How To Install Hardwood Floors

[TheMantelShoppe]

This video is a great starting point. Once you get the floors finished be sure to take care of the fireplace!

[UberKrispy]

Do the hardcore Christians approve of the floor? Because otherwise we'll have to tear it up

[mhaddadi]

In my opinion this was short and to the point, in my video I used manual nailer, same idea but harder to swing.

[nawallebanese]

hhhhhhhhhhh u make me laugh same for my country in lebanon he can do it not with all fucky tools he need just like u said in hammer hhhhhhhhhhhhhh

[gusyve]

The cut side that he mentioned to stagger the boards will allways be facing the walls, so either the first or last board will be cut nothing in the middle. Hope that helps

[3DLightning]

This is such a bad video. OK, first of all disregard most of the directions. For example DO NOT FACE nail your boards, use a 16ga brad nailer and fire them in at a 45deg. Second if you want a floor that doesn't feel like cheap chinese plastic (what lowes is selling) you dont want to float it you should use PVA glue (wood glue) and glue it to the sub floor making a continuous bond to the ply - if it floods it would survive. A warped board is FINE, you can pull it straight with a floor clamp.

[cc1122fly]

"Check the boards for warping. Boards like that are unusable and should be discarded."

I say return it to Lowes as defective.

[tomversage]

Try it yourself. Brampton Hardwood is providing FREE installation seminars if you live in the GTA. The next seminar is Oct 3 2011. Check it out at

[peterflay]

That termination more horrible Lowes !! Wata jerk !!! When the base board is to small like that The base has to rest on wood and never, never can put a 1 / 4

[jbmprojectscanada]

Energy Efficient Windows, Quality Bathroom Renovations, Superior Commmercial Floors

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[bjornjoseph]

hmm think id stick to laminate.. hardwood floor takes too damn long

[bboymummy]

what are the steps necessary to measure and trace the lines for the starting point before installing??

[pavlo0001]

If I take the time to pull the baseboards off.... I would not use the shoe molding afterwards, I would leave enough space just for the baseboard to cover the floor, looks better (and saves money).

To save the baseboards and not work more... I would follow same concept and leave enough space just for the shoe molding (which I don't like, but baseboards removal take a lot of time, money and are potential for wall damage )... imo

[windows22100]

commercial

[suburbanwarzone]

 :) 0_- XD

[suburbanwarzone]

:) 0_- XD

[suburbanwarzone]

 :) 0_-

[suburbanwarzone]

XD XD XD XD XD XD XD

[nasim1473]

umm...after watching this video, i think im going to get wall to wall carpeting

[22ratshot]

I have an old house and the floors are sagging. How can I fix this? I've heard of a compound thats used as a filler but I'm not sure how strong it will be. Any info from anyone is appriciated.

[markmcshurley]

I like unfinished wood floors better because when you sand and finish them they look better than the pre-finished

[ChantillyWoodFloors]

A useful video for do-it-yourselfers

[ThisKidYouAllKnow]

Lol 5:10 fail, wood floor was uneven

[thingthing4vids]

IM NOT BUYING THIS CRAP

[MrDavidthepainter]

This is a great video you should post on contractortube. com

[originaldevices7]

if you have bowed or warped boards, save a bunch of money and try out one of my tools to straighten hardwood flooring!!

check out my videos

[originaldevices7]

if you have bowed or warped boards, save a bunch of money and try out one of my tools to straighten hardwood flooring!!

check out my videos

[KINGABYSS111]

i just had a question to ask of you according to your expertise.i just bought a brand new home 10 months ago and the hardwood floor is sinking down in some areas,spreading apart about the width of the side of a quarter between alot of planks and some areas near my stairs have dips, and also i will be walking and clip the tip of my shoe hitting some areas thait it is lifting can you please tell me if this is wrong or is it natural settling? thank you for your time

[jmi84]

Quick question to anyone out there. How do I know if my floors are leveled? And if theyre not how do I level them? Please help.

[rickw1954]

Is installing an underlayment really necessary?

[fishstick0071]

@rickw1954 it helps with sound and prevents squeaking in the future, a good investment.

[89Valkyrie]

lol at everything you need. Ask a mexican guy and he can do that with only a hammer.

