How hard is it to install hardwood flooring Pre-finished

[Herb Mulqueen]

Have a plain room virtually no cuts,no closets, just 1420 square feet. Have 1444 square feet of pre-finished 3/4 inch Brazilian Cherry ( Jojoba). Have two Grizzly nailers with hammers, carton of U-shaped staples, and lots of available help. Wood in room for 4 days. Have 1600 feet of flooring paper. Recommendations please.

Regards and thank you very much.

Herb

[phil harold]

Well you are going to have to make some cuts,
when you come to the end of walls and doorways more than likely a rip along one wall...

I would let the wood acclimate longer (open the Boxes)

1420 sqft with 24 sqft to spare may be tight

Last barzilian floor I installed I, glued it down felt like a solid wood floor...

[Herb Mulqueen]

Thank you forgot to open boxes. Do it right after this post.

Regards,

Herb

[scott vroom]

I always plan on a minimum 10% overage (more on a complex job). 24 feet overage is very tight on a 1,420 ft job, even on a "simple" layout. You're going to have end cuts, side rip cuts, and mistakes.

Layout is key to minimize short pieces on the lengthwise direction, narrow pieces on the across direction, and slivers in door jamb areas.

Check for low spots or valleys in the subfloor and correct as needed (sand high spots, shim low spot). In the worst case, a crooked joist may require cutting out a section of the subfloor to repair.

Good luck with your project.

[Jim Matthews]

Here, in Coastal Massachusetts, flooring is best installed at the most humid time of the year.

If you're in a climate that changes less (always dry or always wet) that may not matter so much.

With air conditioning or forced hot air systems, ambient humidity can drop below 20%.
Floors installed under those conditions are likely to cup, and soon.

[Rob Fisher]

If you ask my wife, who does customer service for Armstrong flooring, no one should ever try to install flooring by themselves if they do not have experience. She has lots of customers who cannot even seem to read the instructions. That said, my feeling are if you have to ask then you should probably at least seek some more knowledgeable help. Doesn't mean that you cannot do it, just having help would greatly improve your chances of a successful install. Also Armstrong recommends 1.5"-2" nails for 3/4" solid hardwood. They only recommend staples for thinner and engineered wood floors. I would find out from the manufacturer of your floors the recommended installation method, as well as how long to acclimate.

I agree with others that less than 2% overage is not nearly enough. That probably isn't even enough to cull out the damaged boards. 10% is typically minimum for overage. Also there is almost never a time when I would glue down a solid wood floor. Think about wood expansion and you will quickly realize its a bad idea. And flooring paper is useless. It provides no benefit. Most manufacturers don't require or recommend it.

The advice about paying attention to the subfloor and ambient humidity is spot on.

[Eduard Nemirovsky]

I did installation in basement by myself. I calculate very carefully, lay down and check at least two:) :))) times. I have this floor for last three years, knock on the wood, I don't see any problem.
I agreed with everybody above - 2% is too little for wastage.
Absolutely doable job, not easiest but you can do it.

Good luck, Ed.

[Mark Engel]

Don't forget to buy and use knee pads. Your knees will thank you.

[jim sauterer]

i glued and nailed 900 sq ft. of bruce 3/4 prefinished oak.i also used 2 inch nails.floor was osb.i was advised by a flooring installer to glue also as osb if you dont hit floor joist has very little holding strength.its been 2 years in northern ohio and no problems yet.hope this helps

[brian c miller]

I'd go get another box or two. You're going to lose some on every row (you'll have to cut to but you can use the "other" end to start the next row). I'd also work out of a few boxes at a time so you don't get a distinct colour change.

I'd pick the longest wall and start there... snap a line and make a few row as straight as you can (don't follow the wall) to get started. Form there it's just a matter of staying straight and tight.

You'll need to top nail the last few rows (Either drill and nail or get a finish nailer).

I did most of our house with my Father in Law a while back and aside from being hunched over for a few days it's not too bad.

[Herb Mulqueen]

This room has been a ten year project. Started as a garage for the wife. Since it was on a different level I needed a staircase inside from the elements. Garage size approximately 28 x 58 three bay 10 foot tall. Seemed simple----then I figured why not put a room on top of the garage. Soon I had a room upstairs with 11 foot walls and a cathedral ceiling of 16 feet to peak. Then the staircase and laundry room. Then a 56 inch wild raised panel wainscot-ting chair rail. All this time wife has not complained.

So the floor is all that is left to do.

I checked the sub floor------it is composed of three layers of 3/4 plywood T&G. Yes I was off in my elevations. QUESTION------IS THE A REASON WHY TO GO THE APPROX 27 FOOT WAY OVER THE 57 WAY. ( INSIDE MEASUREMENTS). OR PLAN FOR THE LONG SIDE??????

Regards,,

HERB

PS: Been doing the YouTube self taught flooring videos. Might get some knowledge to become dangerous with new questions.

[Gregory King]

I'm surprised that no one mentioned the word "beer." That will be your excuse if things go terribly wrong. Seriously, have someone there at least to get you started who knows the install. Or else, it's guaranteed you'll need additional flooring to replace the ruined crap that will come up. Proceed slowly and enjoy!

[Myk Rian]

We had our kitchen/dining room done.
Felt under the flooring, nails, no glue. The felt prevents squeaks.
We had one warped joist. It was cut at the high point, and a new one was married to it underneath.
There was a lot of small scraps, and I have a full box extra.
You need 3-4 extra boxes for that size room.

[Jim Rimmer]

I laid a bamboo floor in my dining room a couple of years ago. I had to glue it down because it was going on a concrete slab. I actually laid the floor twice because I was concerned about the glue setting up too quickly or getting something glued and then not being able to get it up. So, I laid the floor with no glue and got all my cuts (there were angled walls in this room) and fitting done. The I took the floor up and used a sharpie to number each board on the back. Then I applied the glue to the floor and had LOML give me the boards in numerical order and it went quite well. The urethane glue, on the other hand, is a completely different story.

[Mike Monroe]

Not to hijack, but...

Anyone install pre-finished flooring in a 3/4 season porch? The room is dry, flooring is MDO, but not insulated (the floor that is, just exposed 2x10 treated joists underneath). I wonder if moisture will condensate between the MDO and the flooring during the winter if the room is heated by opening the adjoining door to the house and conversely in the summer if the room is cooled. I could crawl under the porch and install some R-30 and 1/4 ply, but I really don't want to do that (dirt and spiders under there, eww).