Hardwood Floor Installation Requires Study And Planning

Hardwood floors are beautiful, durable and add value to a home, but installing them can be expensive and complicated. Hardwood floor installation is something that can be done on your own with some preparation and some help from your local home store or hardware and lumber dealer. Of course, the internet is also a rich source for instructions and price comparison as well.

Exactly how you do a hardwood floor installation depends on what kind of flooring you have now and what kind of flooring you choose to install. You can use planks of desirable wood that will need to be sanded and finished after installing, or can buy prefinished planks which will cost more but be easier and much faster. For those sensitive to paint and finish fumes, prefinished may also be desirable.

If there is an old floor, linoleum, wood or carpet, this needs to be removed. It’s a false economy to put a new floor over an old one in most cases unless it is in excellent shape and will be treated as a subfloor. It or an existing subfloor needs to be in good shape to be used. If there is only a slab, a subfloor of planks or more likely plywood needs to go in first.

Plywood will cost about double what particle board of the same size and thickness will (usually 1/2″) but is less sensitive to moisture and probably a better choice. It is attached directly to the slab normally with two inch nails or 15 gauge staples. Make certain a subfloor is level and smooth.

Using 15 gauge staples for attaching the actual flooring is a very good method as it acts like two nails for the price of one. Near the walls, a stapler may be impractical and finishing nails may be used. Some beveled nails should go into adjoining boards and you should use whatever shims are needed to get the next to last board snug, then place a carefully measured and cut final board by tapping into place with a rubber mallet.

Careful measuring needs to be done to get the number of boards needed and the right sizes. Don’t forget that door jams and edge and corner molding size needs to be considered when cutting planks. Always have extra planks for mistakes and miscalculations to avoid running short. Also calculate the amount of varnish and stain, if using them.

Another thing to remember for hardwood floor installation is that wood needs to be adjusted to the humidity and temperature of the room. The simplest way to do this is to prepare the slab and then bring the wood inside for at least three days for “curing” to the room. Do this for subfloor material as well. If you skip this step, you could get shrinkage or swelling and a poor fit.