DIY Network

Blog Cabin, Webisode 4: Installing Hardwood Flooring Step-by-step instructions for installing hardwood flooring, as seen in DIY's Blog Cabin.

For the hardwood floor in the upstairs bedroom in DIY's Blog Cabin, lighter maple was chosen for creating a contrasting border to offset the dark, rich cherry.

Installing Hardwood Flooring

Tools:

measuring tape
flooring nailer
brad nailer
rubber mallet
staple gun
face nailer

Materials:

15-lb. tar paper
wood glue
short board piece
nails (for flooring nailer, brad nailer, & face nailer)
staples

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	Figure A
	Figure B
	Figure C
	Figure D
	Figure E
	Figure F
	Figure G

Steps:

1. Choose the flooring you want to install. Consider the style for your room or home. Keep in mind that wood is a natural product, so no two floor boards will look identical. Variations in grain and color are normal (figure A) and are likely to continue with use.

• Blog Cabin Tip: Before installing, place wood indoors to let it adjust to the humidity level.

2. Look at the sub-floor that your new flooring will sit on (figure B). It's critical that new hardwood floorsare installed on a clean, smooth, level and structurally sound surface.

3. Cover the sub-floor with a layer of 15-pound tar paper (figure C)and tack it to the sub-floor using a staple gun. Tar paper is a moisture retardant and reduces movement from changes in sub-floor moisture, thereby reducing cupping and warping.

4. Choose your starting wall. This will either be where you will begin your install, or will serve as a reference wall to any line parallel to it, where you wish to begin.

• Note: The starting wall should be the wall that's the most visible or the longest wall in the room.

5. Beginning with the longest or widest hardwood plans, place the first row on the starting wall (figure D).

6. Face nail the first row through the sub-floor (figure E).

• Note: This will eventually be covered by the baseboard, so the face nails won't show.

7. Begin installing subsequent rows using a short piece of flooring and a mallet. Tap each new piece into the previous row with the short board piece and the mallet (figure F). This tightens the new piece with the previous rows.

8. On the next two rows, use a brad nailer to shoot the nail through the tongue of the board, and through the sub-floor.

• Note: Stagger end adjacent row joints 6 inches so the room isn't cut by lines in the flooring.

10. On the final row, put glue on the bottom of the last board. Then wedge it into place using a mallet and small board piece.

11. Lastly, face nail the final row into place.

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RESOURCES :

Lumber Liquidators
www.lumberliquidators.com