How to Float a Hardwood Floor
Posted by mrizone in Hardwood Flooring
A hardwood floor can add beauty and warmth to your home. Hardwood can also hold up longer and be easier to maintain than many other flooring choices. If you would like the beauty of new hardwood floors but have been put off by the all the work of installation, you should know there are floating hardwood floors that are simple to install with no staples or nails! Planks interlock with tongue and groove edges and can be installed fairly quickly – in many cases just one day. There are different grades and many wood looks to choose from.
This floating floor can even go right over most old flooring, eliminating any tear out. You may want to put some glue in a few specific spots such as doorways, to keep the floor completely locked in place.
Before you install a floating hardwood floor:
* Make sure your old floor or sub flooring is clean and level. Use joint compound to level uneven spots. You can use a putty knife or joint leveler tool. Remove any base molding and door thresholds.
* Decide on the direction you will lay your flooring and measure your rooms. Order 5% more than you need. Some manufacturers suggest having wood flooring delivered several days before installation so the wood can adjust to the climate and humidity of the room.
To install a floating hardwood floor:
* Put down the foam underlayment. You want to completely cover the entire floor without any overlap at any point. The foam is fairly simple to cut with a razor blade knife. You should seal the seams with duct tape.
* When it comes time to lay your flooring, measure how square your room is. Measure the width at one end and the other. If the location your working on isn’t square, begin by laying the floor beside the wall that’s the most bare or which adjoins a hallway or foot traffic area. How you lay down your first row of boards is crucial, as there’s no way to compensate for a sizable alignment deviation further on in the process. Use a mallet and an alignment tool or wood block (usually available with the flooring) to gently knock the tongue and groove planks together. Leave a gap of about ΒΌ”or as the manufacturer suggests at walls to allow for expansion and contraction. You can utilize spacers to create the gap. This will be covered with base molding later.
* In order to stagger the joints, start every other row with either a piece cut in half length ways or any piece left over from the last cut in the last row of at least 6″ long. Use glue on the groove side of each plank and then place it by sliding it up against the previous row.
* Use a jigsaw to cut pieces to fit around edges, doorways, and cabinets and islands. Use a small amount of glue in doorways and areas subject to water or liquid spills. The majority of the floating hardwood flooring which is available usually also comes with specific pieces for the doorways and edges of the stairs. You might need a pry bar to place the last row.
* Let the floor sit for 10 to 12 hours for the glue to dry.
* Now you can place the base moldings. Use 4d finish nails for standard molding. Place the molding on top of the flooring and nail into the wall.
* Check your directions for the proper care of your new floor. A lot of the simulated wood finishes which are available only need occasional washing with soap and water to clean.
While your brand new floating hardwood flooring will give you quite a few years of pleasure, keep in mind that the floor floats, so when the day eventually comes for a remodel, taking it out is as ‘easy as pie’. Replace your furniture and enjoy your new hardwood flooring! You can find contractors that can quickly lay wood flooring if you do not want to do the installation yourself.
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