How to Install Unfinished Natural Hardwood Floor Planks over Concrete

Hardwood flooring is an amenity in a house that is unrivaled. The colonial style homes of old are a prime example of its durability. One of the main issues concerning its inclusion/exclusion in some homes is the expense. It is a bit more costly to have installed, but with all the do-it-yourself instruction resources, there isn’t any reason to hold off on it any longer. Install your own hardwood floors and be the talk of the town.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Things You’ll Need:

• Hardwood flooring
• 3 lbs 6d finish nails
• Concrete primer
• Asphalt mastic
• Chalk box
• Notched trowel
• 6 mil Polyethylene sheathing
• ¾ inch 4foot-by-8 foot Plywood
• Grinder
• Concrete filler
• Table saw
• Skill saw
• Jig saw
• Electric miter saw
• Hammer
• Nail set
• Measuring tape
• Power actuated fastener and fasteners

Preparation

1. Measure the floor area to determine how many sheets of ¾ inch plywood is needed. Prepare the surface of the concrete slab by grinding down any high spots and filling low spots. Next, prime the surface with concrete primer.
2. Trowel on the asphalt mastic with a notched trowel. After allowing the mastic to set for two hours, roll the polyethylene sheathing over the area. Be certain to overlap the edges at least four inches.
3. Cut the plywood to fit the room. When laying out the plywood, stay within ¾ of an inch from the walls, 1/8 of an inch from doors and other obstructions and ¼ to ½ of an inch between panels.
4. Layout the plywood perpendicular to the hardwood flooring. Install the plywood over the sheathing using the power actuated fastener. Secure the center of the plywood first, then the edges. Use at least 9 to 12 fasteners per sheet of plywood.
5. Apply another layer of the polyethylene sheathing on top of the plywood. Be certain the sheathing overlaps four to six inches.

Installation

6. Choose a starting point. Measure out from one of the corners of the chosen wall five inches. Do the same at the other corner of the same wall.
7. Stretch the chalk line from one of these points to the other. Pop a chalk line. Measure the distance from the line to the starting wall at various points on the line. This will determine how the first row needs to be laid.
8. If the discrepancy is with an 1/8 of an inch, begin the first row with the planks. If it is over, use the chalk line to determine how to cut the first row so that the distance between the first row and the line are the same.
9. blind nailing Face nail the first row and set the nail heads with the appropriate nail set. Begin the second row and secure it by “blind nailing.” Take care to not damage the planks when securing these pieces.
10. Continue installing the planks until the last row is reached. Cut it to fit with ¾ of an inch between it and the wall.

Tips & Warnings

• Always wear safety glasses.
• When using the mastic, be certain to have adequate ventilation.
• Stop hammering the nail when the head is close to the wood, then use the nail set to finish driving the nail in.
• Never set the blade of a table saw any higher than needed for the cut.
• Do not leave power tools unattended.
• Do not use power actuated fasteners on floors with radiant heat in the concrete. Use concrete screws.

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