Proper Procedure Of Installing First Row Of Hardwood Flooring
It is important for the first row of a wood floor to be straight, sound as well as fastened firmly & then you can install the remaining of the floor. There are specialty tools when it comes to installing wood floors, however, a hammer and nails are widely accessible, and are extremely useful. The important part of the first row is the 3/4-inch expansion gap betwixt the flooring and the wall. This gap, in turn, will help for seasonal expansion as well as the contraction of the wood. You can purchase spacers or make your own by trimming off sections from a 3/4-inch-thick board.
- Select Straightest Flooring Boards: Firstly, choose the even or level flooring boards from your materials. Lay one board on the floor with the grooved edge toward the wall as well as the tongue edge facing out. Position 3 or more 3/4-inch spacers betwixt the grooved edge of the board and the wall. If the first board pushes in opposition to a wall on one end, then position a spacer at the end of the board as well.
- Drill Pilot Holes Across The Board: Now, choose a drill bit that is having the same diameter or marginally smaller in comparison to the spiral floor finishing nails, before fastening the bit to a power driver. Drill pilot holes along the board in order to keep away the flooring nails from breaking as well as to prevent splitting the wood. Drill one pair of holes every 6 inches down the board, before placing the holes roughly 1/2 inch in from the long edges of the board.
- Drive Flooring Nails Through The Pilot Holes: Next, insert or push flooring nails through the pilot holes as well as into the subfloor with the help of a hammer, which in turn leaves a small amount of the nail heads raised. If you hammered the nails flush, then it is in all likelihood that your hammer could dent or dimple the wood. Position the tip of a nail-set tool on the head of each nail, before taping the nail set with the help of a hammer in order to sink the heads of the nails just below the surface. Although tiresome or monotonous, this is an important step when installing the flooring using a hammer.
- Fit The Next Board In Place Against The End Of First Board: Fit the next board in place in opposition to the end of first board, with the grooved edge in opposition to the wall and the tongue edge facing out, like the way you did with the first board. If the short ends of the boards are having tongues and grooves, then it is important to fit the tongue of one board into the groove of the other before taping the second board in opposition to the first lightly using a hammer to close the gap.
- Insert Spacers Between The New Board & The Wall: Insert spacers betwixt the new board and the wall exactly the same way as you did with the first before drilling and fastening the board. Continue along the row as long as a full board will not fit the space remaining. Calculate or compute from the end of the last flooring board to the wall, before cutting a board to that length, less 3/4 inches, with the help of a hand or miter saw. Fit the board in place in opposition to the last, using spacers as before, before drilling and fastening the board.
- Secure The Front Edge To The Floor: Insert or push finishing nails at a sharp angle into the front, tongued edge of the entire row of boards in order to secure the front edge to the floor. Take hold of the tip of the nail in opposition to the upper, back edge of the tongue using the head of the nail pointed away from the board at roughly a 45-degree angle. Countersink these nails exactly like you did before.
- Wipe A Dab Of Wood Filler Over Each Nail Hole: Clean a dab of wood filler over each nail hole, except the nails across the tongues. Remove the excess wood filler using the edge of a plastic card or plastic putty knife. Finally, remove the 3/4-inch spacers.