We sure do love the look of hardwood floors and have covered hardwood flooring throughout AT. Since this is do-it-yourself month at Apartment Therapy, we thought we'd do some research on this more advanced project. We found an 8-step process on how to place this pretty accent in a room but still wonder...is this an easy DIY or is it easier to bring in a professional?
Ok, AT, have any of you tackled hardwood floor installation on your own?
Let us know about your installation experience and any special tips.
1) Cover the subfloor with a layer of 15-pound asphalt felt, overlapping seams by about 3 inches. Tack down with a staple gun. Then measure the room's width at two or more points to establish an accurate centerline, and snap a chalk line parallel to your starting wall. Working from the joist marks along the walls, snap chalk lines to mark the locations of the support members.
2) To indicate the edge of the first row of flooring, snap another chalk line about 1/2 inch from the starting wall exactly parallel to your centerline. This 1/2-inch gap between the flooring and the wall will allow for expansion; it will be covered by base shoe or baseboard molding.
3) Choose the longest boards or widest planks for the first row. Near the wall, where the nailheads will be covered by a base shoe, drill pilot holes for 1 1/2-inch finishing nails, then face-nail the first row through the plywood subflooring to the floor joists or sleepers. Use a nail set to recess the nails below the surface.
4) Blind-nail this and the next two rows by hand. Drill pilot holes at a 45-to-50-degree angle through the tongues, centered on each joist or sleeper, at the ends and every 10 inches along the lengths. Fasten with 1 1/2-inch finishing nails. Use a nail set to finish driving each nail.
5) When installing the second row and every row thereafter, move a short piece of flooring along the edge and give it a sharp rap with a mallet to tighten the new row against the previous row before nailing.
6) If you're installing flooring over a large area, use a flooring nailer once you've installed the first three rows. Slip it onto the board's tongue and, using a heavy rubber mallet, strike the plunger to drive 2-inch nails or staples through the tongue into each joist and into the subfloor midway between joists. Be very careful to avoid scratching or otherwise damaging the flooring.
7) When you reach the final row, use a block and a pry bar to wedge the last boards tightly into position. Drill holes and face-nail boards where base shoe or baseboard molding will cover, using the reference marks along the wall to locate the joists. Set the nailheads below the surface using a hammer and nail set.
8) If your new floor will cause a change of level to a hallway or adjoining room, install a reducer strip for a smooth transition. This strip, milled with a rounded or beveled top, fits onto the tongue of an adjacent board or the ends of perpendicular boards.It can also be butted against the edges or ends of grooves. Face-nail the reducer strip at the edge of the floor, set the nailheads below the surface, and fill with wood putty. Last, reinstall the base shoe or baseboard molding.
Click here for information on how to snap a chalk line and click here to learn how to blind-nail.
[Images and tips via Home Tips.]
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Installing true wood floors, composite wood floors, or "pergo style" wood floors isn't technically that difficult. It does, however require some basic woodworking skills and a decent amount of tools that a lot of readers may not have just sitting about. Oh ya, and some good old fashioned elbow grease. You will bang up your hands doing this. I have installed wood floors in my townhome, my brother's home, and my parent's home.
Square rooms are easy. Hallways and rooms with multiple angled not are *NOT*. You can always do the easy stuff yourself and call in the experts for the finish work.
You really need a chop saw, a jig saw, and you *MUST* get a japanese saw to do the lintels. The flexible japanese saw will save you so much heartache when you cut the lintels on the doorframe. Seriously. Also if your wood floor isn't floating type, you really need a nailgun/staplegun and compressor. If you want to get done in any decent time frame.
Pre inished floors are the way to go. Finishing floors is best left to the professionals. It can be done, but it's a huge pain.
One last thing. Unless you are cutting outside, putting in wood flooring is best left until it's warm enough to open the windows. Some of the more exotic hardwoods are bad for you if you breathe in the sawdust.
I am buying a home that has flooring that looks like parquet, but it is actually composed of square hardwood tiles--not the intricate patterns you see with parquet. Has anyone seen such a thing? (It is in a home built in the 50s.) I am trying to determine if they should be refinished or replaced.
