How to Install Pine Wood Floors
Pine floors are beautiful and have been a part of homes since the Colonial times. Although pine is a soft wood, it is also a durable one and can take a lot of traffic. Pine floors add warmth and elegance. Installing pine floors yourself is not very hard. As long as you lay the first row straight, the other floorboards just fit right beside them. There are different types of pines to choose from and they come in different widths. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Tape measure
- Hammer
- Nail set
- Rosin paper
- Stapler
- 5/16 inch staples
- Straight edge
- Plumb bob
- Saw
- Drill
- Broom
- Drum sander
- 80-, 120- 220-grit sandpaper
- Wet/dry vac
- Tact cloth
- Stain, varnish, tung oil
Please enter your 10 digit phone number only.
A link to this article has been sent to the phone number provided.
Instructions
-
-
1
Measure your room. Be sure to include the closets, bay window and other areas you are going to put a new floor down. Any areas that may be rounded or shaped strangely, measure them as a square. Add an extra five percent to the amount of floorboards you need to buy.
-
2
Remove everything in the room, including baseboards and floor trim. Take out everything on the floor down to the sub-floor.
-
-
3
Hammer any nails that protrude from the floor's surface. Countersink the heads to 1/8 inch below the surface, using a nail set.
-
4
Cover the floor with rosin paper. Begin at the wall perpendicular to the floor joists and staple each row to the floor with 5/16 inch staples. Allow 4 to 5 inches of overlap on each row of rosin paper. Mark the floor joists as you lay each row.
-
5
Use a straightedge to line up a plum bob and snap a chalk line on the rosin paper. This will ensure that the first row of pine floorboards is very straight. Begin to lay the first row of the new floor, keeping the edges ½ inch from the wall. Butt the ends of the boards close together. You will probably need to cut the last length of floorboard so the flooring fits. You can turn the boards over and put some wood glue on the back. Turn the boards upright and put them back in place. This will help keep the first row from shifting on you while you nail them to the sub floor below.
-
6
Drill holes into the floorboards and through to the joist below. Make sure you drill the holes in a place where the trim covers and baseboards will cover the nail heads. Into the pre-drilled holes, drive in 11/2 inch finishing nails. If you drive the nail right into the floorboards without drilling a hole first, the board can split on you.
-
7
Drill a 45-degree angle hole in the tongue of the floorboards and drive in 11\2 inch nails. Countersink all the nail heads 1/8 below the surface with a nail set. On subsequent rows, you do not need to drill the hole in the tongue section. Doing it for the first row will keep the boards from moving.
-
8
Lay each row of floorboards in this manner. Remember to stagger the ends of the boards so they do not run straight across.
-
9
Measure the space left for the last row of floorboards, allowing for a ½ inch on all sections that line the wall. Cut the floorboards to fit in the allowed space and nail them into place.
-
10
Examine the floor to make sure that the nail heads are counter set below the wood's surface. Sweep the floor to prepare it for sanding.
-
11
Rent a drum sander from a local building center. Begin with 80-grit sandpaper. Start at one corner of the room and always keep the sander moving. If you need to stop sanding to turn a corner, always tilt the drum sander back. Allowing it to continue sanding in one area will remove too much of the wood and it can happen fast. Vacuum the dust with a wet/dry vac.
-
12
Sand the floor again using 120-grit sandpaper and vacuum up the dust. Sand the area one last time using 220-grit sandpaper. Vacuum the floor and the entire room. By not vacuuming the entire room, the wind could blow any loose sawdust onto the wet varnish, stain or tung oil and ruin the surface. Wipe the floor with a tact cloth. This will ensure that all the sawdust is gone.
-
13
Apply the finish of your choice. You can use tung oil, varnish or stain.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Use a respirator and eye protection while you work.
if the drum sander does not reach all areas of your floor, you can use a hand-held belt or disc sander.
References
- Photo Credit Wooden texture image by Roman Sigaev from Fotolia.com
