wood floor install

[Nasty135]

farmer, I would vote for 3/4" it might be a little more $ but I think it would be more forgiving during installation (meaning if you chose to sand before finishing it will still have enough strength to avoid splits from uneven sub-floor)and I would also use the proper tool , Even the manual ratchet type is good ie; If you don't get a good hit the first time the ratchet holds it where it stopped and you can just give it a second whack driving it to the desired depth.

We also put pine flooring in our home 6" T&G plank.. and after 8 yrs we still like it /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

 

[Richard]

Helped brother in law couple weeks ago put couple boards down & some "tricks" that I concocted when I did mine, came to my memory.

If need to tighten up a row, I had a couple ways to try. The first was I'd put about five rows down (off to side where nail is going), I'd STAND on those five, using the friction of them and my weight to help hold the seam snug. I'd put nail in and move on.

I would also SCREW one of those boards down so I could get a wonder bar (I think it's called?) and use that to wedge/pry the gap shut.

I'm SURE you know this, but I always used a junk piece to hammer against or pry against.

I tried to get the last piece as close to end of wall as I could. I would slide piece in if I could or if I had to go straight down and the piece JUST hit the wall, I would cut the bottom corner (rip) off the board so it might go in easier.

Don't know if all that makes sense, but was just some things I figured out on my own, to help floor go down tighter.

/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[MarkV]

Hi Farmer,
Sounds to me like the brain trust here has offered much of what I would have shared already. Just a couple of points that struck me as I was reading. Do go with 3/4 inch flooring. You will find it easier to work with and it will be longer lasting as refinishing is required over the years.

I haven't personally purchased flooring from Lumber Liquidators but I have seen their ads in my area. What you need to keep in mind when purchasing oak flooring is that there are varies grades and the prices vary considerably so you need to compare apples to apples. The most common grades you will find are #2 oak (sometime called cabin grade), #1 oak and select and better oak. For us the most commonally used is #1 oak in either red or white. The higher the grade the less variation in color from board to board and the less knots in the wood itself.

Flooring is a fairly expensive project that should last as long as the house with resonable care. Investing in a better quality of material to start with has a pretty good return when you consider how long the house will last.

I'll check in again if I can help with any specific questions.

MarkV

 

[Nasty135]

Another thing I didn't mention in the installation bag of tricks is the temperature and humidity factor in letting the wood come up to the temperature and humidity of its surroundings before installing( this was a reccomendation of the manufacturer) Also when trying to get it good and tight you can screw a wedge to the sub-floor and use it to really tighten up the floor before nailing.... Just another thought /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif