How to Install a Hardwood Floor | HomeTips

Expert advice on how to install hardwood floors from start to finish, including tools and materials, preparation, layout, cutting, and fastening

A successful hardwood floor installation is certainly one of the most rewarding do-it-yourself projects. New hardwood flooring can transform a room with warmth, beauty, and styleand it can also give the person who installed it a satisfying sense of accomplishment.

Installing a new hardwood floor can completely transform a room.

Because installing hardwood flooring is usually a major, expensive home improvement, it pays to ensure a quality, durable result. The key is proper preparation.

Make sure that the subfloor will provide a good, solid, flat base and that the use and conditions of the room wont have a negative impact on the flooring. Too much foot traffic on a new floor or excessive temperature or humidity swings can diminish the quality ofand sometimes even ruinwood flooring. Proper preparation techniques depend upon the type of flooring youre installing and the conditions of the base that will be beneath it.

Before you get too far into your project, be sure to read the information in the tab above, Preparing Floors for Hardwood. More about selecting, preparation, and storing your flooring follows here. Then work your way through the numbered links at top right, which will guide you step-by-step through laying out, cutting, and fastening your wood flooring.

As discussed in theWood Flooring Buying Guide, solid- and engineered-wood floors differ significantly. Because solid-wood flooring is milled from lumber, it has a tendency to warp, twist, expand, and contract with changes in moisture and temperature. But because engineered-wood flooring is made from layers of wood sandwiched and bonded together, it is more stable and resistant to changes caused by extreme temperatures and humidity.

You can install a solid-wood floor on a conventional raised plywood subfloor or on a properly prepared concrete slab (see Preparing Floors for Hardwood) but only if the surface is above grade (it must be no more than 3 inches lower than the ground level outside) because moisture, which is typically present beneath below-grade floors, can be very damaging to solid wood. If your floor is below grade, choose a different material. Engineered-wood flooring may be installed above or below grade.

Bathrooms and kitchens are another story. Though moisture is present in both areas, you can protect the surface of a solid-wood floor with a sturdy, protective finish.

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How to Install a Hardwood Floor | HomeTips