Wood floor installation is not a quick and easy job but if you have a modicum of skills in Do It Yourself and are skilled at various jobs around the house it is something that you could tackle with care and time.
If you are not confident that you have the skills then it makes sense to use professionals in installing wood flooring as otherwise you may end up with a poor looking floor which has to be repaired or even replaced. It will be well worth the cost of a professional wood flooring installation service.
If you are trying to work out whether it will be worth the effort to do the task yourself, get some estimates from installers, however average costs are generally around $3 per square foot for solid wood floor installation with extra costs for leveling the floor and so on, so probably reckon about $5 per square foot in total depending on the state of your existing floor.
Laying Hardwood Floors DVD (Click image for more details)
You need a solid and level base for laying standard strip wood flooring. If you have a solid concrete floor then this must be made level using leveling compound. If you have a floor made up of floorboards then this should be made level using sheets of hardboard or plywood.
Estimate Quantities Required
Work out how many planks you will need to cover your floor, allowing for a small 3/8 inch gap at the wall or baseboard. If there will be only a narrow strip left at one side count on also cutting the first strip so that the planks at each side each have a reasonable size. Wooden plank flooring is sold in packs so you will need to go up to at least to the next whole pack size. If your estimate turns out to be very close to a whole number of pack sizes reckon on an extra one to allow for wastage and mistakes.
Consult the Instructions
When installing wood floors you need to be aware that there are different types of flooring planks which have different installation methods. The answer is to read and carefully follow the manufacturers instructions. The planks will normally use a tongue and groove system so that each board slots into the next giving a neat appearance. Nails are hidden in the groove of each strip and hammered into the floor below at an angle. If the floor is solid then the strips may be glued instead. If you don’t want to remove baseboards (skirting board) when you install wood flooring, leave an “expansion gap” at each edge of the flooring. This is usually filled with cork expansion strips and covered with wooden quadrant molding which can be made to match the floor or painted to match the baseboards. If you remove your baseboards you can reinstall them over the expansion gap.
Cutting the Planks
The main problems with hardwood floor installation center around cutting the planks especially for more complex areas such as around pipes and door ways. Make sure that you have the right tools to do the job such as a sharp saw, a cutting bench and a profile gauge.
Finishing the Flooring
Following wood floor installation you may need to finish your floor unless, like most flooring you buy these days, it is pre-finished with a protective coating.
