DIY Network

Blog Cabin: Installing Hardwood Floors For the master bedroom, the Blog Cabin crew installs cherry hardwood floors with a contrasting maple border. From "Blog Cabin" episode DBLG-105

(Continued from page 2)

Amy, Chris and Simon admire their handiwork on the master bedroom floor.

Installing New Hardwood Floors

Following is a summary of the basic steps, tools and materials used in the installation of the cabin's hardwood flooring.

Tools:

face nailer
flooring nailer
staple gun
measuring tape
mallet
pry bar

Materials:

flooring
15 lb. tar paper
chalk line

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Figure A

1. Choose flooring that matches your preferred style. For Blog Cabin, DIY's bloggers opted for cherry hardwood (figure A).

Note Wood is natural so no two pieces will be identical, and wood will continue to patina with continued use.

2. Make sure sub-floor is clean, smooth, level and structurally sound

Note Check your manufacturer's preferred sub-floor surface.

3. Bring wood indoors to sit a few days to adjust to the humidity level in the home before installing.

4. Cover sub-floor with 15-lb. tar paper, nailing in place with a staple gun (figures B and C).

Note Tar paper acts as a moisture retardant.

Figure B

Figure C

	Figure D
	Figure E
	Figure F
	The finished hardwood floor

5. Measure the room to ensure square. Measure the width to establish a centerline and snap a chalk line parallel to your starting wall (figure D).

Note If your room is seriously out of square, position the tongue of the first row parallel to the centerline and rip the groove side at an angle parallel to the wall.

6. Snap another chalk line 1/2 inch from the starting wall, parallel to the centerline.

7. Beginning with the longest or widest planks, place the first row on your starting wall.

8. Face nail the first row through the sub-floor.

Note This will be covered by the baseboard so don't worry about nails showing.

9. Blind nail the next two rows by hand.

Note Stagger end joints of adjacent rows by 6 inches (figure E).

10. When installing next rows, place a short piece of flooring to the edge and tap with a mallet to tighten the new row into place before nailing.

11. If the room covers a large area, use a flooring nailer after you've installed the first three rows (figure F). Slide the flooring nailer onto the boards tongue and strike the plunger to drive nails through the tongue and into each joist and the sub-floor between joists.

12. On the final row, use a block and pry-bar to wedge the last boards firmly into position

13. Glue the last row in, as well as face nailing it to hold in place.

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RESOURCES :

Special resources for DIY's Blog Cabin 100 series

Baird and Wilson Sheetmetal (cabin roof)
www.bairdandwilson.com

Aespyre Custom Metal
www.aespyre.com

Rolling Rock Building Stone Inc.
www.rollrock.com

Heat & Glo Fireplaces
www.hearthnhome.com

Peachtree Doors and Windows
www.peachtreedoor.com

InsulTechnology
www.insultechnology.com

Lumber Liquidators
www.lumberliquidators.com

Wildwood Cabinets Luxury Handcrafted Cabinetry
www.wildwoodcabinets.com

Mountain Sage Gallery
www.mountainsagegallery.com

Stonecraft Inc.
www.stonecraftusa.com

Crossville Ceramics
www.crossvilleinc.com

Nuheat Industries Ltd.
www.nuheat.com

Kohler
www.kohler.com

Cobble Systems Inc.
www.cobblesystems.com/index.html

Rolling Rock Building Stone
www.rollrock.com

Hampton Bay
www.hamptonbay.com

Sets-Systems (tankless water heater)
www.sets-systems.com