How to Install Southern Yellow Pine Flooring
Southern pine flooring has been a part of homes since Colonial times. Southern pine is durable and can take a lot of traffic without showing excessive wear. The Southern pine wood makes an elegant addition to any floor with its delightful grain pattern. The wood, with its golden color, adds warmth to the room. The flooring comes in a variety of widths, lengths and grades. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Tape measure
- Yellow pine flooring
- 3/4-inch spacer boards
- Drywall screws
- Rosin paper
- Staple gun
- Chalk line or straightedge
- 5/16-inch staples
- Straightedge
- Saw
- Wood glue
- Drill
- 1 1/2-inch finishing nails
- Nail set
- Drum sander
- Sandpaper, 80-, 120- and 180-grit
- Vacuum
- Tack cloth
- Tung oil, varnish or stain
- Hand-held belt or disc sander
- Goggles
- Face mask
Instructions
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1
Measure the floor where you'll be installing the new yellow pine floor to determine the amount of flooring you'll need. Add another 5 percent to the total amount to allow for mistakes.
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2
Stack the boards in the room where you will be installing them. Pace a 3/4-inch spacer strip between each board and leave them for one to two weeks. This will help them acclimatize to the humidity of the room.
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3
Remove the floor trim, baseboards, floor covering and the underlayment to reveal the subfloor underneath. Locate any loose or squeaky boards. To help quiet them, drive a drywall screw through the boards and into the joists below.
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4
Roll the rosin paper over the top of the subfloor. Begin at the wall that is perpendicular to the floor joists. Staple the rosin paper every 6 inches using 5/16-inch staples. Mark the floor joists using a straightedge. You will need to know this so you can nail the boards into the secure wood joists. Overlap each section of the rosin paper by 4 or 5 inches.
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5
Snap a chalk line or draw a line using a straightedge on the subfloor so it is parallel to the longest side of the wall. This will ensure that the first row is perfectly straight. Pick a board from your pile. Try to find the longest, straightest piece. Line it up along the chalk line. Keep laying the floor boards, butting the ends together over the floor joists. Leave about 1/4 inch between the end of the boards and the wall. The molding will cover this open space, but this will allow the boards to fluctuate with the changes in humidity. Measure and cut the last piece to fit. Once you have the first row lined across the floor, turn the boards over and apply squiggles of glue to the bottom side. Turn the boards over and put them in place.
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6
Predrill small holes through the yellow pine boards. Make the drill holes close enough to the wall so the baseboard covers them. Drive a finishing nail through the predrilled holes into the subfloor.
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7
Drive 1 1/2-inch finishing nails at a 45-degree angle through the tongue of the boards. Using a nail set, sink the head of the nails into the wood 1/8 inch below the wood's surface. Nail the boards down into every joist. This will keep them from moving while you work.
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Continue laying the rest of the yellow pine boards row by row and nailing them in place. Remember to stagger the butt ends of the boards on every row. When you are on the last row of floor boards, proceed to the next step.
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9
Measure the space between the last row of boards and the wall, allowing for a half-inch expansion space between the board and the wall. Cut the boards to fit.
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10
Check the floor to see if it needs sanding. Most new floors do not, unless the milling is poor quality. Sand problem areas using a drum sander. Begin with 80-grit paper, then 120-, and finally 180-grit sandpaper. Vacuum the dust and debris after each sanding.
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Use a tack cloth after the last sanding and vacuuming to pick up all the sawdust. Make sure to pick up what is has fallen between the floor cracks and the rest of the room.
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12
Apply a layer of tung oil, varnish or stain.
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Tips & Warnings
Wear goggles and a face mask to protect your eyes and lungs.
You can rent a drum sander from most building centers.
Move the sander with the wood grain, not against the grain. Go from one end of the room to the other. When you are five feet away from the wall, tilt the sander so it is no longer sanding the floor Turn the machine around to finish the section.
Never leave the sander running without moving the machine. It will gouge a hole in the boards.
To sand the section against the wall, use a hand-held belt or disc sander.
References
- Photo Credit Modern asian inspired hallway with bamboo floors image by MAXFX from Fotolia.com
