HOW TO INSTALL HARDWOOD

Consider which method you will use
The three most common methods used are glue-down, click-down and nail-down installation. The glue down method is popular with engineered hardwood which is typically clicked together and then glued down. The click down or floating method is the most common among engineered wood and involves clicking the floor boards together and having them lay on concrete, tile or a sub-floor that radiates heat. The nail down method is most common for solid hardwood because of its permanence. This method requires a wooden sub-floor meaning that one must remove that existing flooring or lay down a plywood sub-floor.

Considerations before you start
1. Let hardwood acclimate in the room you’re installing it in for five days prior to installation.
2. Make sure you’ve got the right amount of flooring for your space. Usually a 5 percent cutting allowance.
3. Safety is key. Be sure to use work gloves and knee pads to make installation safer and more comfortable.

Prep the space
1. Remove base boards and make sure the sub floor is smooth.
2. Mark the walls to show floor joists.
3. Cover the floor with underlayment.
4. Use the longest straight wall as your guide
5. Use a nail gun to drive into the marks and stretch string between them to create a guideline along the wall.
6. Layout the boards in the order you want to install them.

Glue down method
1. Spread enough adhesive with trowel to be able to work on a few rows before it dries.
2. Lay the first row at the starting line.
3. Add the second row by fitting the groove into the first rows tongue and gently tapping it.
4. Use spacers to maintain expansion gap.
5. Install baseboards and shoe molding to cover expansion gaps.

Nail down method
1. Align the first board to the layout of the wall with the tongue facing inward.
2. Drill pilot holes the face of the board 6 inches apart and an inch from the edges.
3. Drill the holes in by countersinking them. Nail down the board.
4. Work your way across the room by power nailing the boards through the tongues.
5. Cut any last pieces close to the ends of the wall.
6. Fill any holes with wood filler.
7. Install baseboard and shoe molding to cover gaps.
8. Nail the Moulding to the baseboards.

Click lock install method (Floating installation)
1. Use spacers to put first row up against the wall
2. Put a spacer against each wall and slide the end of the board up against those spacers.
3. Drill pilot holes.
4. Drive flooring nails through the pilot holes. Countersink all nails.
5. Place the upper drop-lock end of the second plank on the lower drop-lock end of the first plank.
6. Insert the tongue into the groove.
7. Maintain the pressure while pressing the plank flat to lock the edge joints.
8. Install the baseboard and shoe Moulding to cover the expansion gap.