Hardwood floor installation guide

Unlike the popular laminated wood flooring, installing hardwood flooring is a quite a bit more challenge.  The end results, however, will speak for themselves, if proper technique and a bit of care is used during the install.  Tongue and groove hardwood flooring, with a factory finished surface, is some of the nicest and cleanest looking flooring that can be installed in a home.  This article will briefly explain the basic procedure for installing this type of flooring, along with some install tips, and a few things to watch out for.

Tools and prep

A few basic will be needed to complete this job, along with some specialty tools which can be rented.  Tools such as a carpenter’s hammer, a good sized chisel, a nail set tool, a measuring tape, a chalk line 9and chalk) and few sharp pencils will be necessary.  On top of that, a special nailer, made specifically for installing hardwood flooring of this type needs to be rented, along with needing a mallet to operate it.  These should be available at your local Home Depot etc., for rent, and can be the compressed air assisted design, or the completely manual nailer.   I would also recommend having a good power chop saw, or miter saw, for quick and precise cutting, and a small table saw for ripping the last strip.

While the bare plywood sub-floor is exposed, ensure that it’s swept clean and all nails and screws are fully counter sunk.  This would also be a good time to check for squeaks and add extra screw nails, as necessary, to alleviate them.  If you choose to lay a sound deadening tar paper or felt layer, now would be the time to place it.  This paper also serves to even out small dips and aberrations in the plywood floor, and to keep the hardwood floor from squeaking later, when walked on.

Typically, the hardwood planks will run perpendicular to the joists, as, each plank will have one nail going into each joist.  A diagonally running layout is also an option for a different look.  Never run the planks parallel to the joist however, as the flooring won’t be able nailed down firmly enough.  The nails have to go into the joists; nailing into just plywood isn’t enough.  If your “subfloor” is something other than basic plywood, such as existing older hardwood floor, your options can change.

Firstly run a series of precisely measured chalk lines across the room, parallel to the proposed flooring; I’d recommend perhaps 4 feet apart.  This will assist as a visual aid, in keeping the flooring in uniform alignment during the install.  Throughout the install, you may have to “cheat” with the crack size spacing to ensure the flooring install remains uniform and square to the walls.  It is entirely likely the room isn’t uniformly “square” to begin with, so use this opportunity to properly measure and fudge the chalk lines, as necessary, to ensure the finished product will appeal to the eye.

The install

Start the first strip of flooring at one wall, leaving roughly a ¼” gap space from the wall to allow for possible expansion.  I wouldn’t recommend anymore than a ½” gap, or you may have trouble hiding it with the baseboard.  Having the “tongue” side of the wood facing outward, you will have to nail the first several strips of wood down by hand, until there is room to use the nailer tool.  Continue installing the rows using the same install techniques and progress from there.  It may be necessary to continually ensure the nails are countersunk manually, as the nailer tool may not always do its job well.  Don’t forget the utilize the chalk lines to make sure the install is uniform.  One nail per joist is used, and use the nail set to ensure all nail heads are countersink slightly so that the tongue will fit in the groove of the next board.

Finish off the flooring length using the various length boards supplied and then finally cut the last board off lengthwise with a table saw, to fit in the smaller last gap, along with leaving the necessary expansion spacing.  Remember, this expansion gap will be covered with the baseboard and possibly quarter round trim as well, if necessary. 

This very last strip, after being trimmed down to size, will have to be nailed by hand from the top down.  Ensure the nails are as close to the wall as possible so that the baseboard can cover the heads.  Good job!! You’re done!

Important notes and tips:

The boards generally come in various lengths and the install is some what akin to doing a jigsaw puzzle.  For aesthetic reasons, it’s important NOT to have adjacent end board cracks directly beside each other.  The rule of thumb is, for adjacent boards, keep the end cracks a minimum of 12” apart, for the “second board” over, keep the minimum to 6”.  Make sense?  If not, look up some pictures of installed hardwood flooring, and you’ll see how good the floor looks if the crack spacing rules of thumb are observed.  If the hardwood flooring you choose comes with all equal length boards, you will have to cut the last board in every strip, and use the remaining cut off piece to start the next row.  The end result will appear to be less of an abstract jigsaw looking puzzle, and look more uniform.

Another important install note is for when you run into warped boards, which will happen a lot.  A warped board will leave an ugly crack if not installed correctly.  Hammer the chisel into the plywood beneath it at an angle so that you can use the handle as a lever to pull until the “bow” is straightened out.  Have a helper put a nail or two in to secure the board before you release the chisel, or it was all for nothing.

One further tip that can reduce warping, takes place before the install.  The environment where the flooring came from is different from where you will be installing it (ie. temperature and humidity).  For this reason, it’s a good idea to store the flooring in the room that it will be installed, for several days, or weeks if you can.  This is so all the wood’s flexing changes will take place before you install it.  Ideally, you will also want to put weight on the boards, to reduce possible warping.

There are so many types and shades of hardwood floor available to choose from that the sky is the limit with your choices.  Some nice oak flooring with a light stain and smooth finish varnish is a popular choice.  Or perhaps you’d prefer a nice maple wood finish to warm up your living room.  There is a hardwood flooring choice available to suit almost any room in your home.  Nearly any furniture choice can match this flooring nicely and an area rug in the middle of the room is like the icing on the cake!

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