How to Install Hardwood Flooring Without Headaches

Before learning how to install hardwood flooring, you need to choose the flooring. From traditional hardwood flooring to flooring that just snaps together, you have dozens if not hundreds of different options.

The nice thing about laminates and snap-together hardwood flooring is that they come with installation instructions. However, traditional hardwood flooring is more involved. Here are some steps to help get you started.

You need to put down the flooring base first. The subfloor needs to be level, dry, and clean. Remove the baseboards before you begin.

Whether you're picking up your new flooring at a home improvement center or having it delivered by a flooring company, time its arrival so that it will be stacked inside the house for a few days. Wood naturally expands and contracts in different temperatures and humidity levels, and if you don't allow it to adjust to your home, it will not fit properly.

When you're considering how to install hardwood flooring, you must determine the direction in which the floor joists (supports) run, and mark their position at the base of the walls for reference. Obtain some 15-pound asphalt felt and put down a layer on top of the subfloor.

This does a few things for you: It protects the flooring from moisture and minimizes squeaking and creaking. This is especially important if you're installing the hardwoods in a kitchen or bathroom.

Mark the centerline of your room to indicate the position for the first board. As you install the flooring, be sure to leave a gap of 1/2 inches at the walls.

You'll want to use a nail set to finish hammering in each nail. This way, your hammer won't indent your wood. The first three boards or so should be nailed in by hand, even if you're using a pneumatic flooring nailer. This will keep them from shifting.

It is not difficult to learn how to install hardwood flooring, but it is a time-consuming and precise project.