[jbalt90]

you forgot the beer

[seungr1]

@jbalt90 the video also forgot to tell you that you may have a stupid neighbor  that tells you how to run your projects..........but yet does not know how t use a skrewdriver..LOL....

[1087shotwell]

@89Valkyrie u got no skills!

[Rzaorgmaer]

@89Valkyrie Maybe, but the Mexican guy won't do a good job ;)

[TheJohnny4400]

I do wood floors and this video is filled with INCORRECT info

[MeAndHubbyToo]

I just watched the prep videos for both the cement and wood subfloor, but I don't see anything mentioning the underlayment. Is this in another video?

[56080]

You should show how you produced the guide lines. Also when you run out of space for the nailer why not drill the tongue on the same angle as the nailer would and drive the nail with a hammer and nail set.I did this and ended up drilling the surface of the last row only. Filler will pop out with time .

[bass109]

Jesus christ loves all, his kingdom comes

[LotusFlooring]

good info

[bohickit]

ya he makes it look easy.i was cursing the whole time when i did mine.it took 2 days ,my back was killing me

[meyokomochigary]

Thanks for all your tips!

[Vr4z1el]

Does lowes offer a service that installs the floor for you?

[JFlarper]

I would also like to rebute that the paying an installer to do this is gonna almost cost double what the material is. Most installers these days charge around $3 a square. By doing this project myself I only had to buy a chalk line and a pneaumatic cleate nailer. I bought the nailer from Harbor Freight for $120. Alot cheaper than renting for the amount of floor I installed. The nailer is a Bostitch knockoff but worked fine throughout. However, nails aren't cheap at $20 a box.

[JFlarper]

From a installer's perspective, it is a nightmare because you have to fiddle with short boards, crooks and knots(due to the fact it is a southern hardwood). Southern hardwoods are a little softer due to the moisture and warmer seasons of the south. However, if you lay Bruce yourself there is major cost savings. I bought my floor at $2.70 a square foot. It might take longer to lay but in the end you have a beautiful hardwood floor with plenty of variety in color and character.

[JFlarper]

From a installer's perspective, it is a nightmare because you have to fiddle with short boards, crooks and knots(due to the fact it is a southern hardwood). Southern hardwoods are a little softer due to the moisture and warmer seasons of the south. However, if you lay Bruce yourself there is major cost savings. I bought my floor at $2.70 a square foot. It might take longer to lay but in the end you have a beautiful hardwood floor with plenty of variety in color and character.

[JFlarper]

Also someone who doesn't know much about craftsmanship stated that Bruce Flooring is no good. Yes, they have been around for over 100 years. They do still use alot of the same original processes to mill it. They aren't a technologically advance company at all. However, the only difference I seen in change over the years is the length of the boards has shortened considerably due to deforestation and cost cutting.

[JFlarper]

I would like to add rebuttle to a few comments. Face nailing makes your floor have greater integrity and keeps it from buckling on the first and last row. However, I would blind nail even after using the pneaumatic cleat nailer. Just a 3/32" drill bit and some finishing nails or a finishing nailer if available. face nailing isn't necessary where that guy was at on the last rows.

[eddiedagreat1234]

I don't Like lowes the last time I went there they were rude they didnt help me on what I need now I go to home depot because they treat people with respect thats all I have to say Dueces !!!!!

[QcWoopAss]

the first 2 rows u can use a little nail gun 18ga. U can face nail the first row and the tongue also,just leave small space between youre wall, your base board will cover the nail holes on top

[prizzom]

Do you need some type of finisher coat on top?

[QcWoopAss]

@prizzom i dont think you need a finishing coat after, i thinks there 10coat of vernish on it.I instal hardwood and its always vernish

[str8sushi]

Yeah, at this rate you'll be calling the Lowe's installation crew to come finish ur 100ft project on ur second day

[dspogreev]

HAHAHA! i love how they tell you that you can get them to install your floors for you after giving huuuuuge list of tools you need to install them LOLOL

[Dani1165]

Someone please answer: what do you do if it's an old house where you're installing the flooring and the room already has a finished trim installed along the base of the walls? All the videos I watch show a room without a trim while the flooring is installed, with the trim added as the final step. What adjustment to this method is needed if the trim is already in place before the flooring is installed?

