How To Install Hardwood Flooring Straight

Flooring is typically bundled in random lengths.

How to install hardwood flooring straight.

Learn how to install solid hardwood flooring with a few simple tools. Remove the old floor down to the sub floor. Install one complete row at a time from end wall to end wall. Align the edge of the board with the chalk line and drill pilot holes down through the hardwood plank and into the sub floor and joist.

When we questioned our installer he claimed it wasn t his fault the problem is our walls are not straight. Face nail each board at the point of every joist and set the nail with a nail set. Seat the end tongue and groove flooring into each other and. Lay it out in the room and overlap it by 4 6 with every row.

He claimed that the defect is within code for hardwood floor installation and he is not responsible. Place at least two nails in every board the rule of thumb is to nail every 10 to 12 inches. On your first rows you may need to face nail the rows in place with a finish nailer to hold them in place. Put a 3 4 inch spacer against the.

Vary board lengths as you install so you will have staggered end joints in a random pattern image 6. Due to the large amount of different types of. Measure 12 inches in from one end of the wall. Our hardwood floor is not installed straight.

From there measure the width of the plank plus 1 inch into the. Purchase some wood that will give you the right look for your space. Hardwood floors are durable beautiful and a great diy project. It chronicles tutorials for each step of the process derived from our installation of 3 4 inch solid tongue and groove brazilian walnut hardwoods in our own home.

Make sure you leave an expansion gap around the edges of the flooring at each wall. Align the first board with the layout line with the tongue facing into the room. It provides detailed instructions for installing hardwood flooring over a wood substructure. We first ran this article in 2010.

Pick one that is straight. Pry off with a prybar any baseboard or molding from the longest wall in the room that runs perpendicular to the floor. Drive 6d or 8d flooring nails through the pilot holes and then drill additional pilot holes through the tongue at a. At the bottom we provide links to posts on the tools we use and frequently recommend for hardwood.

How to find a straight line when installing wood flooring 1.