Underground Journal

Hardwood floor installation

Unlike the popular laminated wood flooring, installing hardwood flooring is a fair 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.

Basic tools such as a carpenter’s hammer, a good sized chisel, a nail set tool, measuring tape, chalk line and pencil will be necessary.  On top of that, a special nailer, made for installing hardwood flooring of this type needs to be rented, along with using a mallet to operate it.  I would also recommend having a good power chop saw, or miter saw, for quick and precise cutting.

While the bare plywood floor is exposed, ensure that it’s swept clean and all nails and screws are firmly 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.

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.

Firstly run a series of precisely measured chalk lines across the room, parallel to the proposed flooring; 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.

Start the first strip of flooring at one wall, leaving a small ¼” gap space from the wall to allow for possible expansion.  Having the “tongue” side of the wood facing out, you will have to nail the first several strips by hand, until there is room to use the nailer tool.  One nail per joist is used, and use the nail set to countersink the nail head 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 to fit, with the necessary expansion gap.  The gap will be covered with the baseboard and possibly quarter round trim as well, if necessary.  Start the next row 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.

The very last strip will have to be trimmed down to size and 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, I’ll bet that was a lot of work and that you have a really sore back now.

Important notes:

The boards 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 beside each other.  The rule of thumb is, for adjacent boards, keep the end cracks a minimum of 12” apart, for the next board over, keep the minimum to 6”.

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 and use the handle as a lever and pull until the “bow” is straightened.  Have a helper put a nail or two in to secure the board before you release the chisel.

For information on oak flooring please see this article.  For throw rug carpeting information, please click here

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