How to Install an Engineered Hardwood Floor | how-tos | DIY

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Using tool to install hardwood floor pieces.

Close up of man using a rubber mallet to install hardwood floor planks.

Pneumatic tools such as this nailer use compressed air to drive the fastener into position. Some compressors can only one tool at a time, while bigger models can accommodate two or three tools. The nails for pheumatic nailers are more expensive than traditional nails because they come in strips that feed into the nailer's rail assembly.

Start by running one row along the longest wall of the room. The floor planks are tongue-and-groove style, so they should slide right together. Manufacturers recommend that you install the planks with the tongue side against the wall and the groove side facing into the room. Use a pneumatic flooring stapler to drive staples through the groove at a 45-degree angle (Image 1). Put a staple every 6 to 8 inches. If you are having trouble getting the planks to slide together easily, use a rubber mallet to force them together (Image 2).

Continue running rows of flooring, using different length planks to create staggered seams. When you get to the other side of the room, you will have likely trouble fitting the flooring stapler into the last row or two of flooring because of interference from the wall. If this is the case, you will need to use a finish nailer and nail directly through the face of these boards (Image 3). Keep the nail holes to a minimum by putting only one nail every 12 to 18 inches.

Use an awl (a small pointed tool) and a hammer to bury nail heads down below the surface of the floor. If they nail heads arent recessed into the wood, they will be dangerous to anyone walking over them in bare or stocking feet.

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How to Install an Engineered Hardwood Floor | how-tos | DIY