Installing Hardwood Flooring:
This section, is designed to answer the following:
- Where do I start laying my floor?
- How do I nail the first few rows?
- Should I use nails or cleats?
- How should I select the boards to lay a pleasing pattern?
- What do I do when I hit the far wall?
NOTE: This is not meant to replace a professional installer,
but rather this information is designed to help our customers
understand the process and offer some guidance to those that
wish to install the flooring themselves. Please read the section
on a proper
subfloor for a hardwood floor first.
Step 2. Installing your Wood Floor
Where do I start laying down my flooring?
Pick the longest, most visible wall to start your installation.
Start by laying down a chalk line 1/2" from the wall and extent
it the full length. This is where your first row of flooring
will go.
Bring in a drawing of your layout and we will be pleased
to make a recommendation. It is hard to cover all bases using
this written word. Remember for maximum performance strip
flooring must be nailed down at opposite directions to the
floor joists.
How do I nail down the first row?
The nailer hits the starting wall so I can't use it, so the
first row must be face nailed (from the top surface of the
wood down), with the groove facing the wall and the tongue
side facing the room. You must predrill a hole into the wood,
close to the groove side, then using a 2" spiral finishing
nails, attach the flooring securely to the subfloor, following
along your chalk line.
Nail holes can later be filled with a putty stick. These
nail holes end up being very close to the baseboard, so they
are rarely visible. Use the longest, straightest boards for
the first row.
Once they have been nailed in place, go back and nail the
same boards through the tongue, predrilling and nailing at
an angle. Be sure to set the nail down as close to the surface
of the flooring as possible, before you use a punch. Punches
have a habit of slipping off the nail and leaving a hole in
your new floor. Use them cautiously.
How do I nail the next few rows?
The next couple of rows, that is until the nailer can fit
in place without hitting the wall, must be predrilled through
the tongue and hand nailed as above. Remember to set the nail
down low enough so that it does not interfere with the tight
installation of the next board.
What kind of nails do I use, how many and
where?
All 3/4" strip flooring should be nailed down using 2" cleats
or nails. The actual brand name of the nails, will have to
be compatible with the nailer you are using. Miss-matched
nails and nailer can cause the machine to jamb and damage
the driver head.
A nail should be set into each floor joist, assuming 16"
spacing and an additional nail between each pair. This should
result in a spacing of every 8" to 10" as recommended by the
National Flooring Association.
Never nail too close to the end of the board or it will split,
but nail all boards within 3"of the end to prevent squeaking.
Each board must have a minimum of two nails each.
How do I decide which pieces of flooring
should go where?
You are trying arrange all your flooring across the room
evenly distributing the various colours and lengths of boards.
Lay out multiple rows ahead of the person that is nailing
and you will be able to tell by looking at it, if the distribution
is pleasing. Remove any boards you are unhappy with and use
them in a closet.
Never cluster darker boards under a bed. The bed may
get moved later on! Assure that no two boards end in the same
place. Alter lengths, to stager joints 6" apart.
Should I inspect the flooring before I
lay it down?
YES! As you arrange it for good colour and length distribution,
inspect each piece for defects. Some manufacturers are careful
in cutting out any damage, but humans are sorting the wood
and can miss a piece. Some defects don't always show up right
away, and develop in transit, so all manufacturers put
the responsibility on the installer to do the final inspection
at the job site. How much "defective material" a flooring
product will have is dependent on the grade and manufacturer.
At Lacasse Fine Wood Products, we put our money where our
mouth is and guarantee you that you
will not have more than 2% wastage due to manufacturing
problems in a MIRAGE
hardwood flooring, or we will buy back the defective flooring.
In all the years of dealing with Mirage flooring, experience
has taught us that this is a safe bet.
What do I do when I hit the end of a row?
If you can find a piece of flooring that is just the right
size then that's great, otherwise pick a piece that is at
least 12" longer than you need. Cut what you need to complete
the row you are working on and take the left over section
down to the other end and use it to start the next row.
You'll notice that the cut end sits tightly against the wall.
In this way you generate no waste and the cut section is long
enough to use effectively as the first piece in your next
row.
It is not necessary to leave a gap on the ends of the rows
as wood very rarely changes length, with changing humidity.
It only expands and contracts across the width of the boards.
Can I reverse the direction of the flooring?
Yes! Insert a properly sized strip of wood or plywood into
the groove side of the piece of flooring. Nail it into place
as you would in any other situation. Continue as before. This
is great if you want to back into a closet, or bedroom off
both sides of a hallway.
What do I do when I hit the far wall?
The last 2 or 3 rows will have to be hand nailed in the same
way as you started the floor. Often the last row will not
fit a full strip of flooring. You must cut to width enough
flooring to hand nail the last row, leaving enough space that
when all is said and done there remains a 1/2" expansion space
between the wall and the wood.
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