[bellco33]

@Dani1165 You have to remove the trim. Carefully pry it off of the walls using a block to pry against so the pry bar doesn't go through the wall. . For door jambs, use a jamb saw to cut the amount needed to slide the board under.

[Dani1165]

@bellco33 Thanks for responding. I did some further research and figured it out. We actually have shoe molding as well, so, from what I've learned, only the shoe molding needs to be removed since when reinstalled it should cover the extension gap.

[QcWoopAss]

@Dani1165 if the base is already instal, you can always take it off and put it back or you can add a 1/4 round to te baseboard after the floor is done

[vrv59ro]

is faster if u use a finish nail gun so u wont have to keep drilling . . . n u dnt have to take the base out cuz the shoemolding will cover the little distance between . . .but my advice is get somebody to do it "like me":) . . . u wont kill ur back and is way more faster and better installled. . . but good video tho!!!

[majesticflooringuk]

not bad

[zakayf86]

well by the time you buy some of the tools and rent the others, it comes out to be the same to have someone else do it for you it think

[CroftandCampbell]

@zakayf86 Uhh no. Professional labor is expensive (and and usually worth it).

I spent Exactly $185 on the tools/rental. If you can get a pro to install flooring for that by all means.

Quote to get it professionally installed for me was $950.

[QcWoopAss]

@CroftandCampbell we charge 1,60$ per sq ft.

[CroftandCampbell]

@zakayf86 Uhh no. Professional labor is expensive (and and usually worth it).

I spent Exactly $185 on the tools/rental. If you can get a pro to install flooring for that by all means.

Quote to get it professionally installed for me was $950.

[elitommy747]

I still don't understand the physics of that expansion gap....

How can anything expand when it is blind-nailed or nowdays stapeled down?

On the video he is using double spacers making it almost more than 1/2" gap around the room.

I just can't understand how this floor can expand that much???

To me it is physically impossible. If it expands than it should buckle up. No??

Can anybody teach me the theory of that expansion gap?

Thank you

[TheUFOeffect]

@elitommy747 every object has a coefficient of linear thermal expansion. the nails will expand, the hard wood floors will expand and also the subfloor the nails are nailed into will also expand, no matter whar the floor will srink and expand.

[elitommy747]

@TheUFOeffect

Thanx for your explanation...coefficient linear thermal expansion....Oahhhh...

what a terminology/definition??? Maybe I should start using these kind of expressions when I am trying to pick up a good looking woman.))))) Do you think she'll be impressed with me???

Seriously...now I understand the physics of the expansion gap....but I still don't

believe that a floor can expand a 1/2"...maybe an 1/8th..max a 1/4 of an inch.

Thanx again

Tom

[TheUFOeffect]

@elitommy747: just take a physics course and youll pick up some cool terms and equation. change in length= L*(coefficient)*deltaT. everything is metric, temp is celcius. the longer the length of flooring the more it will expand.

[elitommy747]

@TheUFOeffect

Ohh..Jesus!!..Change in length??? I think women would like that))))LOL

Really??.. the longer it I have it---I mean the flooring-)))) the more it will expand?

Oaahhh!!!!

Hope you don't mind me joking around or kidding...we Hungarians have a really weird sense of humor...

Thanx for getting back to me so soon...

[Blien1954]

@elitommy747 different types of hardwood have different expansion sizes. Some exotic woulds expand like crazy if there is too much moisture.. which would probably ruin the floor as well... anyway, depends what kind of hardwood is being used they all have different expansion sizes

[elitommy747]

@Blien1954

Thanx ...I've been in this business too long..

I say ..just nail it down baby))))

[TheUFOeffect]

It looked like there was a lot of space at the end between the wood floor and the wall. i dont know how the trim covered up the whole gap?

[TheUFOeffect]

@TheUFOeffect: oh, i think the shoe molding covered up the gap.

[elitommy747]

@TheUFOeffect

Here is the deal on shoe moulding:...shoe moulding in real life----not when you try to sell something like LOWE'S--- is always installed when you have an existing base board that you don't wan to tear out prior to floor installation. Shoe moulding is a cost effective way to deal with covering up expansion gaps. The high end finish requires taking out the existing base boards and putting them back without shoe moulding.

