Hardwood flooring essential tips
If you’ve decided to buy hardwood flooring, congratulations – you’ve made a wise choice, which will see you enjoying a beautiful, hardwearing and easy to care for floor for many years to come.
But before you get to walk on your new floor, you have to install it first.
This is a task most competent DIYers can manage, as long as they take the correct steps and use the right equipment. To help, here is a short guide to putting down a hardwood floor.
Measure it
The first thing to get right is to order the correct amount of flooring for your needs. Measure your space more than once – there are guides online to help you, or ask your local DIY store for advice.
Make sure to order more than you think you’ll need, because you’re bound to make mistakes when cutting, and some wood will need to be cut to size. You can always return any unused wood if necessary.
For examples of Wood Flooring, visit a website such as irwintiles.ie who have a large selection of sizes, colours and fitting accessories suited for everyone’s needs. They will even give you advice on what you need if you contact them directly.
Prepare
Your subfloor – the floor you’re laying your wood onto – must be clean and flat. Hardwood can be laid on a number of different surfaces, including floorboards, concrete and plywood.
To get the best results, remove doors and any baseboards, which will allow a better, cleaner installation.
You can then fix down a moisture barrier or underlay, if you are using one. Again, get some advice first to see if these are necessary.
Lay it out
Lay out your wood in the direction you want it to go. If you’re laying over existing floorboards, it makes more sense to lay them perpendicular to those boards, to get a better join.
According to the Home Tips website, you should start at the longest wall to get the best results.
Most hardwood flooring comes with a tongue and groove system which is easily clicked together. Use a nail gun to nail the planks down at intervals of 10 to 12 inches.
To get the boards flush, use a tapping block. Boards should be cut to length using an electric saw, for cleaner results. How you lay the boards is up to you, but most people prefer to create a regular pattern. Any holes or gaps can be filled with spacers or putty.
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