Directions to Install Hardwood Floors
- 1). Cover the whole subfloor in paper underlayment, rolling it out in courses that slightly overlap at the sides. Secure the paper with a standard stapler. (Make sure all staples are completely down.)
- 2). Lay the first course of boards along the starting wall, with the grooved side facing the wall. Leave a 1/2-inch gap between the edge of the boards and the wall, to allow the floor to expand. The gap will be covered by trim.
- 3). Secure boards using a finish nail gun, shooting nails through the top straight down, in pairs, every foot. Attach the boards at the ends by tongue and groove fittings. Cut the final board on a miter saw to fit.
- 4). Install the next three or four courses in the same manner, top-nailing with the finish nail gun. Attach the sides of the boards tightly together, staggering the ends from course to course.
- 5). Bring in the pneumatic floor stapler when there is enough flooring installed to accommodate it. Sit it on the installed flooring, with the front tip over the tongue edge of the next course. Hit the firing pad of the stapler with the mallet, which will knock the floor boards tightly together while driving a staple through the side into the subfloor.
- 6). Work your way across the floor with the stapler, cutting end pieces as needed on the miter saw. Stop when you're too close to the ending wall to swing the mallet. Install the final few courses by top-nailing with the nailer.
- 7). Use a table saw to length-cut the final course, if necessary, so there is a 1/2 inch gap by the wall. The floor is ready for finishing and trim installation.
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