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I want to put in hardwood flooring in a room with a plywood subfloor. Ground level room. 180 sq. ft. No basement beneath. It's an addition to the house. We bought this house last year.
Anyway, how difficult is it? Not laminate or engineered flooring, but real hardwood tongue in groove flooring. I want to try it myself but the fear factor kicks in. I can refinish a floor but never installed one. I have read on the internet on how to do it, but I think it's better left to the pros. I don't wanna screw things up and it's unlevel, or don't get the pattern right.
Difficult for a DIY'er?
How much should I expect to pay for installation? (Ballpark figure of course)
How in the world can you fix something...
If you don't know how it's supposed to work?
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- Make sure your square before you start, don't simply use the walls as guides.
- I know there's a hardwood flooring nailer you can rent from Home Depot. - Look into that.
- Always stagger the boards. - (Make sure the board that you start each row with is a different length than the boards on either side.)
- Get somebody who has done this before to help you. - Go to the pro-desk at Home Depot, ask a couple of the guys there if they know any carpenters that could provide some guidance.
- I'm a diy'r, a few years ago, I went to install an engineered "floating floor" in my mom's basement. - At first, I was lost. Then my carpenter buddy came over and helped me - within a couple hours I had the hang of it and him and I cruised through it.
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Why not a laminet... those things hold up better than a real wood floor... Admittedly, some of them don't look real so you gotta be picky...
those are easy to install
#GMSTRONG
“Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts.”
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Agreed. - Laminate, to me, is the same as a "floating floor" - The stuff that snaps together.
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I know laminate holds up better, but I like the option to sand and refinsh in what color and gloss I want in the future. Plus, I have read that real hardwood flooring is better vs. laminate as far as property value.
How in the world can you fix something...
If you don't know how it's supposed to work?
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Quote:
Why not a laminet... those things hold up better than a real wood floor... Admittedly, some of them don't look real so you gotta be picky...
those are easy to install
Best thing I ever heard someone say was "If you want something that looks, feels and sounds like wood.... then just buy some damned wood instead of a picture of wood". 
Browns is the Browns
... there goes Joe Thomas, the best there ever was in this game.
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Quote:
I like the option to sand and refinsh .
If you have a dog you'll be happy to know that option will present itself quite often.
I'm seriously thinking about tearing my HW flooring out.
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The absolute hardest part of installing a real hardwood floor is the sanding and finishing part. If you're comfortable with that, then the installation shouldn't be too hard.
My advice for installing.. first pick the type of hardwood you want to use and the manufacturer and everything.. down to the model number. Then go to their website and get THEIR specific installation instructions and follow them exactly. That way, if it ever warps, buckles, splits or whatever, they will honor their warranty on the material. Plus, they may even have a 1-800 number or a list of local certified installers who might be able to give you some tips over the phone or, if you choose to go that route, will install it for you (for a price of course)...
yebat' Putin
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Quote:
Why not a laminet... those things hold up better than a real wood floor... Admittedly, some of them don't look real so you gotta be picky...
those are easy to install
But they don't add value to a home. They may hold up better in the short run, but you can sand and refinish hardwood for 50-75 years depending on the wear. I say go for it. Nothing, IMO, looks and feels better than hardwood.
One thing I would suggest, as I think someone did before, go rent the pneumatic nailer for hardwood flooring. So much faster, less back-breaking, and easier than sitting with a mallet and an "old-fashioned" hardwood nailer.
OH! Look into bamboo hardwood too. Cheap, and lasts longer under heavy wear than normal red oak. (Although red oak looks amazing!)
There are no sacred cows.
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I mentioned the pneumatic nailer earlier. - Can he use a finish nailer also?
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Quote:
I mentioned the pneumatic nailer earlier. - Can he use a finish nailer also?
What's wrong with the american nailers?
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yebat' Putin
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Browns is the Browns
... there goes Joe Thomas, the best there ever was in this game.
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Legend
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Quote:
I mentioned the pneumatic nailer earlier. - Can he use a finish nailer also?
I wouldn't.. finish nailers use brads which are essentially headless nails.. the wood is going to work it's way lose over time and it's going to squeek badly...
yebat' Putin
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Quote:
Quote:
I like the option to sand and refinsh .
If you have a dog you'll be happy to know that option will present itself quite often.
I'm seriously thinking about tearing my HW flooring out.
I do have a dog.
A whole 5lbs. of one. Chihuahua.
This flooring will have a real old, real heavy pool table sitting on it by the way.
I have to look into the types of wood. Something durable and hard.
How in the world can you fix something...
If you don't know how it's supposed to work?
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I installed HW flooring in the kitchen a few years ago.There is such thing as square in my house,which made the install a little more difficult.
My carpentry skills leave alot to be desired,but it turned out ok.Think about what you want to do about door thresholds before you get started.It gets expensive to fix afterwards.
I would suggest getting your wood from a local sawmill.Tongue and groove boards are very unforgiving.Baird Bros.in Canfield has exceptional products.
