Hardwood Installation
Hardwood floors add a distinctive touch to a home. Once they were almost universal in houses but as tastes and building methods changed, many gave way to carpet or various types of tile. Now hardwood floors are popular again and new fabrication methods and installation tools and techniques make it easier for a homeowner to install hardwood flooring. But it is not an easy task, can be very messy if you use adhesives or if flooring is not pre-finished and requires sanding, staining and sealing. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Long level
- Tape measure
- Sander and sandpaper (optional)
- Chalk line
- Flooring
- Air nailer
- Table saw
- Flooring paper/moisture barrier
- Stapler
- Rubber mallet
Instructions
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Check the condition of the subfloor and verify it is level. Use a long level, an 8-footer if possible, to check the level, in all directions. Look for any nails sticking up or obvious protrusions and remove them. Sand any bumps or fill any serious holes or gaps. Check the room for squareness by measuring with a tape measure diagonally from corner to corner; if those dimensions are the same, the room is square. If it is not square, snap a square chalk line to mark the starter strip.
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Use pre-finished flooring if possible or at least material that has been sanded smooth. Choose wider floor boards if that is an option; a traditional 2 1/4-inch board may be attractive but it's twice the work of 5-inch planks. Buy good material; cheap wood flooring may have bows or kinks that make precise installation difficult. Test tongues and grooves before buying to verify they fit perfectly.
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Rent a flooring nailer and get a good accurate table saw. Choose nailing for installation; hardwood flooring can be nailed or glued. Avoid glue, which is tricky to work with, likely to get very messy in inexperienced hands and may damage the flooring surface. Hand nailing requires expertise and a lot of physical labor on hands and knees.
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Install flooring perpendicular to floor joists. Lay a layer of flooring paper or similar moisture barrier first; staple it to the subfloor. Measure the width of the room to determine the width of the starter strip; plan it so neither the starter nor the finish strip is a very thin piece. Snap a straight chalk line along the first wall, the width of the starter strip plus 1/4 inch and top nail the starter strip in place along the grooved edge or cut edge if it had to be trimmed. Leave that gap for expansion.
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Add flooring across the room, inserting the groove of the next piece over the tongue of the installed floorboard. Tap it firmly into place with a rubber mallet and nail it through the tongue. Continue this across the room; cut pieces to length to fit with a table saw. Leave a 1/4-inch gap at each end for expansion. Cut the final piece to fit with a table saw; measure this carefully as it may not be a precisely straight rip if the room is not exactly square. Top nail that piece 1/4 inch from the wall.
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Finish the flooring installation by adding baseboards that cover the expansion gaps. Sand, stain and seal the floor if necessary before installing baseboard. Use a drum or disk sander; better yet, call a professional as a mistake in sanding creates marks or dimples that cannot be covered up.
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Tips & Warnings
Wear knee pads to save your knees; installing flooring is a hands-and-knees task.
References
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images
