10. When installing wood floors, there's no need to finish. There are two types of hardwood flooring: unfinished and pre-finished. Pre-finished is a faster and less labor intensive alternative to unfinished flooring. Because the finish is already applied, pre-finished flooring simply needs to be installed. However, the extra time and work required for unfinished flooring does pay off. As any expert would say, the beauty of a sanded and finished hardwood floor can't be matched with pre-finished flooring.

9. A solid installation begins at the base. The quality of the finished floor is directly related to the quality of the subfloor. While the subfloor doesn't necessarily have to be perfectly level, it does need to be perfectly flat. If the subfloor has any imperfections, the finished floor will be noticeably wavy and probably squeak. Typically, the subfloor is constructed with 1/2" – 3/4" plywood.

8. Cover the noise with a little paper. The last thing wanted is a brand new, beautiful hardwood floor that squeaks. In addition to making sure the floor is flat and free of imperfections, there is an additional step to prevent squeaks in the floor. Put down a layer of Rosin paper on top of the subfloor to prevent any noisy wood-on-wood contact.

7. Nail the boards tight and keep the back loose. Wood flooring requires a special nail gun that hides the nails in the tongue of the board called a blind nailer. It's highly recommended to use a pneumatic blind nailer. The installation of hardwood flooring is no easy task and you get all the help possible. Pneumatic blind nailers are relatively inexpensive to rent and the benefit definitely outweighs the cost.

6. The entire floor rests on the first board installed. The first board in any floor installation is extremely critical. If it's slightly off, the error will grow exponentially while laying more boards. Spend extra time on the first board and continue to check the boards to make sure they're square while moving across the floor.

5. Buy extra stock and save the puzzling for another weekend. If you're a novice floor installer, it's essential to have extra wood because you're going to make mistakes. However, even professionals buy extra stock. Flooring comes in a variety of lengths so buy extra to avoid piecing together an impossible puzzle. Always purchase about 30% more flooring than needed.

4. Before getting your feet wet, do a dry lay. Practice makes perfect and hardwood floors are no exception. Instead of diving in head first, lay out the floor before nailing it. It will allow to plan for the use of the longest pieces of the flooring and catch problems before getting started.

3. The final finish shouldn't be the first. Finishing a floor is no easy task. Rent a great deal of equipment, put in a great deal of hard work and do it with the proper touch to make sure it looks right. If you've never finished a floor before, the new floor shouldn't be the practice canvas. Get practice before attempting to put a finish on the new hardwood floors.

2. Pull yourself out of a jamb. When installing new flooring, you often raise the height of the existing floor, which can cause problems near door jambs. In order to raise the door jambs without tearing up the knuckles, use a special tool called a Japanese pull saw. The saw cuts on the pull stroke allowing you to get close to the floor and remove a small part of the door jamb.

1. Procrastinate and allow the wood to acclimate. Wood will expand and contract with changes in the environment. If the stock comes from a 95 degree warehouse and the home is 72 degrees, the wood is eventually going to contract in the cooler environment. It's for this reason that you need to give your wood a few days to get used to the temperature and humidity level in a home. Allowing the wood to acclimate is extremely important because if you don't, it will acclimate on the floor and cause gaps and/or buckling.