How To Install Hardwood Flooring

Installing a hardwood floor not only gives your house--or at least the room--an instant makeover

, it's also easy to do yourself. Use the following steps to guide you through the floor-laying process.

You can buy two different kinds of flooring: pre-finished and unfinished. Pre-finished saves some time, because you don't have to sand it and apply a finish; you simply install it. An unfinished floor that you finish yourself, however, will have a better quality and look. Don't lay the flooring as soon as you buy it. The hardwood needs time to adjust to the temperature of your home, since it shrinks and expands with changes in the environment. If your home is cooler than the warehouse from which it came, it's going to contract. You don't want it to do that after you've laid the floor!

While you wait for the wood to acclimate, you should make sure that subfloor is perfectly flat. Any bumps in the plywood underneath will show up in the hardwood floor, causing waves and squeaks. After you've smoothed out the subfloor, lay down some Rosin paper. This will prevent the woods from rubbing against each other and making noise.

Practice laying the flooring before you actually install it. This will allow you to figure out where all of the pieces should go and detect problems while they're still preventable. Buy extra flooring--about thirty percent more than you think you'll need. You'll probably make some mistakes, and it's always better to be safe rather than sorry. Measure how high the new floor will be and use a Japanese pull saw to raise the door jambs of doors in the room without tearing out the knuckles.

Now you're ready for the first board. This one is the most important. If you're a fraction of an inch off, the problem will grow as you move across the floor. Take your time, and double check as you go to make sure everything is going down squarely. Use a nail gun called a pneumatic blind nailer to lay down the boards.

Once the flooring is in place, you'll need to sand and finish it (if you're using unfinished boards). Apply a couple of coats. Practice on some extra flooring first if you're unsure of what to do. Now your floor is done! To keep it looking new, clean it frequently using a hardwood floor kit and special cleaner. Enjoy your new floor.

by: Art Gib

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