KITCHEN BACKSPLASH IDEAS FOR MAHOGANY CABINETS
solid hardwood flooring looks great in anyhome, and it can add to the value of your house. we’ll show you how to install solid hardwoodflooring. if you haven’t prepped your floor, do thatfirst. you can learn about that in our subfloor prep video. speaking of subfloors, â¾-inch solid hardwoodneeds to be installed with nails over plywood, on or above grade in your home--not in a basementand not directly on concrete. follow the manufacturer’s instructions forspecifics. here’s a quick overview of the installation.run the flooring along the length of the room
with an expansion gap at the perimeter—solidhardwood expands and contracts. stagger the joints at least 6-inches and also avoid hjoints, in other words don’t allow the joints to line up unless there are at least two rowsbetween them. it’s smart to calcuate the width of thelast row too. if it will be less than 1-inch, consider cutting the first row by half. before you get started, determine how muchflooring you’ll need by multiplying the length times width of the room to get thesquare footage. add about 10% extra for any warped or damaged boards.when you have your flooring, let it acclimate to the room temperature and humidity for atleast 72 hours. typically, you remove the
flooring from the boxes and stack it in theroom. this is a good time to check for any warped or defective boards. hold onto them--youcan use the bad pieces to help pry the last row into place. also you might be able tocut off the damaged parts and use the good pieces for your install. when the flooring has acclimated, pick outthe straightest boards for the first two rows. hold the first board on the starting lineyou snapped during prep, groove side toward the wall. set spacers for the expansion gap—typicallyâ¾-inches. face nail about â½-inch from the tongue side, starting about 3-inches fromthe ends, and generally every 6-inches in between. we're using an air nail gun, butdrill pilot holes if you’re using a hammer
and nail set. tap the next piece in place with a tappingblock and mallet, and continue face nailing. you can fill the nail holes with matchingfloor putty later. when you get to the end, cut the board tofit. remember to account for the expansion gap. place the board face up, and cut witha flooring blade. then install. now blind nail at a 45-degree angle every six inches.if using a hammer and nails be sure to drill pilot holes. to start the second row, push the groove ontothe tongue of the first row and tap the boards together with a tapping block. keep installingthe next few rows this way, staggering the
joints at least 6-inches. it’s a littleslow now, but the installation will pick up once you have enough room to use a flooringnailer. to use the flooring nailer hold it againstthe flooring tongue, and hit it with a hammer, and hit it again, and again, spacing the nails. continue installing the rest of the floor,staggering the joints and maintaining the expansion gaps. mix boards from differentboxes so you don’t have patches of similar color or grains. cut around any obstructions like vents orcolumns. when you get to the last few rows where theflooring nailer won’t fit, blind nail where
you can. for the last two rows you’ll haveto face nail along the tongue side. to fit the very last row, cut the pieces--keeping in mind the expansion gap. use a pull bar to wedge the pieces in place. then facenail. if the last strip will be less than 1-inchwide, glue it to the previous row. finish up by cutting the excess underlayment,filling nail holes with wood putty and reattaching the baseboards and shoe moulding. attach thetrim to the wall, not the floor. then attach the transitions. and it’s finished. solid hardwood definitely adds a rich lookto this room. want more great ideas and how-to’s? go tolowes.com/howto or click subscribe.
if you’re looking for another hardwood flooringoption, check out how to install engineered wood flooring.