How to Install Hardwood Floors

Since the olden times, wood has been a preferred choice by many homeowners. Not only is wood used in adorning their homes via the staircases, moldings and furniture but even as a material for their flooring. There’s no doubt that the classic beauty and feel of wood is unbeatable even until today.

One of the major advantages of wood is its warmth feel. Its durability cannot be questioned as well especially when the hard woods are used in the home and are well maintained through time.

Traditionally, the strip wood flooring also known as plan is installed by fastening it to the subflooring and afterwards sanded and finished. Today, however, the more modern prefinished wood flooring materials can be installed without the need for finishing. If you’re installing new flooring, you will need a clean, smooth and level flooring base for your hard wood material. Ensure also that the area is sturdy enough.

After you’ve purchased your material, do stack them inside your home first ideally for a few days. The idea here is to allow the wood to adjust to the humidity level inside your home.

The best way to install hard wood flooring is to make it perpendicular to the floor joists. Then using a pencil or chalk, mark the position of the joists along the wall to serve as your guide.

The very first step in the installation process is to cover the subfloor using a layer of asphalt felt. The seams should overlap about 3 inches then secure the felt on the floor using a staple gun.

Take measurements of the room’s width at various points in order to get the centerline. Next make a chalk line in a parallel manner to the wall.

It’s important to provide a one-half inch space from the starting wall to the centerline. This will allow for expansion of the wood flooring. To cover this gap, a base shoe or baseboard molding is usually installed. Snap another chalk line then at the edge of the first row of flooring for this specific space.

Now for your first row of wood flooring, choose the widest or longest one as much as possible. For the first board near the wall, drill pilot holes for the 11/2 inch finishing nails. Face-nail only the first row through the subflooring to the floor joists.

Nail the next two rows and drill pilot holes at angle of 45-50 degrees through the tongues and make sure that they’re centered. Nail every 10 inches along the length of the board.

Keep in mind that end joints should not line up over previous joints in the subfloor. Also, keep end joints in two adjacent rows at least 6 inches apart.

If you’re installing wide planks, it might be a good idea to leave a gap or a crack just enough for a putty-knife blade to get in. This way, there’s room for expansion of the wood flooring.

At the final row, tighten the boards into place by using a block and pry bar. Then drill holes again and face-nail the boards where the base shoe will be situated.

After checking for level, set the nailheads using your hammer.