The floor is basically right atop concrete, so if we have them replaced, we will have to determine if there is a way to seal the concrete adequately, as we don't want to put in a wood subfloor that will cause a door problem, etc. Alternately, I guess we could go with an engineered wood flooring type less susceptible to water.
Any advice?
"You can always do the easy stuff yourself and call in the experts for the finish work."
I certainly wouldn't recommend that - First, it's insulting to the expert to be called in for half a job, they often have their own ways of doing things which will necessitate them taking apart some or all the work you've already done and cost you more in the long run. Finally, if there's a problem with any part of the installation, they won't back their work because it was your fault.
Better to call them in to do the entire job properly if you can't do it yourself 100%.
"I am trying to determine if they should be refinished or replaced."
No way of knowing without at least a photo - It's best to call in a professional for their expert opinion.
of course--maybe you'll see me soon as a "good question."
I am just in the throes of first time buyer excitement. And I cannot find anything about these type of floors online anywhere, leaving me clueless as to if they are "gems" or "junk."
ValHalla - If they are real wood, I don't see why you couldn't refinish them, assuming they are still attached to the original concrete floor. Depends on the floor and if there is a bunch of water damage Some older wood floors are glued directly to the concrete, but that's not really done anymore since water damage and condensation can be a real issue. There are "look alike" tiles that that are linoleum-like materials that glue directly on concrete.
If you put down new floor (remember to sand the glue off the old if it's glued down) it's typical to put down a vapor barrier over the concrete to keep the moisture out then you don't need to seal the floor with anything special. It's basically the felt they describe above on a plastic backing with a specialty plastic tape for the seams. When doing this a "floating" floor (a wood floor that isn't nailed down, hence "floats" above the concrete) would probably be the way to go if you can.
That's helpful FF, thanks!
Off to do more research.
So, about those directions in the post. Asphalt felt? Under a floor? This is madness. I know people do it, but they do it when they're laying over concrete that is damp because it was not properly waterproofed. In that case I would get a waterproofing specialist in to seal the floor (there are some nice paint-on crystalline sealers) before proceeding, and I'd definitely put down sleepers before attaching the floor.
And yet those pictures show asphalt paper on a plywood subfloor. Unbelievable. Asphalt paper under a floor reeks. It should not be inside the envelope of your house. Ugh.
Also, regarding the parquet floor tiles: they still sell those; any flooring store will have them. They're usually engineered wood, and depending on the brand may or may not be refinishable by sanding and resealing. And don't condemn the floor as damp until you've checked it out.
Valhalla- you could also post photos on the forums at oldhouseweb.com. that site is tremendously helpful for renovation questions; the board users really know their stuff.
I have to agree with ayse.
Asphalt?
Better to use red rosin paper.
can you do wood floors that aren't tongue and groove? can you use large plywood sheets that you seal after nailing down? or reclaimed timber boards? or ???
Joan, you can put anything on your floor that you are willing to walk on.
I saw a floor done in OSB (oriented strand board, looks like random fiber pattern, used for sheathing) with several layers of finish over it (OSB is very delicate) that was just stunning. Plywood (especially finish-grade plywood) could look very nice. And reclaimed timber is very trendy (and VERY VERY EXPENSIVE).
Tongue and groove is popular because it is designed to stay tight and flat to the floor even as the house and the floor move due to changes in temperature and humidity and so forth. It's not the law.
We installed used hardwood flooring in our first house. It had been reclaimed from a school gym that was to be torn down. A HUGE amount of work because the tongue and groove of each and every board had to be cleaned, as decades worth of gunk had accumulated. Plus, many planks were not straight. So I guess a word of warning on being green -- it can take a lot of work.
And a note about finishing... here in Europe, a popular finish that I wish would become more popular in North America is that of a simple oiled or waxed natural finish -- no urethane or varnish. Just gorgeous.
Isn't this a very old school application of hardwood flooring? For a DIY project, isn't floating an engineered floor much simpler? It requires practically zero nailing, and you're only gluing the tongues/grooves (not the floor). It seems that tongue nailing a solid wood floor is a recipe for disaster for the non-pro...
