Wood Floor Installation – Conventional Method
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3”, 4”, 5” & 7” Hickory floor is a recommended glue & nail installation!!
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Solid wood flooring must be installed on or above the soil line, do not install below grade,
such as in a basement.
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Concrete and masonry must be completely finished and have cured a minimum of 90 days,
all drywall work must be finished including spraying for a period of a week, and the heating
system operational for a minimum of two weeks, before wood flooring can be brought inside
the home to acclimate.
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Crawl spaces must be vented and require a 6 mil layer of poly over the soil.
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Flooring must acclimate in the area it is to be installed for 10 days, never more than 30 days
before installation, never ever store it in the basement, garage, or other high humidity area.
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Insulate above main heat ducts and furnaces using noncombustible insulation.
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If you are going to stain your wood flooring, be sure to stain the sides and the tongue of the
flooring before it is installed. This will help make the seasonal shrinkage gaps less
noticeable.
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Subfloors must be a 5/8” minimum thickness of plywood, OSB can be used, but it is less
dimensionally stable and can increase the size of gaps between flooring during the heating
season.
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Check to be sure the subfloor is sound and secure to the joists, gluing and screwing will
reduce the risk of squeaks in the future.
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Make sure the subfloor is flat, sand any edges or humps down.
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Subfloor must have a moisture content of 12% or less.
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Roll out 15 lb. roofing felt across the room, overlapping seams 6”. Mark all joists with chalk
lines.
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Installation of wood flooring in rooms 10’ or wider, should start in the middle of the room and
work towards the walls (skip the next two steps if the room is less than 10’ in width). Start by
snapping a chalk line down the center of your room, perpendicular to your floor joists.
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Screw a temporary alignment board(a 1x4 is ideal), alongside the entire length of the chalk
line, lay your first row of flooring up against this alignment board and nail using proper
flooring fasteners (2” Bostich flooring staple, Powernails “Powercleats”, or 8d twisted shank
flooring nails) every 6” to 8”, and into every joist. If you have an OSB sub floor, nail every 4”
to 6” (skip the next step).
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Rooms less than 10’ in width require the flooring to lay only in one direction. Start by snapping a
chalk line ½” to ¾” away from a wall, perpendicular to your floor joists. Then align the planks
groove edge with the chalk line. Face nail the flooring near the groove edge every 6” to 8”, and
into every joist, the nail holes can be filled later. Next diagonally drill and manually nail thru the
tongue every 6” to 8” with an 8d twisted shank flooring nail, carefully setting each nail head just
below the surface of the tongue. Install the next few rows by manually nailing thru the tongue,
until you have enough room to use the flooring nailer.
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Continue to lay the flooring row by row keeping these three things in mind; (1) Nail every 6” to 8”
and into every joist if you have a plywood subfloor, every 4” to 6” for an OSB subfloor, (the most
common installation mistake is inadequate nailing). (2) Cut-offs left over from finishing out a row
can be used to start the next row. (3) Periodically check to be sure you are running parallel to
your first row of flooring, by measuring the overall width of the rows you have laid in several spots
down the length of the room.
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As you get closer to the wall, you will eventually run out of room if you are using a flooring nailer,
leaving the last two to three rows to be nailed in by hand using 8d twisted shank flooring nails.
The very last row often must be ripped to width in order to leave a ½” to ¾” expansion gap to the
wall. This last row will have to be face nailed, holes can be filled with a wood filler. (skip the next
two steps if you room is less than 10’ in width).
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Remove the temporary alignment board and glue a ¼”x3/8” spline into the groove of the 1st row of
flooring, then nail thru the spline of the flooring into the subfloor.
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The other half of the floor can now be installed.
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When wood flooring is laid adjacent to tile, you must leave expansion gaps between the tile and
wood flooring edge. This gap can be either covered by “TEE” moulding, or filled with stained
cork. “TEE” moulding requires a ¾” gap, cork will need a 5/8” gap.
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All expansion gaps around the perimeter of the wood flooring, can now be covered by base
moulding. You are now ready to finish your beautiful new wood floor, ask for complete finishing
directions for Street Shoe Wood Floor Finish; the most widely tested, durable, and maintenance
free finish there is!
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To reduce the amount of seasonal movement, dehumidify your basement during the non-heating
season. Monitor and maintain 45% relative humidity during the heating season. Keep in mind
that maintaining a 45% relative humidity level in your home during the heating season is a
compromise.
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At this level you will reduce, not eliminate cracks between plans, also on very cold days you may
notice more condensation on your windows. You will have to determine where the ideal humidity
level is for your home. Correctly monitoring your humidity level starts with using an accurate
gauge, most wall mount dial types are very erratic. We have found a dependable and reasonably
priced Hygrometer available from THERMASTOR PRODUCTS, MADISON, WI 1-800-533-7533.
Ask for the Airguide digital hygrometer-thermometer, approximate cost is $30.00.