How to Install a Real Wood Floor
So you're tired of that drab old carpet in your living room? Maybe you've just gotten tired of all the stains that come with having a carpet? If so, look no further than wood flooring. With its many looks and design choices, a real wood floor can be done for relatively little money. The product can be installed easily with a little advice and a few tips. Before you know it, you'll have a great looking wood floor.
If you're starting on a plywood floor, you can skip the next few steps. If you're starting on a concrete slab, you'll need to seal all the cracks with a cork-based product fro floors. You can buy it at most hardware or home improvement stores. Simply cut a small piece to completely cover the crack at least 6 inches or more. Glue it to the floor with floor glue. Once you have that done roll organic felt paper or tar paper along the entire floor. Don't over lap any pieces just butt the edges together. Do this from wall to wall and cover the entire floor.
Cut ¾-inch plywood to fit on the entire floor in the room you are doing leaving a ½-inch gap from each wall to allow for expansion. Use hand drive cut nails to secure the floor. You can also speed up the process by renting a ram set nailer to shoot nails into the floor. Use eye protection as well as ear protection when using a ram set. It is a high-powered nail gun that uses 22 caliber shells to inject the nail into the hard concrete surface. Shoot nails about every 12 inches or so. Make sure all the nail heads are set below the surface of the plywood.
Move all the flooring materials into the room you are going to set the floor in. Leave the flooring in the room stacked neatly for at least a week to allow the wood to acclimate to its environment. Once it's been acclimated start against to longest wall first and always work towards the door. Lay the first three rows near the wall. Start from left to right and work down one row. Place a spacer shim against the wall at least ½ inch away. With a floor nailer, strike the edge of the flooring with the provided mallet. You can rent a floor nailer from any rental place for cheap. Also, buy the floor nails from the same place. You can rent a manual nailer or pneumatic, the choice is yours. After the first row is nailed and you cut the piece that goes against the wall, use the leftover piece from the cut to start your next row.
Continue along nailing rows one at a time. After you have set one row, always place another row behind the other 3. Always make sure no seams fall in the next rows seams. It's a good idea to have them at least 6 inches from the last one or more. Work your way in this fashion until you make it as far as you can go with the floor nailer.
Once you've made it as far as you can with the floor nailer, place pieces in and use a crowbar to achieve a tight fit. Use a scrap block of wood to prevent prying against the wall and flooring. Use a hammer and 8d finish nails and counter sink them with a nails set. Cut any base with an undercut saw and slide the flooring underneath.
