Hardwood Floor Installation Tips

While hardwood floors like great in any part of the home, for rooms where water and spill might occur a bit more maintenance is needed to keep the floors looking good.

Hardwood floors can be installed on a variety of things including concrete slabs, plywood subfloors, or even over existing wood floors. If you install over concrete then you need to pay close attention to moisture levels because this could result in a problem later on.

Once a subfloor is in place and sanded the installation of the boards can start. The process of installing the floor is the same whether you use a hammer, nailer, stapler, or glue.

Here are some tips and tricks that will help you with your hardwood floor installation:

Hardwood Floor Installation Tips & Tricks

Start by finding the focal point of the room, such as a fireplace, and then start here. You will also want to make sure you lay any decorative borders first so that the final installation will be symmetrical.

Before you even lay the first board you need to snap a chalk line and use this as your reference point. By alighting the first row of boards with the chalk you ensure that all the later rows will be straight. This step is key because if you skip it your whole project will be ruined.

You must always test to make sure the boards fit together properly because boards are often delivered with varying lengths. Make sure the boards are all staggered and the joints are at least 12 inches apart.