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Although to install hardwood flooring is not always easy, nor a project that everyone should tackle, manufacturers are now making this type of flooring easier to install so more people can enjoy the beauty and richness provided. If you have wanted to install hardwood flooring but have doubts, we hope these tips will help you see that with patience and some good directions, you can have a gorgeous floor with few obstacles to overcome.
Just remember that the process to install hardwood flooring will vary depending on the manufacturer, as well as the type of floor design. Even so, some of the steps are the same, which will make the process easier and the results better. The following are just a few standard steps associated with the process of hardwood floor installation. · The subfloor must be in excellent condition, clean, level, and void from any squeaks prior to any flooring being installed.
· In addition, we recommend you check the moisture level in the subfloor, which can be done with a moisture meter. The reason is that at no time should the level of moisture between the subfloor and flooring be more than 4%. · Before you install hardwood flooring, cover the subfloor with 15-pound builders felt paper, trimming all the edges, and then using a staple gun to secure it in place.
· With the hardwood floor, open only one box at a time, choosing the longest and straightest boards to build the starter row. · Make sure an expansion gap is left at both starting and ending rows, which would be equal to the thickness of the flooring being installed. Then, if you were using hardwood-flooring three-quarters of an inch thick, and two and one-quarter inch wide, measure from the wall outwards three inches. Snap your chalk line and then line up the first row using the chalk line as your guide. The result is being left with the appropriate expansion gap. · Now, two to three-inches from the end of each board, drill pilot holes, and then about every ten inches along the board. Once the holes are drilled, fasten the boards to the subfloor with two-inch finish nails. · When done nailing the second and third row, lay the rest of the flooring on onto the subfloor with various lengths of wood, but make sure the end joints are a minimum of six inches or more from the end joints on the row behind. You would then use the end of a rubber mallet to drive the uninstalled row so it fits tightly up to the floor installed. With a nail gun, go through the same nailing process as mentioned above. · To install hardwood flooring so the ends fit, you want to use a board that fits the space. In this case, flip the wood board upside down, allowing the tongue to face toward the boards already installed. Mark and then transfer the mark to the board’s surface. With a chop saw, cut the board at your mark and install.
· Once you have completed the process to install the hardwood flooring, add quarter round to help cover the expansion gaps. |
Installation and Care