There are two choices of hardwood flooring: pre-finished and unfinished. Many novice installers prefer pre-finished flooring because it cuts back on work, but veteran installers know there’s no real substitute for a beautiful wood floor that’s been sanded and finished by hand. Once the type of wood is chosen, it’s best to buy about 30 percent more stock than the job requires to replaced boards that are cut incorrectly or otherwise damaged. Even longtime installers make mistakes that require replacing boards. It’s also essential to bring the wood inside the structure and allow it to acclimate to the temperature and humidity in the building for about two weeks (or longer, depending on conditions). Installers who skip this seasoning time are only asking for trouble, because the flooring will then acclimate during installation or shortly thereafter, with the result that the floor will most likely buckle and squeak. That’s one way to tell whether a hardwood floor has been properly installed.

The first step to a good installation is to build a proper base for the floor. The finished floor’s quality depends directly on how well the subfloor is installed. Any imperfections in the subfloor will show up in the finished floor. In other words, the installer can’t hide his or her subfloor mistakes under the wood planks.

Most subfloors are created by nailing down half-inch to three-quarter-inch plywood. The subfloor must be completely flat, even if it’s not level in some places. To keep the wood floor from squeaking, cover the subfloor with Rosin paper or the new cork underflooring. This extra step means more work, but it keeps down the noise of boards rubbing against each other.

Once the subfloor is down, expert installers do a “dry lay” of the top boards. That way the pattern of the wood can be corrected and perfected before nailing begins. Installing the first board is crucial to a successful project. Many installers say that the entire floor rests on how well that first board is laid down. It’s worth every minute to spend extra time assembling the pattern in a dry lay, then laying the first board, and repeatedly checking to see that the boards “square” properly with each other.

The boards should be nailed tightly to each other, but the back of the flooring should be loose to allow the wood to “breathe” with changes in its environment. Be sure to use the proper equipment for this task, a specialized nail gun called a blind nailer. This tool hides the nails in the tongue of each board so that the wood fits together snugly and smoothly. Pneumatic blind nailers are available to rent from many home improvement stores. This power tool helps the installer enormously and is well worth the rental price.

Another special tool that’s helpful when you install hardwood floors is a Japanese pull saw, an implement that cuts on the backward stroke instead of the forward stroke like most manual saws. Using this tool an installer can cut out a small portion of the doorjamb to allow the flooring to run beneath it. The Japanese pull saw has saved the knuckles of many installers.

Finally, a properly installed wood floor can be ruined by a bad finishing job. Novices should always get a professional to help sand, stain and coat the floor. Finishing is a critical task that takes plenty of practice to do correctly. Without expertise, novice installers may see their hours of hard labor come to nothing instead of a beautiful, gleaming hardwood floor.

Before you get started make sure that you measure out the amount of space that you want to cover with the hardwood flooring. This is going to be incredibly important. If you do not get the squar footage correct, you could end up spending a lot more money on flooring than you planned.

Once you have all of your measurements ready to go you can decide what type of flooring that you want. When it comes to installing hardwood floors you want to ensure that you choose a material that is going to suit all of your needs. You can choose a real wood, or you can go with an alternative.

If you are looking to save some extra money, you should look into alternative hardwood flooring. This material is not actual hardwood. Although the material is not the real thing, it still maintains the same effect and look of real hardwood floors.

You need to make sure that you get all of your materials ahead of time. The more prepared you are up front, the easier your installation is going to be. From there, you will be ready to get started with the installation process. Ensure that you rip up all of the old flooring before you lay down the new flooring.

Make sure that you get rid of all of the sub flooring and the hardware in the floor as well. Take a close look at the nails and glue that might be stuck in the floor. It is important that you rip all of this up so that every surface remains level.

After the floor is ripped up, you are ready to begin the actual installation process. Make sure that you are fitting everything together neatly. The wood that you choose should have time to expand before you lay it down. This can be down by sitting in storage for 2 weeks. Now, this is not going to be a one person job. Make sure that you have a couple of friends that will be able to assist you.

Installing hardwood floors is a lot like putting a puzzle together. Always take the time to pay attention and check all of your work. If you need to fix something, it is important that you catch the problem right away. Once the floor is laid out, you can finish it off and enjoy.