Installing hardwood will add warmth and style to your home not to mention added value. When you’re shopping around for hardwood, it’s a good idea to consider whether or not the one you want is backed by a warranty. You will need to ensure that the subfloor you are installing over is level and you should also allow the boxes of hardwood flooring to sit in the room they are to be installed in for acclimation. There are three different common methods of hardwood flooring installation; nailed down, glued down and floating floors. Leading Carpet Cleaning consider the nailed down installation method.

Nailed Down Hardwood Floor Installation

When you’re ready to install the first row, make sure you choose the straightest planks you can find. The tongue side will need to face the center of the room. There is an expansion gap that you will need to place spacers inside of. The expansion gap is the space between the wall and the floor that will allow for expansion of the hardwood that will result from heat and humidity. Next you need to pre-drill holes ¼ inch from the narrow side of the plank at ½ an inch away from the wall and you’ll need to continue at 6-inch intervals for each board. To make sure your finished product has a blended color and won’t have areas that look patchy you need to take boards from different boxes in your order. A pneumatic nailer is hard to use near a wall so you’ll need to use a regular hammer for the first few boards when you’re setting them in place. Drive the nails in a little deeper than the level of the hardwood (countersink) and fill the holes in afterwards with matching putty. Blind-nailing is a method used to hide a nail using the next board to hide it once it’s installed. You always need to countersink the nail driving it a little lower than the surface of the wood to prevent interference in the joint connection of the next board. Once the first row is completed, you can lock the tongue and groove and tap them together with a rubber mallet and a block to ensure a tight fit between the boards. You should also stagger the ends of boards six inches in between adjoining boards to create a stronger and more eye catching flooring pattern. You will now go ahead and blind nail the second row along the tongue and repeat the process. When you get to a certain point you can start using the flooring nailer. To use this tool, you’ll need space and will usually happen when you get to row three of four. There is a boot that you attach to the nailer to protect the floor as you’re working at installing it. It’s very important to keep the expansion gap you created along the first wall all around the room. As you approach the last rows you will need to start nailing the boards by hand as space will get tight again. Countersink the nails and use putty to fill the holes. Now that it’s all finished you can install the transition pieces, remove the spacers attach the baseboards to the wall and stand back and admire your work!

Hardwood Flooring Installation in Orange, Santa Ana, Rancho Cucamonga, Anaheim, Whittier, Riverside, Chino & Fullerton California

If you’re confident in your DIY skills, you can install your own hardwood floors but if you would rather have the professionals take care of it for you, give leading Carpet Cleaning a call!