Advice for Installing Hard Wood Floors

Learn how to install hard wood flooring as a do-it-yourself project with parquet tiles, prefinished solid planks or engineered flooring. Or hire professional installers who are familiar with industry standards - they know local codes and recommendations for a wooden floor that is as beautiful as you have imagined.

When ordering, add 5% to the actual square footage needed to ensure there are a sufficient number of either longstrip or wide planks to account for the cutting and grading allowance. Examine each board prior to installation in case there are significant deficiencies.

For the best results, hard wood floors need to be installed on a flat, dry subfloor. Since some hardwoods will be nailed or stapled through the face or tongue, it must be able to hold the nail or staple.

Glue down flooring is common on cement subfloors – proper preparation and a suitable adhesive are necessary. Snap together/glueless floating floors placed over a pad can be used on almost any surface.

Install hardwood flooring tile from more than one carton for a good mixture of shades and colors. Staggering the ends of the boards by at least 6 inches will create a natural overall appearance.

In a large room with high humidity, it is important to insert spacers to allow for expansion of wood materials. Stain, filler or putty for touch up applications is an acceptable part of installing wood flooring.

Read and follow all instructions carefully using correct tools and accessories to avoid damage. These include a drill with 1/16 inch bit, hammer, tape measure, moisture meter, undercut saw and chalk line.