October 27, 2009

How to Install Hardwood Flooring and Keep Your Sanity

Are you going to learn how to install hardwood flooring? First thing's first: You need to choose the flooring. From traditional hardwood flooring to flooring that just snaps together, you have dozens if not hundreds of different options.

The nice thing about laminates and snap-together hardwood flooring is that they come with installation instructions. However, traditional hardwood flooring is more involved. Here are some steps to help get you started.

First, you need to put down a flooring base. You want the subfloor to be dry, clean, and level. Before you begin, remove the baseboards.

Whether you're picking up your new flooring at a home improvement center or having it delivered by a flooring company, time its arrival so that it will be stacked inside the house for a few days. Wood naturally expands and contracts in different temperatures and humidity levels, and if you don't allow it to adjust to your home, it will not fit properly.

When you're considering how to install hardwood flooring, you must determine the direction in which the floor joists (supports) run, and mark their position at the base of the walls for reference. Now you'll need to layer the top of the subfloor with 15-pound asphalt felt.

This does a few things for you: It protects the flooring from moisture and minimizes squeaking and creaking. If you're installing the hardwood floor in your bathroom or kitchen, this step is especially important.

To indicate the position for your first board, mark the centerline of your room. Leave a 1/2 inch gap at the walls as you're installed the flooring.

Make sure to use a nail set to finish each nail you put in by hand, so the hammer doesn't leave indentations. Even if you're using a pneumatic flooring nailer, you should nail the first three boards or so by hand. This helps prevent things from shifting.

It is not difficult to learn how to install hardwood flooring, but it is a time-consuming and precise project.