How to Install Hardwood Floor

You can install hardwood floor yourself. Installing nail down hardwood floor is easy, check with the manufacturer if the floor can be nailed down and make sure you have the wooden sub floor.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• floor nail gun or staple floor gun,
• cutting saws,
• moisture barrier paper,
• carpenter hand tools,

1. Measure the room, multiply the length with the width this will give you the square footage of the flooring you need for the room. Add 10% of the total square footage . Buy the floor 3 weeks before the planning installation.

2. Acclimate the hardwood floor. Place the boxes in the room you will install it. Open the boxes and take the wood out of the plastic. You have to acclimate the hardwood floor if it is :solid, engineered, unfinished floor, refinished floor, bamboo floors has to acclimate as well.

3. Prepare the subfloor.Remove the existing flooring:carpet, tiles, vinyl, hardwood floor. Take off the nails , staples and smoth out all uneveness.

4. Undercut all the door jams. you can use the bosh power saw that will undercut the door jams, use the flooring you will be installing as the base for undercutting so the thickness of the cut is precise. Hardwood floorboards will slide under the door jam.

5. Apply the moisture barrier paper; this can be a craft paper. You can get it at any good hardware store. It comes in the rolls, staple it to the sub floor, and overlap about 9"

6. Pick the start line; usually the longest wall is the best. Install the first two lines of flooring making sure you leave at least 1/2 gap at the wall for expansion, this gap will be covered with baseboard after the floor installation. Measure the distance at the opposite walls so at the end the floor will be even. This might be a challenging in the old house sometimes the walls are not precisely aligned.

7. Nail the first line from the top with finish gun. Following lines you should be able to nail with the floor pneumatic gun. Continue installing to the end of the room. Make sure to stagger the floorboards. Leave the gap of at least 1/2" all along walls.

Tips & Warnings

• Acclimation is very important
• Make sure to stager the floorboards at least 8" apart.
• Install prefinshed floor so the project is fast and easy
• Make sure to follow manufacturer recommendation as far as staples and nails
• Nailing can be dangerous do not hold the fingers close to the nailing objects
• Make sure there are no electric wires or water pipes under the sub floor, use nails that will not go through the sub floor

Resources

• hardwood floor hawaii
• hardwood floor installation
• wood floors
• bamboo hardwood floor
• hardwood floors

[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. Check it out!