Step By Step Process Of Finding A Straight Line When Installing Wood Flooring
Before starting to nail or glue down the planks for your wood floor, it is important to build a straight line from wall to wall through the room. Even if you are going to install the first row of planks through a wall as it is strongly recommended, you can not use the wall itself as a straight edge, due to the reason that walls are seldom perfectly straight. A chalk line will be very helpful in making a straight edge that you can place or arrange your planks in a straight line against for even, precise flooring.
Thing's You Will Need
- Measuring Tape
- Sample Flooring Plank
- Crowbar & 2 Nails
- Hammer & Chalk Line
- Carpenter's Square
Step By Step Process
- Pry Off Any Baseboard Or Molding: First of all, with the help of a pry bar, pry off any baseboard or molding from the longest wall in the room that runs upright or vertical to the floor joists.
- Measurement: Now, calculate or compute 12 inches in from one end of the wall. From there, calculate the width of the plank plus 1 inch into the room, in order to account for the tongue a tongue-and-groove board as well as an expansion gap of 1/4 inch. Hammer a nail at least 1 inch into the subfloor at this point. Repeat the calculations on the other end of the wall, and insert or push a nail into the floor there as well.
- Tie One End Of A Chalk Line To One Of The Nails: Next, attach or fasten one end of a chalk line to one of the nails. Stretch the line through the room as well as loop the other side of it around the other nail. You should now have a chalk line running side by side to your starting wall.
- Snap The Chalk Line: Break the chalk line, & make sure to leave a straight chalk mark on the subfloor. If the wall is too long to break the chalk easily, kneel by the midpoint of the line before pressing it down to the floor with one hand, halving the length of the line. Break the halves of the line one at a time using your other hand.
- Remove Nails & Chalk Line: Pull out the nails as well as the chalk line. As soon as you start to install planks, place the first row betwixt the line and the wall, using the line as a straight edge.
Useful Tip
- Place a fabric or plastic moisture barrier over the subfloor & then go ahead with installing the wood flooring. If your barrier is semi-transparent, then break the chalk line first, if your barrier is opaque, put it in place before you break chalk lines.
- Some installers consider chalk lines too inaccurate and they strongly recommend using a laser instead.