Installing unfinished hardwood flooring

Leave us your information, and we'll call you back. After hours requests will be returned the following day. The cost of unfinished hardwood floor installation is not any higher than prefinished products. The price of the unfinished wood might actually be slightly cheaper. The difference in pricing is seen when it comes time to have the refinishing done. You will have to pay for the flooring expert to sand and refinish the surface. Most unfinished wood flooring installation can be completed in a day, depending on the area involved.

Level the subfloor before you begin laying the flooring. Fill depressions and gaps with floor leveling compound, and knock down high points with a belt sander. Irregularities in the subfloor produce defects such as squeaking and gaps.

Lay a moisture barrier. You can choose from several materials that you staple to the subfloor, including tar or kraft paper, vinyl sheeting and clear plastic, or you can apply a paintable plastic coating with a paint roller. The barrier is a safeguard against warping and separation. Snap a chalk line to demarcate the first row of flooring, either down the middle of the room or against a wall.

Lay the first row with its edge along the line and face-nail the boards with pairs of 2-inch finish nails. Cut the last board in the row to fit with a chop saw. Install the rest of the boards by blind-nailing them -- which means to nail them through their tongues -- with 2-inch flooring cleats.

Use a pneumatic flooring nailer or a nail gun to drive the nails. Install the last row against the wall by cutting the bottoms of the grooves off the boards with a table saw, laying the boards in place and face-nailing them. Sink the heads of all visible nails with a nail punch. Dilute a gallon of latex floor filler with water until it is pourable and spread it over the entire floor with a rubber grouting float.

Acclimate the Flooring Let flooring acclimate to the room temperature and humidity for three to five days prior to installation. Cases tend to be all the same shade. After the boards have acclimated, choose the straightest ones for the first 2 rows. Prepare Your Subfloor Remove old flooring and any residue. Remove carpet strips and baseboards. Old flooring materials may be made of asbestos. Install the Boards The first and last rows of the room have to be nailed through the face of the board.

If you have no experience, screwing these rows will make them easier to remove, if necessary. All other rows will be nailed through the tongue. Lay the first board on the line you snapped, groove toward wall. Drive flooring nails through the pre-drilled holes. Tap the next board in place using a tapping block and mallet. Nail in place.

Countersink all the nails. Now, blind nail at a degree angle along the tongue edge at every floor joist down the length of the row. To start the second row, push the groove of the board onto the tongue of the first row and tap together with a tapping block.

Continue down the row, remembering to stagger the joints by at least 6 inches. When the row is done, blind nail in place.