Wondering how to install solid hardwood floors? You have come to the right place! The experts at ReallyCheapFloors.com have put together this helpful video and article to assist you with your next home improvement project: installation of your new floor.
The very first task that you must do before beginning you start to install hardwood floors is to check the moisture. If you were to read the instructions from any manufacturer of solid wood flooring they will tell you how important it is for the installer to ascertain what the moisture levels are in the area where the floor will be installed as well as in the hardwood itself. This is the most important part of your floor installation. Be sure that the moisture levels in your wood subfloor are less than 15%. If not, do not put your boxes of wood in the wet areas until the moisture is removed, either with a HVAC system or a dehumidifier. Also, make certain that the moisture levels in your hardwood are within 5% of the levels in your subfloor. For 5" planks or Hickory flooring we need to be within 3%. This is where acclimating is a great idea, as long as the readings in your subfloor are under 15. 12% would be even better.
1.Start With A Clean Area Before You Begin Installing Your Solid Wood Floor
This might sound like a given, but we won't be using any gimmees today.
Begin your installation with picking up any large debris from the floor where you are lay your new floor. That will make what follows easier.
Next you will need to use a scraper to remove any building materials such as drywall mud that may be on your floor. We need our area smooth and clean before we begin our install. Next we will sweep the floor. Now we are ready to begin installing your new wood floor!
2. Make a Chalk Starting Line
After you have checked to make sure that your room is square, it is time to plan out where you will nail down your first row of flooring. We recommend starting on a long outside wall, as these walls are usually the straightest. First, make a pencil mark that is about a quarter inch away from the wall. Then, move further down the wall and make another pencil mark that is also a quarter inch from the wall.
It is important to leave this quarter inch space because hardwood boards tends to expand. The gap between the wood and the wall will not be noticeable since it will be hidden by trim.
Next, drive a nail into one of the pencil marks to act as a placeholder. Finally, hook your chalk line tool onto the nail and pull it all the way across to the second pencil mark you made. The resulting chalk line will be the start line for your first row of boards.
3. Nail Down the First Row of Hardwood Flooring
Now that you have your starting line, it’s time to begin installing your flooring. Position your first board so its edge is up against the chalk line. Then, use a nail gun to secure it in place. Continue laying and nailing boards parallel to the starting line until your first row is finished.
We recommend using 2-inch flooring cleats or 2-inch staples. Be sure to drive a nail into the boards every 6 to 10 inches.
4. Put Felt Paper Down On The Floor
Once you have nailed your first row of boards down, we suggest rolling out some felt paper over the subfloor. This paper will help prevent your floor from squeaking. We prefer to skip the felt paper for our first row because it can mess up the chalk line. Any movement in the felt paper can cause the line to become crooked, so we recommend holding off on the felt until after your first row has been installed.
5. Install Additional Rows of Wooden Floor
The next step in the installation process is to keep nailing in more rows of boards. Around the third or fourth row, you should have enough room to start using a flooring nailer instead of a nail gun. This convenient device drives nails through the tongue of floorboards when you hit it with a mallet.
As you add more rows, you will inevitably need to cut some of your boards to make them fit up against the wall. When you cut a board, remember to always leave a quarter inch for expansion. We suggest cutting longer boards so you can use the leftover piece in the future.
6. Keep Your Joints at Least 6 Inches Apart
It is important that you keep an eye on your head joints during while installing your floor, as it is easy to let them get too close together, or to form a pattern. A good helper will rack out the next row while the guy operating the nailer is nailing in the last board. It is the responsibility of the racker to make sure the joints are maintaining the correct distances apart.
7. Face Nail the Last Fews Rows of Wood
As you approach the far wall, be careful not to put your hammer through the drywall. Don't laugh! It happens. You get in a groove swinging that hammer, nailing that floor, and the next thing you know you are close to the wall. At this point you will use your brad nailer to install the last few rows before finishing with a face nailer. As you are installing the last few rows of hardwood flooring you may need to use a lever to push the flooring tight. Take a large flathead screwdriver and drive it into the wooden subfloor, as close to your last row of hardwood as possible. Then use the screwdriver to pull the wood flooring tight so you can nail it.
8. Leave a Space to Finish Your Hardwood Installation Project
Your hardwood flooring installation is almost complete! But don't get distracted, as we still have important tasks to finish.
An expansion gap between the hardwood and the drywall is imperative. While some installers might use spacers, we never did. We just made sure to leave a space of about 3/8 of an inch. This space allows your hardwood floor to expand a little, as it will do whether you leave the expansion gap or not. Without that extra space your floor has a bigger chance of buckling or cupping as it expands with seasonal changes.
9. Install Transition Pieces
After you complete the installation of your new hardwood floors it will be necessary to install a few transition pieces. These pieces of milled hardwood help to minimize the transition from one type of flooring to another. Like from your hardwood flooring to a ceramic tile floor. Or, if you have two flooring materials at different heights you would use a transition piece called a reducer. Other trims are stairnosing, which is used at the edge of hardwood flooring leading down steps, and a Tmold, which is the correct transition piece to bridge two hard surfaces that are the same height. We recommend that you do not use transitions from hardwood flooring to carpet. Instead, use a router on the board that you turn across a doorway to round the edge of the wood. This works much better, and saves you some money.
10. Clean Up Your Mess!
Now is the time when you do what no other contractor on the project has done before you....clean up! The wood installation project is not complete until you have picked up all of your cut ends, culled boards, boxes, and even the plastic straps that were wrapped around the boxes of wood flooring. Then you can sweep up the sawdust around the chopsaw and table saw. Picking up all the tools that you see around the room is another must.
Purchasing Hardwood Floors
If you have any questions about how to install a solid hardwood floor, don’t hesitate to contact ReallyCheapFloors.com. Our team is always happy to give advice and answer any queries you may have. We have a huge selection of overstock, seconds, and discontinued floors at competitive prices. To start planning your next project, browse our collection of hardwood floors today!