"It seems that tongue nailing a solid wood floor is a recipe for disaster for the non-pro..."
It's pretty straightforward, even with crooked planks. Don't see why it should be a "recipe for disaster", and it is more beautiful than an engineered floor any day.
mschatelaine, how can you tell the difference between a solid floor and an engineered floor after it has been installed?
"how can you tell the difference between a solid floor and an engineered floor after it has been installed?"
Many cheaper engineered floors use very thin veneers for their surfaces, so you end up seeing thin little lines of the substrate at the joints...
...and laminated faux-wood floors like Pergo have wide planks that are made to look like 3 narrower strips put together - so the resulting tripled end joints look like nothing that a professional installer would ever do with real wood.
I repaired nailed T&G oak floors and refinished one (those drum sanders can be tricky). And I've done a floating kit floor, and most recently floated bamboo planks with glued T&G. It's all relatively easy if you have lots of time and don't get in a big hurry.
The most important item is a good set of kneepads.
I think the best way to go for a d-i-y'er would be a floating kit with snap together pieces (edge gluing is old school, but I scored my bamboo on Craigslist and didn't want to redo the particle board subfloor so it would hold nails).
Greetings! I am so fortunate to have found this website! I now have a garage full of used hardwood flooring planks salvaged from a friend's house. Over half of it has been de-nailed, thank goddness.
If anyone that has installed USED hardwood could give me any tips, I would appreciate it!
mschatelaine, how did you clean the tongue and grooves? Lighty hand-sand? Can you lay "slightly" warped planks? Can you "force" them straight by nailing them? Did you have a slight gap between planks? How bad does that look after refinishing? When playing with the pieces, they don't seem to fit as tight as new wood planks, of course. Wood fill putty? (Ugh) I was warned about recycled wood. Very labor intensive. It would have gone to the dump. HAVE I MADE A HUGE MISTAKE???
Hello!
Thank you for posting this article. Agree, installing hardwood floor can be considered as DIY project if you have enough experience and can definitely avoid mistakes. The redone work will cost you even more than bringing in a professional who will install the hardwood floor in a proper way.
Also do not forget about that fact that the hardwood floor is "living material" and the changes in the humidity and moisture will leave an impact on the floor.
Best regards
TipTop Flooring Inc. – Toronto Hardwood Flooring
Today's hardwood flooring is extremely versatile. There are more ways than ever to install your hardwood flooring:
Nail Installation: This is the most economical way to install a wood floor. However, this option requires that your home have either plywood of wafer board/OSB on the sub-floor. If your home has particle board on the sub-floor you can nail your floor to it, however it does not provide as much holding power and is more likely to develop squeaks. For this reason manufacturers will not warranty their product when installed over particle board.
Glue or Float Installation: Concrete is a mixture of lime, rock, and water. Since wood floors have a tendency to expand or cup when exposed to water or excessive moisture, special products suitable for glue-down or float installation have been developed for use on concrete sub-floors. Their installation methods utilize a barrier which prevents the moisture from reaching the wood.
Glue: Gluing wood to a slab is one of the most common methods used by remodeling contractors and tract builders to install wood floors. When a quality adhesive is used and installed properly, it is rare that any problems will occur. Occasionally however, a shallow area on the slab will not receive enough adhesive and the floor will release from the glue; this only requires an inexpensive glue injection to remedy the problem.
*Verifying the moisture level of the slab on installation day is critical. If moisture levels are higher than allowed, installation will either have to be rescheduled, a concrete sealant applied (additional costs), or the homeowner may sign a release form authorizing the installer to proceed.
Float: Float installations are becoming increasingly more popular. They are relatively easy for the homeowner to install, and since they aren’t attached to the concrete they can easily be replaced if damaged.Float floor products utilize either a conventional tongue-and-groove or a snap-lock system. Several manufacturers even state that glue is unnecessary on their snap lock systems. Typically a special pad is rolled out over the concrete slab and the floor is then assembled on top of the pad as one large panel.