HardWood Floor

By Susan Atkins

Hardwood flooring comes in both unfinished and pre-finished materials. These products are made from solid wood, which gives you three-quarters of an inch of wood that can be sanded and refinished if necessary in the future. Pre-finished flooring has an extremely durable finish already applied at the factory, which not only saves time and labor, but can also provide a better finish than you could apply yourself. Other wood flooring products include those made from press board laminated to a thin layer of wood, but although this product is inexpensive, it just will not wear as well as solid wood flooring.

Wood flooring comes in standard grades, which vary according to visual appearance and price. Clear grade is of the highest quality, with the wood containing very few knots and very little variation in overall coloring. Select grade flooring varies a bit more in color and has a few more knots, but is still considered a fine flooring product. Common grade flooring contains more of the natural variations and imperfections of the wood, but can still be used in less formal rooms to create a beautiful hardwood floor.

Floor boards should be laid perpendicular instead of parallel in relationship to the floor joists. It is also important to measure carefully so that an accurate base line can be determined, in order to keep the first rows of wood flooring straight. Standard tongue and groove wood flooring is installed by nailing the flooring board directly through the tongue, and then sliding the next piece over the nailed tongue. Although the process can be completed by hand, there are pneumatic tools that can be rented that can make this job much easier. These tools can quickly and easily drive the staples or nails at the perfect angle, making it easier to do a good installation without missing the tongue or damaging the floor boards. However, it is generally necessary to hand-nail the first row or two of because you will not be able to get close enough using the pneumatic tool. The boards will be installed in a staggered fashion, with the end joints being offset by at least sixteen inches as the rows of flooring boards are installed. Spacers are used between the wall and the flooring planks to allow room for expansion, and the last row of flooring will need to be cut to size and face nailed into place.

Since hardwood floors are becoming an increasingly popular, it may be a good DIY project to attempt. Although some people think that a hardwood floor installation might be difficult, in actuality it can be a relatively easy project, as long as you have some experience with basic carpentry work. You'll not only end up with a beautiful floor, but save yourself a lot of money too.

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