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So now you’re ready to install your hardwood floor. For an introduction to the process, see the article entitled “Strip Hardwood Installation Overview”. Assuming your old floor has been removed and the wooden subfloor is prepared, the following steps will help you achieve that perfect floor.
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Remove base molding and any shoe molding.
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Tack down building paper.
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Determine the width of the starter strip.
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Install the starter row.
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Nail down subsequent rows.
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Use crosscut pieces for the ends of each row.
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Fit flooring around obstacles.
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Cut and fit the final row.
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Sand and Finish the floor – if required.
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Reapply the base and shoe molding.
As a first step, carefully remove base molding using a pry bar to pull it from the wall. Note that when installing your floor, you will leave a 1/4-inch gap along the entire wall to allow for expansion of the flooring. The molding will hide this gap when it is reinstalled at the end of your project.
While not required, it is still a good idea to tack down building paper, which can help to reduce squeaks and sound transmission. It also adds a vapor barrier. In any event, the paper is inexpensive and easy to install; just roll it out and staple it every 10 inches or so. Overlap the paper about three inches.
The next step, determining the width of the starter piece, is very important. Ideally, lay out along the width of the floor all the starter strips for each row. This will give you an idea of the width required for the first and last row. If you’re lucky, your wood will fit perfectly. More likely, you will need to rip-cut the start and finish row to a uniform width. A rip-cut is a cut that goes parallel or with the grain of the wood. Don’t take a shortcut by just planning to cut the final row because you may end up with a very thin strip that looks awkward against the rest of the flooring.
In order to install the starter row, you will need to snap a chalk line at the width of your starter piece. Bear in mind that this line must be straight, because the straightness of the starter row affects the entire installation. Never use the wall as a guide, as it may not be straight. Next, align the tongue-edge of your starter piece along the chalk line (remember to have left that 1/4-inch gap along the wall for expansion). Predrill holes every 12 inches along the length of the strip, driving #6 finish nails to secure the wood to the subfloor. This is the last time you will have to hand-nail the wood in, until the last row.
Subsequent strips are simply slid into place, and nailed in using a flooring nailer that can be rented. Simply position the nailer on the tongue edge of the board, and strike the plunger head with the heavy rubber mallet. Keep in mind that for a more balanced look, you will stagger the end joints of the pieces at least a foot apart. This typically is as simple as just using different lengths of wood at the start of each row. You will need to crosscut end pieces to fit, remembering to always use lengths longer than a foot at the end of rows. A cross-cut is a cut across the grain of the wood.
Most rooms do not have the advantage of being perfectly rectangular, so when you come up against a bend in the wall, simply position the strip as close as you can to the wall, then use those measurements to cut the piece to fit, always leaving that all-important 1/4-inch gap against any walls.
The final row, just like the starter row, will have to be face-nailed by hand into place. In order to tighten the joint between the last two pieces, use a pry bar with a scrap block of wood to protect the wall. Nail the final row in. Unless your flooring is prefinished, it will need to be sanded, stained and finished before reinstalling the baseboards and shoe molding. See the article on finishing wood floors for details of this project.
With patience and attention to detail, you can install your new wood floor just like a professional.
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