How To Go About Installing Wood Floors
When it comes to durability and natural beauty, wood is the number one choice for flooring that is why it is necessary to learn how to go about installing wood floors. In living rooms, family rooms, dining rooms, and a lot more, wood flooring is really both practical and beautiful. Though it can expand and contract with moisture, wood is still a beautiful and warm flooring option even for bathrooms as long as the person installing it gives it a sturdy, protective hardwood floor finish and it is maintained dutifully. Thus, when you are considering wood as your flooring, you've got to have some knowledge in installing wood floors.
If you want to become a professional in installing wood floors, it is necessary that you complete a training program; however, if you are going to do it for personal purposes, then you can just follow the simple instructions given here and from your manufacturer.
Traditional plank or strip wood flooring is fastened to the subflooring before it is sanded and finished. Newer pre-finished hardwood floorings are also fastened down in similar manner but finishing is not really required. Unless you are a professional and have experience in sanding hardwood floors and finishing them, you will do better if you hire a professional local hardwood flooring installer. However, if you really want to do this task by yourself, it is better to go for the pre-finished type since floor sanding can be an incredibly dusty task in the hands of someone who is doing it for the first time. It can also leave visible ridges and marks on the floor if not done properly.
It is important to remember that new wood floorings like exotic hardwood floors should be laid on a smooth, clean level and structurally sound wood flooring base. Before proceeding with the installation, stack the wood flooring indoors for a week or even more so that the wood can have time to adjust to the humidity level of the home. Plan the installation of the flooring because it should be perfectly perpendicular to the joists of the floor.
Put a mark on the floor joists position along the wall for future reference. Cover the subflooring with a layer of around 15-pound asphalt felt in order to provide some protection for the moisture as well as to minimize the squeaks. You should also mark the room's centerline. If the room is out of square, you should position the tongue of the first row of the wood parallel to the room's centerline and rip the side of the groove at a parallel angle to the wall.
Before the installation, make sure to get all the tools ready as you can't just stop in the middle of the installation to look for a tool that you need. During the installation, it is necessary that you lay out many rows of boards and make sure to stagger them so that no end joint will be closer than 6 inches to the next row's end joint. As the strips are installed, cut pieces to fit the end of the row, allowing a 0.5 inch gap at the wall.
Use a power miter saw or radial arm saw to cut the boards. When using a hammer and nails in blind-nailing, avoid driving the nails flush because the indentations will be visible. Instead, leave the nail head about 1/8 inch and then place the sideways of the nail set over it beside the tongue's upper edge. Drive the nail down by tapping it with a hammer. Finally, recess the flush of the nail head with the wood by using the tip of the nail set. It's not so hard to go about installing wood floors but care should definitely be taken.
