Install or refinish hardwood floors like a total pro.
Solid wood flooring is made from one continuous piece of solid wood, typically measuring 3/4 inch thick.
Wood strips range from 1-1/2 to 2-1/4 inches wide and are generally nailed to the subfloor.
Planks are wider than 2-1/4 inches.
Abay windowserved as an out-of-the-way spot to store this supply of wood strips.
For storage on an on-gradeconcrete floor, provide a 4-inch airspace beneath the stacks or cartons of wood.
(Nails securing subflooring offer clues to joist locations.)
Lay a wood plank or strip alongside the casing and rest the backsaw on top.
The plank or strip keeps the saw at the correct height as you cut.
(Allow the nail markers you’ve driven into the subfloor to poke through the felt.)
This cushioned layerhelps prevent squeaks.
Step 4: Mark Joists
Snap a chalk line between the nails marking the joists.
You’ll use this line later on when you’re nailing down your boards.
The first course in the installation shown here abuts an existing wood floor.
Start the first course with the groove side facing the wall or existing flooring.
You’ll use these lines to double-check your boards are installed in a straight line throughout the floor.
Mix them up for a balanced appearance, and stagger joints across the entire floor.
Predrilling 1/16-inch pilot holes through the board face prevent nails from splitting the board.
Snug the boards tight, end to end, and row to row.
These rows are still close enough to the wall that you oughta use the face nailer or a hammer.
Drill pilot holes and nail through the tongues for best results.
(The nailer requires about 6 inches of space to operate.)
Position the nailer so the lip fits over the edge of the plank.
Drive nails 4 inches from each end and space subsequent nails about 8 inches apart.
Load the power flooring nailer with nails recommended for your jot down of floor.
Experiment with depth options; the nail heads should just barely sink below the wood surface.
Fit the nailer to a tongue, check that it rests flat and hit it with the mallet.
To keep the courses parallel, tap the boards together before nailing.
Use a wood scrap as a driving block to protect the flooring.
Or use the neoprene head of the power-nailer mallet.
The nailer should be driving nails to about 1/16 inch below the surface of the flooring tongue.
If the nail isn’t sunk to the desired depth, adjust the air pressure accordingly.
Step 12: Fix Bowed Planks
Avoid using bowed planks if you could.
Once the plank is straight and in position, nail it in place.
You may need tomiter the ends of the boardsto get a snug fit.
If the tongue will abut the cabinet or other obstacle, slice it off.
Since you are working close to an obstacle, face-nail these planks.
Cut the necessary notch using a jigsaw, allowing a 1/2-inch gap for expansion.
Step 16: Finalize the Last Row
You may need to rip-cut the last course.
Protecting the wall with a wood scrap, push the last courses tight with a pry bar.
Drill pilot holes and drive flooring nails through the face of the boards.
Set the nails and fill them with wood filler.
Secure the shoe (or quarter-round) molding to the baseboard slightly above the wood planks.
Engineered woods are considered more stable for kitchen and bath applications.
Unfinished wood flooring gives you almost unlimited color stain options.
The color options for prefinished flooring are not as varied as for unfinished flooring.
Mostengineered wood flooringis prefinished.
Because the finish is applied under strict environmental controls, manufacturers say it is more consistent and durable.
There are many different stain colors and finishes from which to choose.
Many flooring professionals maintain that the smoothest finish can be achieved by sanding and finishing a floor on-site.
Custom finishing gives more versatility in colors, too.
You do have to put up with the messy and time-consuming tasks of repeated sandings and finishing applications.
There are usually three or five layers stacked with grains running perpendicular to one another.
Engineered wood floors are also available in a way that simply clicks together.
Parquet tiles are generally glued down to install.
Most parquet tiles are cut with tongues and grooves, which makes installation easy.
A higher-quality finish offers greater longevity and quicker installation time.
The tongues and grooves of less-expensive tiles may not fit together smoothly.
To seat the tiles against one another, tap them with a hammer and a block of wood.
Avoid sliding the tiles, and kneel on a sheet of plywood as you get deeper into the project.
Be sure there is no adhesive between the knee board and the tiles.
Otherwise, you’ll pull up the tile when you move the board.
If any adhesive gets on the tiles, clean it immediately with a rag soaked in solvent.
Never apply the solvent directly to the tiles; it could mar the finish.
Leave a 1/2-inch gap between the edge tiles and the walls.
How Long Do Hardwood Floors Last?
Solid hardwood floors, though costly, are a great investment when it comes to renovating a house.
Unfinished wood tends to last even longer than prefinished or stained ones.
You cant go wrong with hardwood flooring, as it is durable and perfect for the whole house.
