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Installing
Hardwood Floors
Hardwood is a classic
flooring choice for many folks. It gives a floor natural beauty and
feel that few man-made materials can match.
Hardwood flooring comes in a couple different widths and grades.
Strip flooring is typically narrow pieces of wood up to 2 3/4" wide.
Plank flooring is wider, generally up to 7".
Some wood like maple and birch are ranked as being First, Second, or
Third. Oak is the most popular hardwood choice and judged as
follows: Clear is wood that has very few flaws or character marks.
Select has a bright grain, a few flaws, and most pieces match well.
No.1 Common has both light and dark pieces, some marks. No.2 Common
allows for all character marks; like knots, worm holes, and
discoloration. If you want an immaculate, uniform floor, consider
spending more to get one of the premium grades. If you want to add
character and warmth to a room, the Common grades are good choices.
Unfinished & Prefinished Flooring:
Unfinished flooring pieces are "raw" boards that haven't been finish
sanded, stained, or sealed. Many unfinished floors are
professionally installed in newly constructed homes. Unfinished wood
is susceptible to swelling if it gets too much moisture. Therefore,
avoid unloading it in rain/snow or exposing it to other damp
conditions. Also, store unfinished boards in a dry, well-ventilated
area and allow it to acclimate at least two days before
installation.
Pre-finished flooring comes already sanded and sealed. It resists
moisture and won't shrink or swell much. It's installed much like an
unfinished floor, but takes some extra care to avoid scratching the
surface. Prefinished flooring is a bit more expensive than
unfinished flooring and only comes in a limited number of colors.
The surface isn't sanded right after installation so it may not be
as smooth as an unfinished floor installation. Yet, prefinished
flooring is a great remodeling choice because once it's installed,
it's done. There's no hassle with sanding or fighting dust to put on
finish coats.
Fitting & Nailing Hardwood:
Hardwood floor installation requires some basic carpentry skills and
some specialized tools like a floor nailer (rental item), miter &
jamb saws.
Remove the baseboards (try to avoid breaking them unless planning to
replace them). Most installers recommend putting down a 6 mil poly
plastic or 15 lb. builder's felt vapor barrier. Overlap the edges
about 4" to 6", glue down the seams with tape or tar mastic, and
avoid tearing the material during installation.
Often, flooring is laid out so it's parallel to the longest outside
wall. However, every situation is a little different, so you'll have
to evaluate the layout to coordinate with the room's visual focal
point. If you can't decide on the layout, dry-fit several courses in
each direction to see how they will look and fit. Lay longer pieces
at entries/doorways when working with random lengths. Integrate
short pieces throughout the floor, but avoid clustering them
together. Insert spacers around the perimeter of the room to create
an expansion gap for the flooring. The gap will hide under the
baseboard, but will allow the boards to expand/contract.
Slide the first course of planks into position with the groove side
against the wall. You may need to set up a stringline to get the
first row started straight if the wall is crooked. Nail through the
face of the course so it will hide under the baseboard and also
angle a nail over the tongue (called blind nailing) every 10" to 12"
for strips and 6" to 8" for planks. Nails should be long enough to
penetrate the subfloor by at least 1".
Tap following courses into place with a scrap piece, staggering rows
so seams aren't continuous across the floor. Use a pneumatic floor
nailer to continue to blind nail pieces through the tongue edge. Fit
the last row and pull it tight with a pry bar. Face nail the course
at the edge so the nails hide under the baseboard.
Hardwood Flooring Over Concrete:
Cover the concrete slab with a 6 mil polyethylene plastic vapor
barrier, overlapping the edges 4"-6" and extending enough poly to
wrap up under the baseboards. Lay 3/4" exterior-grade plywood sheets
loosely over the floor area, leaving 3/4" gaps along the edges and
1/4" to 1/2" between the sheets. Stagger the joints every 4'.
At door openings and other edges where there is no finish trim, cut
the plywood to fit within 1/8". Attach the plywood to the slab using
a power-actuated concrete nailer. Start at the center of the sheet
and work out to the edges, making sure that the sheets are flat and
securely fastened. Then cover the subfloor with 15 lb. builder's
felt for additional vapor protection and underlayment.
Another method is to cut plywood sheets into 4'x4' squares and score
each back 3/8" deep in a 12" grid pattern. Apply two layers of 15
lb. felt directly over the slab, applying mastic between each layer.
Then lay the sheets in asphalt mastic applied to the slab.
Finally, a method that's gaining in popularity are treated sleepers
that run perpendicularly below the flooring. First, install a loose
layer of 6 mil polyethylene plastic for a vapor barrier. Cut
sleepers between 18" and 48" (longer lengths tend to warp). Lay them
12" apart on center, with the joints staggered, rather than butted.
Embed the sleepers in mastic, then secure them with cement nails.
Add rigid insulation between the sleeper (optional) for extra
protection. Fasten an underlayment layer of plywood over the
sleepers, then install the flooring. |
