle. Using a brad gun shoot these brads through the floor into the subfloor. Put a brad every 4 inches but not closer than 2 inches from each end. As you install the wood flooring the strips should be staggered randomly across the floor.

Tips & Warnings

• Run the wood flooring parallel to the longest wall in your room. This makes the room appear larger.

• Allow your wood flooring to sit in the open boxes in the room where it will be laid for at least three days. Wait at least a week before opening the boxes of wood floor where there is new plaster or drywall.

• The farther apart you stagger your ends, the better your floor will look.

• Do not store your new wood floor in the basement or the garage as it could absorb moisture which could ruin your flooring.

• Because engineered wood floors come with tongues and grooves milled into them, do not cut the ends unless you come to an end or run into an obstacle.