Hardwood Flooring Installation
Hardwood strip floors can usually last for the life time of a home as long as the floor is well maintained. What keeps the strip flooring surface level is an interlocking tongue and groove profile along the wood strip edges and ends. Hardwood flooring involves nailing strip wood tongue edge using special hardwood flooring nailer.
How to Install Hardwood Floor
Before installing your new oak wood or brazillian cherry wood floor, the old wood flooring must be removed. The new hardwood floor should be stacked for at least two weeks in the room where it is to be installed to acclimate it to the room's humidity and temperature levels.
Removing Hardwood Floors
Using a drill and pliers, remove any screws and screw plugs from the hardwood floor.
Place the pry bar underneath the first wood strip and pull it up.
If there is not enough room to get under the first wood plank, use a circular saw to cut a section out, allowing enough room to maneuver the pry bar.
After the first board has been removed, continue to the next board.
Moving down the length of the single floorboard, pry under each nail position until it comes up easily.
If the wood has been glued to the subfloor, chisel to the bottom of each plank and tap with a hammer until it loosens enough to remove.
Remove all baseboards in the room and take precise measurements.
Clean any remaining nails, sawdust and other debris off of the subfloor.
Subfloor Preparation
The wood subfloor should be level and may require sanding or compound filler for dips.
Thoroughly clean the subfloor.
Place and trim a 15-pound building paper sheet using a utility knife.
Overlap each sheet at least 4" and use a staple gun to secure it to the subfloor.
Laying Hardwood Floors
After subfloor preparation and placing building paper, it is time to lay down your hardwood floor. The importance of building paper is to serve as a vapor barrier and reduce squeking that may develop. Make sure the staples are flush with the floor, hammering them down if necessary.
Beginning with the longest parallel wall, place the first panel, groove side to the wall, at the corner.
Allow 1/2" expansion space here and all the way around the room.
Continue connecting panels until you have a full row, gently using a mallet to enhance the fit.
Once you have the row in place, drill one foot apart holes, 1/2" in from the edge.
Using 2" finish nails, nail the first strip down beneath the wood surface.
Although these holes will be covered by baseboard, use wood putty to fill all "face nailed".
Using what is called “blind nailing”, angle a nail over the tongue every 10" to 12" for strips and 6" to 8" for planks.
Continue on in this manner, sawing pieces when needed to fit or to alternate seam pattern.
A hardwood floor will look more attractive and will interlock properly if you stagger the joints of the boards at least 4"-6” between rows.
Nail base molding to the wall studs to cover the expansion gap.
To allow free flooring expansion, nail shoe molding to the base molding and not direct to the floor.
Finish up the installation by cleaning the debris off your new oak or brazillian cherry wood floor.
Installing Tips
During installation, keep an eye on your flooring alignment.
Alignment is much easier to fix during installation than it is after.
Gaps or cracks may be filled with colored wood fillers after installation.
Flooring nailer, can be rented from your local home improvement stores.
Safety Tips
Always wear safety glasses when installing hardwood flooring.
Read and follow power tool instructions manual from manufacturers.
| Hardwood Flooring Tools | Hardwood Flooring Materials |
|---|---|
| Electric Drill | 15 pound building paper |
| Pliers | 3/8" staples |
| Pry Bar | 2" finish nails |
| Utility Knife | Colored wood fillers |
| Heavy-duty staple gun | Strip flooring |
| Flooring Nailer | 1/2" thick strip of plywood |
| Mallet or/and Hammer | Base or quarter-round molding |
| 1.5" - 2" wide chisel | Shoe molding |
| Level | |
| Circular Saw |