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Hardwood Flooring Designs
Hardwood Flooring Patterns
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Installing
Hardwood Flooring On A Wood Sub-floor - A DIY Project.
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The conversion, by manufacturers, of a log to a hardwood board or
plank has been refined to the point where the majority of product is
straight and true. The pre-finishing of the hardwood, with
stains, micro-beveling, and polyurethanes has converted what used to be
a product that needed to be installed by a professional to a product
that can be installed by a competent home handyman, it is definitely
a diy (do it yourself) project.
Prior to laying a hardwood floor, there are some items that should
be investigated and actions taken if necessary:
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Windows & Exterior Doors:
Why investigate your windows and exterior doors if it is a floor
that you are installing? Intelligent question! You
want to ensure that the windows, doors and doorframes and
window frames do not leak and that the plaster or sheetrock
around the windows and doors is solid, not cracked or powdery.
If there are any problems around doors or windows repair the
problems. You do not want to be doing drywall taping,
sanding and repair after you have laid your hardwood floor.
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Painting:
If part of
the room's remodel includes painting, it should be done prior to
the installation of the hardwood flooring. Painting before
installing is important for two reasons:
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You do not want to get paint drips or splatters on your new
hardwood floor.
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The use of a
stepladder
 while painting could easily leave dents,
marks and scratches on your new hardwood floor.
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Baseboard:
All
existing baseboards and quarter round should be removed prior to
installation of the hardwood, use a
small pry bar
 bar and block of
wood against the drywall to avoid damage. After you have removed the
boards ensure that there are no remaining finishing nails in the
walls. It is not uncommon to have a finishing nail pull
through the baseboard or quarter round and remain protruding
from the wall.
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Doorframe Trim:
Doorframe moldings and trim should sit on the new hardwood
floor. My experience has been that it is more efficient to
remove door trim molding prior to installing the hardwood floor.
After installing the hardwood or bamboo floor you can trim the doorframe molding to
size and replace it. Some installers prefer to leave the
doorframe molding in place and undercut it with an offset
dovetail saw to allow the hardwood
to fit tightly underneath.
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Doors: It is much
easier to pop the hinge bolts and remove the door than trying to
work around a hung door. The bottom of the door may need
to be trimmed if the hardwood floor is thicker than the material
it is replacing or if you are laying the hardwood on top of the
old floor.
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Squeaks:
The
installation of a hardwood floor will not remove squeaks from
your current floor of sub-floor. Squeaks are present for
one of two reasons. The first is that the sub-floor is not
tightly fastened to the floor joists. This can be
corrected by using additional
No. 8 flooring screws
 in the appropriate
spots. The second reason, which is more complex to repair,
is squeaks within the floor joists. These types of squeaks
are usually caused by the warping of floor joists and can only
be corrected by adding cross supports between floor joists and
shims between the floor joists and the sub-floor.
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Soft Spots:
If you
have soft spots or a springy floor, these areas must be fastened
down before the installation of the new hardwood boards.
If the sub-floor is raised it can be fastened down with
No. 8 flooring screws. If the sub-floor is level then the problem is a
sagging floor joist. You can correct this problem by using
shims between the top of the floor joist and the sub-floor.
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Protruding Screws and Nails:
Inspect the sub-floor for protruding nails and screw heads.
Screws and nails should be level with the surface of the
sub-floor. If it is nail heads that are protruding I
recommend removing the nail and replacing it with a flooring
screw. Nails that have pulled up will usually pull up
again after they have been nailed flush. Screw heads that
are protruding can be reset level with the surface. If you
have a chip board floor, the installation of nails and screws
may have caused a bubbling effect around the nail or screw.
The bubbles can and should be removed with a
6" block plane, belt
sander or
wood rasp.
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Sweep and Vacuum:
Following the repairs remove all remnants of dirt and dust from
the floor. Vacuum the floor thoroughly making sure to
pickup small pieces of drywall and plaster that hide against
wall edges. It is not uncommon to find nails and screws
wedged below drywall panels and the sub-floor. If you do
not remove them they will find there way under one of the
hardwood flooring boards that you are attempting to nail into
place.
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Acclimatize the Flooring:
Probably, the number one mistake, made by homeowners attempting
to install hardwood flooring is acclimatizing the boards to the
humidity and temperature of the room. Hardwood is very
susceptible to shrinking and swelling relevant on the
temperature and humidity. If you do not allow the hardwood
to acclimatize you will encounter warping, cupping, twisting or
gapping (the separation of boards) of boards after they are
installed. Follow the manufacturer's instructions for the
amount of time and method for acclimatization of their product.
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