Install Wood Floor – How To Yourself

How to Install a Wood Floor

Step 1: Choose the Boards
Step 2: Measure the Room
Step 3: Check for a Squeaky Floor
Step 4: Roll Out the Vapor Barrier Paper
Step 5: Start Installation of the Wood Floor
Step 6: Place the Wood Floor Boards
Step 7: Hand-Nail the Rolls
Step 8: Staple the Boards
Step 9: Cutting the Baseboard
Step 10: Fill in the Gaps on the Wood Floor
Step 11: Work Around Clearance Issue
Step 12: Fit Last Board Into Place
Step 13: Fill Holes With Wood Putty
Step 14: Hardwood Floor Maintenance
Roughly one minute of video recorded for each row of Step 4: Roll Out the Vapor Barrier Paper

Roll out strips of vapor barrier paper, allowing at least a 4″ overlap and staple securely to the sub-floor. Use 15 pound tar paper or felt. It is relatively inexpensive (it’s approximately $12 a roll at a home improvement store). Mark with a pencil along the baseboards where the joists are located.
Step 5: Start Installation

Start the installation at the longest unobstructed wall. Remove the shoe molding, and snap a chalk line 3/8″ out from the baseboard (this allows for expansion in the hot, humid weather and contraction in the colder, drier weather of the hardwood flooring).
Step 6: Place the Boards (Install Wood Floor)

Begin by selecting a long board to start the first row. Pick one that is straight. Align the edge of the board with the chalk line and drill pilot holes down through the hardwood plank and into the sub-floor and joist. Face-nail each board at the point of every joist and set the nail with a nail-set. Face-nail the entire first row and remember to keep the board lengths random. It is important to face-nail the first row because the pneumatic nail can’t get down in there. It will hit the wall and the force would push the wood against the baseboard, which would lose the 3/8″ expansion and contraction.

It is important to lay the first boards perpendicular to the joists which are underneath. That is important because you want a nice solid anchor. Look at the sub floor to see which way the nails and seams ran. Try to go underneath the crawl space to see how they run.

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View Comments

  • its not its just cheaper to leave the skirting on and put beading round the edge , if you take the skirting off you mite damage the walls an have to repaint the walls it a cheap version of doing things

  • @jjjoconnor

    You must be behind the times mate, you "don't" need to glue the "new tongue and groove" now, it fixes in place very securely "without" glue!

  • @luangu; there is the option to just leave the baseboards up and just cover with 1/4 round molding later but remember that your existing molding will look at least 1/2" shorter in height than before,also need to cover nail holes and paint the new 1/4 round...if you remove the old molding you can save it ,reuse it ,patch new nail holes and maybe paint again to look new ...no need to buy 1/4... saves some money and time cutting/patching/painting...either way some work still needed.

  • Ive layed several of those snap-in floorings, it actualy couldnt be called a Laminate Flooring, as that term is already applied to a standard nailed down wood floor. The standard name for this type is a 'Pergo' floor, one thing that shoudl have been done before the floor was laid, was the trimming around the room should have been pulled out, and the 1/4" to 1/2" spacers be placed directly against the wall - then re-nail the trim to the wall to hide the edges. Gives it a very professional look

  • all that work for a cardboard floor with a contact paper covering! do it right, install a real wood floor

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