How to Install a Hardwood Floor

One may feel that installing a hardwood floor can be difficult. However, it is not so and you can save a lot of money by installing it yourself. You just need basic skills of carpentry, like doing proper measurements and handling the hammer. The list of items you will need to install a hardwood floor is given below.

• Claw Hammer
• Carpenter's Crayon
• Hardwood Flooring Nail
• Driller
• Broom and Dust Pan
• Saw
• Rubber Mallet

How to Install a Hardwood Floor: Step #1
Different types of hardwood floors are available these days and selection of the wood that you will be using in your hardwood floor is very important. Finished hardwood floors are always a good option, as they do not require sanding and finishing after the installation.

How to Install a Hardwood Floor: Step #2
Clean the room where you are going to install the hardwood floor. Shift the furniture of the room to some other place of your house, until you finish the installation of hardwood floor. Remove the baseboards, carpets, if any.

How to Install a Hardwood Floor: Step #3
Store the wood at the site of installation at least for 2 weeks. This will help the wood to adjust (expand or contract) with the humidity and temperature of the place.

How to Install a Hardwood Floor: Step #4
Start the preparation for the formation of sub floor. Sub floor is a necessity for the proper foundation of the hardwood floor. For sub flooring, you can use asphalt sheets, or plywoods.

How to Install a Hardwood Floor: Step #5
Once you are done with sub flooring, take the measurements of the room and mark accurately a center line. Draw parallel lines to this center line, from the starting wall. These lines should be perpendicular to the floor joists. Starting wall will be the one, from where you will start the installation of hardwood floor. Starting wall should be the one, which will give an easy start of installation without any obstacle.

How to Install a Hardwood Floor: Step #6
Draw a line half inch from the starting wall and parallel to the center line. The edge of the first plank will be aligned to this line. The gap of half inch between the wall and the line is to provide space for the wood to expand.

How to Install a Hardwood Floor: Step #7
Now you can start to install the boards that you will be using for the first row of the hardwood floor. Choose the boards that are the longest or the widest among all the available boards with you. See that the boards you select are straight and align properly with the wall. This will be the first row of your hardwood floor.

How to Install a Hardwood Floor: Step #8
Drill holes in these boards, insert nails and use hammer to fasten the nails into the board. Continue to install the boards of first row. When you reach the last board of the row, mark the extra wood with carpenter's crayon and cut it with the saw. See that you do not cut it too small and cut it perfectly to fit the remaining gap.

How to Install a Hardwood Floor: Step #9
Continue the same method for the remaining rows. Remember to align the boards of new row parallel to the previous row. Use rubber mallet for the proper alignment.

How to Install a Hardwood Floor: Step #10
If the hardwood flooring is going to change the level of the remaining room or an adjacent room, then do not forget to install a reducer strip at the end of all the rows. Reducer strip is smooth and round at its edges.

While installing the hardwood floor, always clean the floor with broom. Any wood chips left on the floor may scratch your new flooring. Measurements and installation of the boards of each row should be done carefully, so that they align accurately. Installation of a hardwood flooring will take one day, it is a job that needs lots of patience, skill work and accuracy. Hardwood floor is a lifetime investment that you will be doing for the interior of your house, so you should be careful with the installing procedure.