How hard is it to install a wood floor?
Oct 28th, 2008 by admin
depending on what type of wood. If you are "Floating" a floating floor it is the easiest method of installation.
If nailing or stapling on top of a wood sub floor is the second in difficulty(make sure to have all the right tools)
last is gluing on concrete. It is the most difficult to do.
If you are not floating than I wouldn't recommend doing it your self.
Find a wood you like that has a glue less floating system. It should have a locking mechanism in the tongue and groove. Leave 1/4 inch around the perimeter, lock the planks together staggered (stair-step like this
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you don't want the 4 corners to meet. cut the first piece you install and don't let any pieces to the wall become less than 5 inches.
very easy. glue less floating floor
No, just need to be sure you have the correct tools!
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It isn't difficult at all. You have to make sure you have the right tools. My sister did it by herself and she said once you get started it moves right along. It took her about 5 hours to do her dining room and it was 18 by 20.
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You need to be more specific. Is the wood floor to be installed over a wood sub-floor that is already there, such as a second floor or a first floor of a house with a basement? Or is the wood to be installed over a concrete slab? The difficulty also depends upon whether you intend to use snap-together wood laminate or the real thing (tongue-and-groove 3/4" solid hardwood strip or plank flooring). If you are installing over a concrete slab, it's important that the concrete be level. If it's got valleys and peaks that are too big, the floor needs to be leveled. That's a job. But there are "floating" floor techniques that put the wood over foam. Some people put laminate wood floors directly over a slab. Talk to someone at a flooring store for details on what's involved. To put in real 3/4" hardwood over a slab, you should probably put in a plywood subfloor over the slab, and the hardwood on top of that. That's a really big job and a discussion in itself. If you already have a wood subfloor, the job is much easier. Maybe sand down some high spots, knock down some nails sticking up and you're ready to start installing. The laminate engineered snap together approach is easiest. But putting the real 3/4" hardwood tongue and groove over an existing subfloor is quite do-able for someone new to this sort of thing. I'd recommend finding the video about this by a guy in Oregon or Washington named Don Bollinger. I got it out of my local library and it's excellent. It's got everything you need to know to install real hardwood over an existing wood subfloor. I saw on Amazon that he has a paperback. If you go this route, it's not too hard. You need to staple down some roofers felt ("tarpaper") over the subfloor, saw a few boards to length at the end of each course, knock the boards together, nail them in with a nailer that you can rent, sand with a rented sander (I used my own belt sander and random orbit sander) and finish the floor with varnish, shellac or whatever you choose. Another important thing with the 3/4" hardwood is to store the boards in your house (not the garage) for a couple weeks before installing, to allow them to adjust to interior humidity.
References :
depending on what type of wood. If you are "Floating" a floating floor it is the easiest method of installation.
If nailing or stapling on top of a wood sub floor is the second in difficulty(make sure to have all the right tools)
last is gluing on concrete. It is the most difficult to do.
If you are not floating than I wouldn't recommend doing it your self.
Find a wood you like that has a glue less floating system. It should have a locking mechanism in the tongue and groove. Leave 1/4 inch around the perimeter, lock the planks together staggered (stair-step like this
| | | |
| |
|
you don't want the 4 corners to meet. cut the first piece you install and don't let any pieces to the wall become less than 5 inches.
very easy. glue less floating floor
References :
experience