Designers hate shoe mouldings. It looks cheap.

Greetings

[TheUFOeffect]

@elitommy747: i thought the shoe molding looked alright.

[craftflooring]

bruce flooring is not good btw...also, no professional wood ever face nail a pre finished floor. that is reserved for raw materials...And dont buy into the "do it yourself" nonsense..Its just a marketing scam to make you spend more money and you will lose all your warranties. You will end up buying more material than you need from damaging and miss cutting boards which they are counting on.

Flooring professionals dont spend years learning and perfecting their trade for nothing.

[X820NL]

@craftflooring I've been into flooring for 15 years now and been a business owner for 3 years now. Although informational videos are always good, it's these kind of "do it yourself" instructions that 'we' have to restore once people dont get the desired results. On top of that you often have to deal with a "PRO" who couldn't do it himself watching your every move all day long :)

[joblagz]

looks easy on video but its gruelling specially for first timers

[itsallgoodnahmean]

awesomeness

[jriveaux]

very goog information

[venturec]

great video

[floorsander1951]

lowe's and home depot sell bruce flooring sucks!!!!!!!!

[ajhnson]

No joke there! I used to work in the business 15 years ago and even the owners of the business talked about how "Bruce Wood Flooring" sucked. It was a common knowledge.

[beendanked]

@floorsander1951 -what dont you like about bruce?

[Usernameinvalid16]

I like lowes so much better than home depot?

[tuffman832000]

I'm a floor man............. and why the hell are you worried about expansion if your nailing the boards eh? It aint gonna move son! ya nailed it durrrr!

[slashman5]

how many times do you nail it in

[xxlaosdudexx]

man who da hell uses nail n a hammer to put down da quarter round when u have nail guns lol

[janafortune]

you said wood... :D

[brieghz1]

I have looked at a few different videos on this and this one has been very helpful! This is my first hardwood floor and I had questions about the spacing of the face nailing and going around the vents. Thank-you!

[xPilotxHellfire]

As long as the vent flange covers the hardwood complently and theres no gaps.

[enid0116]

If you're going to have an attitude, then at least spell correctly. Now who's the 'newbie' now!

[uncoverbrother]

exactly! "nail threw the tongue"? wtf?

[bfunkyp]

simple and VERY helpful.

Thank you Lowes.

[00Mandingo00]

Pre-drill holes? safety glasses for wood floors? this reminds me of the "Anal Retentive Carpenter" sketch from SNL back in the day. I just face nail with a finish nailer and #18 nails. You can barely see them even BEFORE using wood filler to cover them.

[valkhorn]

Pre drill is always a good practice when nailing any finished wood product. The last thing you want to do is split the wood when nailing anything and pre-drilling always prevents that.

[xPilotxHellfire]

How about not even nailing threw the top like a retard newbie..

Brad nail threw the tongue till you can't angle it enough to go threw the tongue without coming threw the bottem of the tongue. then glue the last rows. pull it tight, put shims against the wall.. and put a box on the floor where its glued.. take out the shims after an hour and do quarter round. your welcome for the daily tip.. newbie

[valkhorn]

Thanks for being a jerk!

[xPilotxHellfire]

its ok.. i know your going to use the way i said now.. its a free tip.. ur welcome

[oneofayykind]

I have installed hardwood flooring before but I glued it down instead of nailing it. I'm about to start a new project and would like to nail it down. I don't like the idea of face nailing anything but the first row of boards. Isn't there a better way? Why can't you just pre-drill holes above the tongue and nail the second row into the floor and joist below?

[Redat23]

I really wish I could work with this guy. I live in the UK and goods tradespeople are hard to come by. I you ask questions they usually don't know anything , its a nightmare.

[tournon71]

Ask around, preferably at a timber merchants, we're about but it's just like everywhere, there's always good and bad. I've just moved to france so can't help you. but good luck

[buddyrebel]

Awsome Video. Now Im ready to install my hardwood flooring.

[zerothrew9]

i use 7" lag bolts for the 1st and 2nd rows...

[duaneafields]

make sure you don't forget lock washers as well.