Get the nailer and an air compressor.
This may sound gay,but get some good knee pads.And have a jar of vaseline on hand,It helps the tongue slid into the groove.
Indecision may,or maynot,be my problem
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Quote:
get some good knee pads.And have a jar of vaseline on hand,
Quote:
This may sound gay,
I'm sorry, my inner child couldn't help but crack up at that. 
yebat' Putin
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Quote:
Quote:
get some good knee pads.And have a jar of vaseline on hand,
Quote:
This may sound gay,
I'm sorry, my inner child couldn't help but crack up at that.
Hardwood, knee pads and vaseline.
What kind of thread did I start here anyways?
Or what kind of weirdos are out there on this site? 
How in the world can you fix something...
If you don't know how it's supposed to work?
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Quote:
Quote:
I mentioned the pneumatic nailer earlier. - Can he use a finish nailer also?
I wouldn't.. finish nailers use brads which are essentially headless nails.. the wood is going to work it's way lose over time and it's going to squeek badly...
Not to mention the angle you'd have to hold the nailer at, talk about carpal tunel ...
Also, if you're going to be putting a big heavy pool table on it, (seriously) look at Bamboo. It has a unique grain, resists compression, and is highly durable. The only problem is the ease of refinishing ... I'm not sure how different it is from normal hardwood refinishing.
Never heard of the vaseline trick, I may try that next time. Ditto on the knee pads. Best money you'll ever spend if your going to do even a small flooring job. Saves the knees, but also the back.
There are no sacred cows.
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While we're at it, I have a hardwood floor that has lots of scratches in it from the previous homeowner's dog. - Is there a quick fix? Or do I have to sand the entire floor and refinish it?
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Unfortunately, I don't know of anything that's quick and easy, just the normal sand and refinish. Maybe someone knows a trick or two that I don't. 
There are no sacred cows.
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Quote:
While we're at it, I have a hardwood floor that has lots of scratches in it from the previous homeowner's dog. - Is there a quick fix? Or do I have to sand the entire floor and refinish it?
I used to have a rental house. The lady renting it had dogs that were supposed to be outside, in the fenced in yard.
After she moved out, we realized her dogs weren't outside, at least not all the time. More ... than you can imagine in the living room.
I was going to replace the carpeting. Actually pulled it up, the pad too, and saw what COULD'VE been a beautiful oak floor. Since we were going to sell the house anyway, I decided to refinish the floor as opposed to putting carpeting in (the whole "what color should we get, and no matter what we get, it won't be just what the prospective buyer is looking for" issue)
I rented a floor sander and went to town. (wear a dust mask, trust me). Didn't take but maybe 3 hours total. (hit it with an 80 grit paper the first time to get the clear coat and stain off, then did it with 120 grit, and finished with a 180 grit).
Staining it was no problem. About an hour. Let it set overnight, then put a clear coat over it the next day (and I know, clear coat isn't the right word, but the right word eludes me right now)
It's not that tough to do. Just make sure, if you do it, that when you turn the sander on you are ready to work. No thinking time while you're using it, or you'll sand too much off in an area.........smooth and even. Back and forth. That's the key.
The staining and finishing is easy.
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Did the edges give you a problem. - Under the baseboards?
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Did the edges give you a problem. - Under the baseboards?
A problem? Not really. I did have to manually sand some of the areas. But if you think it will be a problem for you, use a prybar and take the baseboards off, then sand. When you're done, nail them back in place.
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I redid the floors in my living and dining room the hard (stupid) way. But did they turn out nice. I pulled carpet up to reveal good shape floors but not finished. Probably hidden under carpet for many years. I went over them the first time with a hand held electric sander. Board by board, the whole length of the rooms, back and forth with 80 grit. Then switched over to a sanding block used lesser grit and did this like 4 times.Board by board. Finished up with if I remember correctly 800 grit. My reasoning was if I rented a sander my eyes were six feet away from the floor, couldn't see every bit of detail on the floor that needed to sand out, on my knees I was inches away and could get out every imperfection. It sounds stupid and took a long time, but do they look nice. I didn't stain, just three coats of water based poly. Oil based ambers over time. I wanted to keep my floors as light as possible. I don't like the golden, honey type of look/color. Pain in the butt, yes. Probably would get the same results with a rented big sander but this was my first time doing this and our first home so I was determined to get these floors looking their best. I wanna go with pre finished hardwood now in the room I am going to install it in.
How in the world can you fix something...
If you don't know how it's supposed to work?
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Another reason that I went with the by hand route now that I think of it, I didn't want to sand down the floor to where every piece was level with the next.
I like to walk across it and feel the variations of height in it. Just little variations, I don't have one piece half an inch above or under the next. Just slight little differences. I like that feel under my feet as I walk across it.
I hope the prefinished has slight variations in height.
If not, I can deal with it.
How in the world can you fix something...
If you don't know how it's supposed to work?
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That's the important part, that you like it
There are no sacred cows.
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