[gnfnr457]

sorry!totally misspelled jatoba.lol

[gnfnr457]

I'd like too see him face nail jotabo or any other exotic wood.

[gnfnr457]

you never face nail the second row

[mississauga0909]

If you are installing a hardwood floor for the first time, I would look for more info. elsewhere. (I agree with most of these comments. )

[gnfnr457]

You gotta be kidding me.I do this for a living.Has anyone heard of a 16 gauge brad nailer to start and finish a floor.I can understand face nailing the first row because the trim covers the nail holes,but face nailing the second row.you gotta be kidding me

[timin770]

"...face nailing the second row(?).you gotta be kidding me..."

yeah, no kidding. I'm not a pro but this guy is putting wayyyyy too many holes on the face. I'm doing about 2500 ft2 in my house and we're about 75% complete.

[shaunbot]

obviously the blind nailer doesnt fit at the end, just use a regular nail gun !

[euroshf]

never ever ever top nail prefinished floor

[iowaalfred60]

What is the best way to do it on the first couple rows before being able to use the air nailer?

[thebrickinator]

polyurethane

[agalloch07]

You have to dumbass

[tscat68]

Easily done...Just hard on your back & knees...Well worth the effort though!

[xsplosive1975]

headache515 it will be about a 5 for you

[xsplosive1975]

and you dont use normal finish nails either you use cleats and the begining row and end rows you pre drill and use cleats at a 45 deg in to the tongue never the face.if you are in a dryer climate then most your space gap will be less compared to some were thats has more rain and moister

[xsplosive1975]

You never face nail hard wood floors

you can tell the differance between someone who does this for a living and some one whom makes videos and how tos

[jeffmaglio]

Awesome Video... Thanks for the information.. Mark Tahiliani

[pappyfiddle]

Looks pretty much like synthetic hw flooring, which is not very hard, about a 3 (fairly easy) This also needs nails, so maybe 3 or 4. Get a friend, talk it over as you work. If you goof it up, well, that's what rugs are for

Hardest thing is getting up and down if you're over 50 (or done a lot of rodeo...)

[headache515]

on a scale of 1-10, about how hard is this process if one has had experience in roofing, framing, cabinetry and basic woodworking?

[MrDuffy81]

Ladies: Call me. I DEFINITELY know how to install hard wood...

[tscat68]

Yeah!!!!! give it to em dude!

[YouXKneekXIT]

ha i know how to do this too!  Darn Yankee Workshop ;)

[thefiresinside16]

one thing i did instead of face nailing the top of the boards and filling the holes with putty was to drill holes at a 45 degree angle into the "tongue" of the board then set the nail in it. that way the tongue and grove still fit together between boards and then there are no visible nail holes on top of the boards. though you still do have to face nail the first and last rows of boards on the top. anyways, me and my boss thought it came out pretty well.

[thebrickinator]

why face nail the first two, when there is a tongue?

[thefiresinside16]

the second row you could nail through the tongue, but if you nailed just through the tongue on the first row there wouldn't be anything to hold the back of the boards down which makes it easier for them to buckle

[xPilotxHellfire]

I glue the first 2 rows away from the wall. Brad nailing the first row close to the wall enough to be covered by quarter round and brad nailing threw the tongue. I do 5 more rows with the Hardwood floor nailer I put a box of wood on the glued peices...

[tomaszbielski]

@thefiresinside16 that's why the first row should be also nailed through the tongue, not just from the top

[pavlo0001]

@thefiresinside16: with same nail or the one that the pneumatic gun uses?

I may do 650 sqft of this. I'm lazy and will try NOT to take the baseboards off... what do you think of leaving 1/4" space away and enough to just put the 'shoe' molding on top? (saving the baseboards... bad thing they're white so was thinking picking a light brown color)... (Don't you put the baseboards only on top of the floor anyways??! I would leave space just for that and not use the shoe molding!)

[splitlevel]

listen to what he said. The pneumatic nailer wont be able to be flush against the planks... it will bump against the wall. the planks need to be held down so face nailing is your only option.

[thebrickinator]

you could use 2" micro pins, with some pl premium.

[craftflooring]

@splitlevel

face nailing is for losers